Trump says he is not worried what ex-aide Manafort will tell prosecutors

FILE PHOTO: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort departs from U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is not worried about what his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who is cooperating with the U.S. special counsel's probe into Russian election meddling, will tell prosecutors, as long as he is truthful.

"No, I'm not," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he was concerned what Manafort might say.

"As long as he tells the truth, it's 100 percent," Trump said, before departing the White House to visit storm-ravaged North and South Carolina. "If he tells the truth, no problem."

Manafort pleaded guilty last week to criminal charges stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry into Russian interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Russia has said it did not interfere in the election, and Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Andrea Ricci)