Paul Manafort leaves the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after a status conference on Nov. 2, 2017. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)

Friends of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort have set up a legal defense fund to meet “the tremendous legal costs” stemming from proceedings in the special counsel's Russia probe.

The longtime Republican operative currently faces criminal charges, including tax and bank fraud, in federal courts in Washington, D.C., and Alexandria, Virginia.

The Paul Manafort Defense Fund website, which includes a page dedicated to Manafort's “lifetime of service,” also features links to conservative media articles criticizing the special counsel, as well as articles that highlight comments from Senior Judge T.S. Ellis III of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, questioning the scope of Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

“A gift by you will help Paul and his Team mount the strongest and most thorough defense possible,” the website reads. “Paul and his family are reaching out to any who can assist him at this time.”

Jason Maloni, a spokesman for Paul Manafort, declined to comment on the website.

The creation of this fund comes as friends and relatives of other individuals wrapped up in Mueller's investigation have solicited donations to help defray legal costs.

Rick Gates, a former Trump campaign aide and Manafort's longtime business partner, benefited from a legal defense fund last year. He entered into a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in February.

Relatives of Mike Flynn, retired general and former Trump national security adviser, sought donations to help pay for his legal defense. Associates of Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign aide also set up a fund in his name to offset likely “more than $125,000 in legal bills.”

A GoFundMe page for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, designed to pay for costs related to a Justice Department inspector general investigation and congressional oversight requests, closed down earlier this year after raising over $500,000.

Meanwhile, lawyers for Jeffrey Yohai, Manafort's former son-in-law, signaled this week in court filings that they would no longer represent the real estate investor in a separate criminal case. They said his real estate firm was uncooperative with attorneys, and “has failed to pay its outstanding attorneys fees and costs.”

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