Trump should 'absolutely be frightened' by new Manafort revelations: Former DOJ official

Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs at the Department of Justice Elliot Williams told MSNBC on Wednesday that President Donald Trump 'absolutely should be frightened' by the latest revelations about his convicted campaign manager Paul Manafort's contact with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.

"When you take a background check to work in a senior position in the federal government, in addition to asking if you've ever built a bomb or whatever, two of the questions they ask are 'where have you traveled and who do you owe money to?'" Williams said. "It's all about blackmail and how you can potentially get yourself in trouble."

Williams added that Manafort's meetings with Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs may have damaged U.S. national security, especially if he passed along secrets.

"It may not be a smoking gun, but it is absolutely evidence of conspiracy, collusion, although that's a tricky word to use legally," he said. "This is absolutely relevant and absolutely they should be frightened about where it could lead."

Watch the video below.