WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors want "substantial" prison time for President Donald Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, who has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress.

Meanwhile, prosecutors say former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied about his contacts with a Russian associate and Trump administration officials.

The disclosures were made in a court filing Friday evening. Prosecutors say Manafort violated his plea deal by telling “multiple discernible lies.”

Prosecutors with special counsel Robert Mueller's team as well as the Southern District of New York both issued memos Friday outlining cases against Cohen and spelling out for how long Cohen should go to jail.

Cohen pleaded guilty last week to lying to Congress about discussions over a Trump Tower in Moscow. The charge was brought by the Special Counsel's Office, which is investigating the depths of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Now, according to a new filing, Mueller says Russia reached out to the Trump campaign as far back as 2015.

In his filing, Mueller wrote that "the defendant's crime was serious," and that he admitted to lying to Senate and House Intelligence Committees to minimize the links between the Moscow real-estate project and Trump.

"In recent months, however, the defendant has taken significant steps to mitigate his criminal conduct. He chose to accept responsibility for his false statements and admit to his conduct in open court," Mueller wrote.

"He also has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel's investigation."

Mueller's memo said any sentence that Cohen serves should run concurrently with the Southern District's sentence.

In a series of Friday morning tweets, the president attacked law enforcement and intelligence officials and accused Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — the Justice Department official who appointed him — of conflicts of interest.

He also said his lawyers were preparing a "counter to the Mueller Report."

 

Formerly a key figure in Trump's organization, Cohen was once so fiercely loyal to his former boss he boasted he would "take a bullet" for Trump.

Cohen's attorneys have requested no prison time, saying their client has cooperated with the investigation with "fortitude."

The Associated Press and CNN contributed to this story.