Manafort trial puts the spotlight on Trump

The US president’s former election campaign manager is in court in Virginia, charged with money-laundering. His ties to Russian oligarchs may prove revelatory, says Elizabeth Drew

AS the first criminal trial of a major figure in US president, Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign began in Virginia last week, observers have wondered to what extent not only Paul Manafort, but also Trump himself is in the dock.