Federal Judge Casts Doubt On Mueller’s Case Against Manafort

[StLucieBengal]

http://dailycaller.com/2018/05/04/judge-skeptical-mueller-manafort/

Seems this is falling apart. Mueller has Two weeks.

Quote:Federal Judge Casts Doubt On Mueller’s Case Against Manafort
Photo of Chuck Ross
CHUCK ROSS
Reporter
12:26 PM 05/04/2018
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A Virginia federal judge expressed deep skepticism of the special counsel’s bank fraud case against President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, during a court hearing Friday morning.

“You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort’s bank fraud,” U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III told Mueller’s prosecutors during the hearing.

“You really care about getting information Mr. Manafort can give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump and lead to his prosecution or impeachment,” Ellis added, according to The Washington Post.

“C’mon, man,” he said at one point in the hearing, according to Fox News.

Manafort, 69, is challenging indictments for bank and tax fraud Mueller filed against him in federal court in Alexandria, Va. The charges are outside the scope of Mueller’s mandate to investigate any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government, Manafort’s lawyers have argued.

Manafort has also been indicted in federal court in Washington, D.C. Both cases revolve around Manafort’s work from 2005 through 2014 for former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

The Ukrainian government paid millions of dollars to Manafort and his former business partner, Rick Gates, to polish the image of Yanukovych, a close ally of Vladimir Putin’s. Manafort laundered payments he received for the work and failed to properly register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent, Federal prosecutors allege.

Gates initially planned to fight the charges against him, but he pleaded guilty on Feb. 23 and has been cooperating with Mueller.

Ellis, a Ronald Reagan appointee, challenged Mueller’s team over whether the Virginia case arose out of its own investigation or whether it picked up on a previous investigation into Manafort’s consulting work the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria conducted. The Obama Justice Department investigated Manafort back in 2014 but decided not to bring charges.

The question looming over the Manafort case is whether Mueller has evidence the political consultant coordinated with Russians during the 2016 campaign. Manafort’s team has denied he conspired or colluded with any Russian intelligence or government officials.

On April 30, Manafort’s lawyers filed court papers in the Virginia case asserting Mueller’s team has said it does not have communications or intercepts of any conversations Manafort had with Russian officials.

Ellis is giving Mueller’s lawyers two weeks to provide an unredacted version of an Aug. 2, 2017 memo written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein laying out the parameters of the investigation into Manafort, the judge said Friday.

While Ellis expressed concern with the Mueller prosecution, he made it clear he has not decided whether the Virginia case will be tossed.

“I’m not saying it’s illegitimate,” Ellis said, according to The Post.

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[SunsetBengal]

Gee, seems like we sure have moved far from the original premise of the Trump campaign colluding with the Russian Government.

[Goalpost]

Rosenstein is going to have to release this 'scope memo' which is the origination of Mueller, something the Repubs want to see and Rosenstein is withholding. Now the judge wants to see it. The problem is, it may not specify a crime in it.

Also I'm hearing that Rosenstein created a new -scope memo', pertaining to Manfort AFTER Manfort was raided. Mueller might have acted too early getting his permission 'after' it was done.

[fredtoast]

(05-04-2018, 09:24 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Gee, seems like we sure have moved far from the original premise of the Trump campaign colluding with the Russian Government.

Not really.  Just like when you are digging for gold you somtimes find silver.  Doesn't mean you ever changed your goal.  And you don't throw away the silver just because you found it while looking for gold.

I predict a lot of the guys around here who are always preaching about "personal responsibility"  will start crying for a criminal to avoid charges just because those charges were not what the investigation was originally looking for.

[BmorePat87]

(05-05-2018, 08:35 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Not really.  Just like when you are digging for gold you somtimes find silver.  Doesn't mean you ever changed your goal.  And you don't throw away the silver just because you found it while looking for gold.

I mpredict a lot of the guys ariuynd here who are always preaching about "personal responsibility"  will start crying for a criminal to avoid charges just because those charges were not what the investigation was originally looking for.

Yea, people are trying to excuse Manafort's criminal behavior because it wasn't the criminal behavior Mueller was originally looking for. It's a shame this judge is putting politics over the law. 

The undercover cop was looking to bust a drug kingpin, but only found out so far that they were a gun smuggling ring. Better not prosecute it.

[ballsofsteel]

(05-05-2018, 08:44 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Yea, people are trying to excuse Manafort's criminal behavior because it wasn't the criminal behavior Mueller was originally looking for. It's a shame this judge is putting politics over the law. 

The undercover cop was looking to bust a drug kingpin, but only found out so far that they were a gun smuggling ring. Better not prosecute it.

That 99 year old judge is a stauch Repub appointed to the bench by Ronny Reagan. The Repubs are in damage control mode now.

[GMDino]

(05-05-2018, 08:35 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Not really.  Just like when you are digging for gold you somtimes find silver.  Doesn't mean you ever changed your goal.  And you don't throw away the silver just because you found it while looking for gold.

I predict a lot of the guys around here who are always preaching about "personal responsibility"  will start crying for a criminal to avoid charges just because those charges were not what the investigation was originally looking for.

They will also decide that this judge isn't an activist who is legislating from the bench for political reasons.  

[GMDino]

(05-04-2018, 09:21 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: http://dailycaller.com/2018/05/04/judge-skeptical-mueller-manafort/

Seems this is falling apart.  Mueller has Two weeks.  

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/387837-judge-rejects-manafort-motion-to-dismiss-russia-probe-charges

Quote:A federal judge on Tuesday rejected former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's request to toss out five criminal charges against him in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.



U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled in Washington, D.C., that Mueller had the right to bring the charges against Manafort, shutting down the argument by Manafort's lawyer that they had nothing to do with the Russia investigation. 

Jackson wrote that "the Special Counsel was authorized from the start to investigate the defendant not only for coordinating with the Russian government, but also for violations of law arising out of payments received from the former President of Ukraine." 


The judge maintained that it was appropriate for investigators to look into Manafort's lobbying history while probing possible coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia, saying the Manafort indictment fell "squarely" in the authority granted to Mueller by the Justice Department.


Manafort's attorneys had argued the special counsel was taking too broad a view of its powers and pushed to remove his indictment on charges of money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent.


"The appointment order here purports to give the Special Counsel power to investigate a specifically identified matter and anything that arises in the course of the investigation, without further consulting or obtaining approval from the Attorney General or Acting Attorney General," read a filing from Manafort's lawyer earlier this year. "The regulations do not allow for such an expansive appointment."


In April, Jackson also dismissed a civil complaint from Manafort challenging the scope of Mueller's probe.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering and conspiracy against the U.S. related to his lobbying work for a Ukrainian political party.


A judge in Virginia, overseeing a separate case against Manafort for possible bank fraud and other alleged financial crimes, expressed deep skepticism earlier this month that charges in that probe were genuinely related to Mueller's investigation.


Manafort is set to go on trial in the Virginia case in July and in the D.C. case in September.

Thought I'd add this little line from another story on the dismissal:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/manafort-special-counsel/index.html

Quote:"The Special Counsel would have been remiss to ignore such an obvious potential link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government," she wrote later in the opinion.

I'll wait quietly for the "activist judges" post that will now follow....

[BmorePat87]

(05-16-2018, 07:09 AM)GMDino Wrote:

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/387837-judge-rejects-manafort-motion-to-dismiss-russia-probe-charges



Thought I'd add this little line from another story on the dismissal:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/manafort-special-counsel/index.html




I'll wait quietly for the "activist judges" post that will now follow....

[Griever]

(05-16-2018, 08:39 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote:

did all the previous posters who applauded the first judge suddenly disappear?

[GMDino]

(05-16-2018, 08:39 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote:

(05-16-2018, 08:43 AM)Griever Wrote: did all the previous posters who applauded the first judge suddenly disappear?

The "usual suspects"?

I'm sure they will have a very positive spin for their boy as soon dailywhiner or breitbart gives them one.

[*michaelsean*]

(05-16-2018, 07:09 AM)GMDino Wrote:

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/387837-judge-rejects-manafort-motion-to-dismiss-russia-probe-charges



Thought I'd add this little line from another story on the dismissal:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/manafort-special-counsel/index.html




I'll wait quietly for the "activist judges" post that will now follow....

I think you'll wait a while.  How would someone claim judicial activism in a criminal trial?

[GMDino]

(05-16-2018, 08:52 AM)michaelsean Wrote: I think you'll wait a while.  How would someone claim judicial activism in a criminal trial?

It will come up.  It will be discussed as THIS judge playing politics and not stopping the investigation for "obvious" reasons.

[*michaelsean*]

(05-16-2018, 08:55 AM)GMDino Wrote: It will come up.  It will be discussed as THIS judge playing politics and not stopping the investigation for "obvious" reasons.

Again it's a criminal trial. Where would activism be?

[GMDino]

(05-16-2018, 09:56 AM)michaelsean Wrote: Again it's a criminal trial. Where would activism be?

It goes against Trump.  It will be pushing the non-Trump agenda.

Edit: I think you mean they aren't affecting "policy"...making "laws from the bench". They will still be called activist for allowing a "political" investigation to continue.

[Belsnickel]

(05-16-2018, 07:09 AM)GMDino Wrote:

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/387837-judge-rejects-manafort-motion-to-dismiss-russia-probe-charges



Thought I'd add this little line from another story on the dismissal:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/manafort-special-counsel/index.html




I'll wait quietly for the "activist judges" post that will now follow....

The problem with this lies in that the charges filed in Virginia federal courts are different than those in the DC district. I could still see the case in Virginia being dismissed.

[StLucieBengal]

(05-16-2018, 07:09 AM)GMDino Wrote:

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/387837-judge-rejects-manafort-motion-to-dismiss-russia-probe-charges



Thought I'd add this little line from another story on the dismissal:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/15/politics/manafort-special-counsel/index.html




I'll wait quietly for the "activist judges" post that will now follow....

The Original article was a seperate judge and case. It even remarks about it in yours.

A DC federal judge appointed by obama, ruling in favor of democrat desires is hardly surprising.

Either way none of this come of anything other than a few low level infractions that most likely aren’t related to the original issue of Russian tampering. This has become a joke.

[GMDino]

(05-04-2018, 09:21 PM)StLucieBengal Wrote: http://dailycaller.com/2018/05/04/judge-skeptical-mueller-manafort/

Seems this is falling apart.  Mueller has Two weeks.  

(05-16-2018, 11:04 AM)StLucieBengal Wrote: The Original article was a seperate judge and case.  It even remarks about it in yours.  

A DC federal judge appointed by obama, ruling in favor of democrat desires is hardly surprising.  

Either way none of this come of anything other than a few low level infractions that most likely aren’t related to the original issue of Russian tampering.   This has become a joke.

[*michaelsean*]

(05-16-2018, 10:06 AM)GMDino Wrote: It goes against Trump.  It will be pushing the non-Trump agenda.

Edit:  I think you mean they aren't affecting "policy"...making "laws from the bench".  They will still be called activist for allowing a "political" investigation to continue.

I don't think she could stop it if she wanted to.

[GMDino]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-manafort-exclusive/exclusive-manaforts-former-son-in-law-cuts-plea-deal-to-cooperate-with-government-sources-idUSKCN1II2YM?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

Quote:Exclusive: Manafort's former son-in-law cuts plea deal, to cooperate with government - sources


NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former son-in-law of Paul Manafort, the one-time chairman of President Donald Trump’s campaign, has cut a plea deal with the Justice Department that requires him to cooperate with other criminal probes, two people with knowledge of the matter said.   

The guilty plea agreement, which is under seal and has not been previously reported, could add to the legal pressure on Manafort, who is facing two indictments brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.



Manafort has been indicted in federal courts in Washington and Virginia with charges ranging from tax evasion to bank fraud and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.    


Jeffrey Yohai, a former business partner of Manafort, was divorced from Manafort’s daughter last August.


Yohai has not been specifically told how he will be called on to cooperate as part of his plea agreement, but the two people familiar with the matter say they consider it a possibility that he will be asked to assist with Mueller’s prosecution of Manafort.


Legal experts have said that Mueller wants to keep applying pressure on Manafort to plead guilty and assist prosecutors with their probe. Manafort chaired the Trump campaign for three months before resigning in August 2016.

Both Trump and Russia have denied allegations they colluded to help Republican Trump win the election.


Hilary Potashner, a public defender who is representing Yohai, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Manafort’s spokesman, Jason Maloni, declined to comment.


Andrew Brown, a federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, had been overseeing an investigation into Yohai’s real estate and bank dealings in California and New York several months before Mueller was appointed to his post in May 2017.

Yohai’s agreement, which was concluded early this year, included him pleading guilty to misusing construction loan funds and to a count related to a bank account overdraft.    


While the deal was cut with Brown’s office, the federal government “can ask for help at any time,” said one of the people familiar with the matter.


A spokesman for Brown did not respond to a request for comment and a spokesman for Mueller declined to comment.        


MANAFORT TRIAL PENDING
Manafort is to go on trial later this year to fight the two indictments. The charges against him range from failing to disclose lobbying work for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party to bank fraud.


As a close business partner, Yohai was privy to many of Manafort’s financial dealings, according to the two people familiar with the matter and court filings in the bankruptcies of four Los Angeles properties in 2016. In addition to co-investing in California real estate, the two cooperated in getting loans for property deals in New York, Manafort’s indictments show.

Mueller sent a team of prosecutors to interview Yohai last June, asking him about Manafort’s relationship with Trump, his ties to Russian oligarchs, and his borrowing of tens of millions of dollars against properties in New York, Reuters reported in February, citing people with knowledge of the matter.