Judge postpones Paul Manafort trial to July 31

A U.S. judge agreed to delay until July 31 the criminal trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on bank and tax fraud charges.

Lawyers sought the delay for Manafort, a long-time Republican operative and businessman who is a target of Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The trial had been scheduled to start on Wednesday.

Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by James Dalgleish