Judge jails Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort ahead of trial

President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman has been ordered into custody after a federal judge revoked his house arrest, citing newly filed obstruction of justice charges.

The move by US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson came after prosecutors accused Paul Manafort and a long-time associate of witness tampering.

Manafort is the first Trump campaign official to be jailed as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

His lawyers have argued that Manafort did not do anything wrong and accused prosecutors of conjuring a "sinister plot" out of "innocuous" contacts with witnesses.

Manafort will remain in jail while he awaits two trials in the next few months.

He faces several felony charges related to his Ukrainian political work and money he funnelled through offshore accounts.