Former Donald Trump campaign aide Rick Gates asked a judge to get out of house arrest so he can attend events to celebrate the new year.
Gates, former lobbying partner and deputy of Trumps ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort whos also under house arrest asked U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Thursday to get out of house arrest for the New Years holiday. He asked for the reprieve even while his attorneys are explaining in another court action why Gates appearance in a fundraising video didnt violate a gag order.
Gates pleaded not guilty in October to multiple charges including money laundering and failing to register as an agent of a foreign government brought as part of the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference into the U.S. presidential election.
No details about Gates planned New Years activities were provided in the court documents. His attorneys simply requested court permission allowing Gates to accompany his family to events for the New Years holiday from Sunday, December 31, 2017 through Monday, January 1, 2018. They said he would stay in Virginia, within 60 miles of his home, and will continue to be monitored by a GPS device, according to the documents.
Earlier, Gates had asked the court to let him travel with his family outside of Virginia, which the court denied.
Jackson also denied a request from Gates in November to leave his home to drive his children to school.
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Gates attorneys appeared in court Wednesday explaining why a video that Gates appeared in earlier this month is not a violation of a gag order. Gates and Manafort had been ordered to refrain from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case.
In the video, Gates thanked those attending a fundraiser to help him with his legal fees. The fundraiser was hosted by conservative media personality Jack Burkman, who insisted that Gates was a victim of a very unfair prosecution. Burkman, who also works as a GOP lobbyist, has called for Mueller to be fired .
Attorneys argued that Burkman was not speaking on Gates behalf , Politico reported, even though he was raising funds for him.
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CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly said that U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had granted Rick Gates request on Thursday. Gates filed his request on Thursday, and Jackson did not make a decision on that day. Jackson denied the request on Friday.
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