Here's the simplest explanation of Paul Manafort's indictment (It's not about Trump and collusion)
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A lot will be said about the federal indictment of Paul Manafort and his business partner Richard Gates. Much of that will involve talk of “collusion,” Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, opposition research, etc. This talk might end up being relevant someday, but so far it’s not really relevant to the indictment.
Here, simplified and translated into layman’s terms, what the federal government is alleging:
Paul Manafort was a lobbyist for Putin-backed forces in Ukraine, and he allegedly covered it up by disguising payments and refusing to register as a foreign agent — which is required by law. Along the way, Manafort allegedly didn't pay taxes on this income. Manafort’s partner Gates is named in the indictment, too.
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An indictment is not proof. It’s an accusation, and Manafort and Gates must be considered innocent until proven guilty. There’s plenty we know about this case, including the work he did for the Ukrainian clients and the filings he didn’t file, but there’s plenty we don’t know.