Gates pleads guilty; Manafort faces new accusation

WASHINGTON (FOX NEWS) - Not long after one former Trump campaign aide appeared at the federal courthouse in Washington Friday to plead guilty to some charges, the former campaign chairman faced new accusations.

Rick Gates pled guilty to conspiracy and making false statements to federal authorities. Under the plea agreement, Gates has agreed to cooperate in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential race.

In the meantime, the special counsel on Friday also unveiled a new allegation against former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort. Mueller accused Manafort of secretly paying former European politicians to lobby on behalf of Ukraine.

The charges against Gates do not involve any conduct connected to the Trump campaign. The White House continues to insist no evidence exists of any wrongdoing by the campaign.

Gates is the fifth person to plead guilty in the special counsel's probe. His plea came a day after a federal grand jury in Virginia returned an indictment against him and Manafort accusing them of tax evasion and bank fraud.

The two men were charged last October with conspiring to launder millions they earned while lobbying for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.

Manafort maintains his innocence. He said he had hoped gates would have continued fighting the charges.