Posted on 08/08/2018 9:58:07 AM PDT by sickoflibs
LEXANDRIA, Va. – After jurors were dismissed Monday in the Paul Manafort trial Monday, the federal judge overseeing the case and prosecutors trying the former Trump campaign chairman got into an extended verbal debate -- lasting about 10 minutes -- over the merits of the prosecution, the length of the case and even the eye contact of prosecutor Greg Andres.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III specifically pushed Andres on why the prosecution was moving slowly with Rick Gates – the former Manafort business partner who testified on Monday – and specifically to describe the link between wealthy Ukrainian politicos and Manafort. Ellis argued that the connection was not the basis of the case.
“What matters are the allegations that he made money from them and didn’t report it,” Ellis said. “You don't need to throw mud at these people.”
That makes it even clearer to me that it doesn’t have anything to do with the allegations in this case,” Ellis responded. “It throws dirt on these people. They may deserve it. I don’t know - and I don’t care.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Rick Gates was destroyed on cross
Mueller’s bluff is being called.
He probably thought Manafort would fold and accept plea deal and roll on Trump, making up lies about POTUS that Mueller could use.
Manafort didn’t roll, and now Mueller has no choice but to pursue the case without looking like an obvious fraud. Better to get hammered in court than to admit you were wrong.
This judge may throw the whole dam thing out.
Spatting with a federal judge only has one possible outcome.
That’s always best for the prosecutor, trying to make the judge angry at you. Always good for your case
My prediction:
Hung jury. Mueller refiles. Gets a friendlier judge on the next roll of the dice and a conviction, long AFTER the midterms. Manafort appeals and this drags on for years.
I would not read too much into this judge’s questions. He may very well be establishing a high bar so that if Manafort gets convicted, there will be little for him to appeal over.
That's why prosecutors are trying to make the jury jealous of Manafort’s lifestyle.
Judge is asking why since the government has known for years about Manafort and his schemes are they now making a case with such a flawed prosecution witness
He knows why
I wish he would toss it
He’s been expertly painted as a liar and thief. Thereby, demonstrating that he has no integrity and anything that comes out of his mouth should not be believed. As Dershowitz has been saying, you can tell what happened or you can compose what happened. I’m thinking that Gates was trying to recite, as best he could, all the lies the DOJ and FBI wanted him to tell. Too bad that Manafort knows all about him.
No matter how you shake it, jurors do not go into cases completely blind to what is going on in the world, especially when it comes to high profile cases such as this. With the press doing its level best to turn this against the President they let way too much out in the public. Other than some accounting details, here and there, there isn’t much the jurors are going to find out other than what they already know. And when your crack team of federal prosecutors are showing a man’s wardrobe, in an effort to use class warfare against the defendant, you know that case is weaker than a fart in a fan factory.
Even if Manafort is convicted of some of the charges, the judge is not likely to give him a harsh sentence.
I thought of that.
The judge isn't saying that there is no evidence against Manafort on the charges, just that the prosecutor is trying to bias the jury on irrelevant stuff.
Manafort opted for a *jury* trial?! Seems a bit foolhardy to me.
Mueller is just an incompetent attorney. It’s no surprise he felt the call to government “service”. Pure pettifoggery.
You know what? I like this judge. He does not put up with any BS.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Ellis_III
If Manafort has any chance at all at getting justice - it will be with this judge.
All the investigating from Trump to a friend of a friends Cat and Mueller got nothing
This is old news
The govt is also entitled to a jury trial
Days old news
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