Nearly two hours into the fourth day of deliberations, jurors in the Paul Manafort trial emerged with a question suggesting they were close to handing down a verdict on the tax and bank fraud charges the special counsel brought against the former Trump campaign chairman.

“Your honor, if we cannot come to a consensus on a single count, how should we fill in the jury verdict form for that count, and what does that mean for the final verdict? We will need another form, please,” the note stated. The note, which was read aloud in court by Judge T.S. Ellis III, was signed by the jury's unidentified foreperson.

Ellis urged the jurors to continue their deliberations and strive for consensus on the 18 charges Manafort is facing. Before the jurors took their seats in the courtroom, Ellis told the prosecution and defense lawyers that he might soon accept a partial verdict if the jurors struggle to reach a unanimous decision on one or more counts.