Star witness may or 'may not' testify in ex-Trump aide's trial: prosecutor

Rick Gates, former campaign aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, departs after a bond hearing at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/Files

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - The expected star government witness in the criminal trial of U.S. President Donald Trump's onetime election campaign manager Paul Manafort may or "may not" testify, a prosecutor told the judge in court on Wednesday.

The judge in federal court in Virginia asked about plans to call Manafort's business partner Rick Gates. "He may testify in this case, he may not," U.S. prosecutor Uzo Asonye replied.

Asonye then clarified that the prosecution is constantly evaluating the need for all of its witnesses' testimony and "it's not to suggest we are not calling him."

(Reporting by Nathan Layne, Lisa Lambert; editing by Grant McCool)