The persistent claim by President Trump and his legal team that special counsel Robert Mueller is wasting time and taxpayer dollars investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia could lose its impact if Paul Manafort is soon convicted on bank and tax fraud charges, according to legal experts who have followed the former Trump campaign chairman’s three-week trial.

White House allies have been eager to note that Manafort’s criminal trial in Alexandria, Va., is unrelated to his involvement with the president’s 2016 campaign and potential ties between Trump associates and Kremlin officials. Instead, the 18-count indictment prosecutors filed against Manafort focus on financial crimes and tax evasion he allegedly committed prior to joining efforts to elect Trump.