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Judge T.S. Ellis, a Reagan appointee to the Federal District Court for Eastern Virginia, is well-known for speaking his mind. Yesterday, in sentencing Paul Manafort, he rebuked Team Mueller’s harsh sentence recommendation of 19-24 years’ imprisonment as “excessive,” and instead set a lot of progressives’ hair on fire by imposing a sentence of 47 months, and recommended counting the nine months of time served (much of it in solitary confinement, imposed by Judge Amy Berman Jackson in a separate case in DC District Court) against that total, meaning just over three years of imprisonment. Paul Manafort's mug shot -...

Less than a week after making a stink about freedom of the press, President Trump and 'enemies of the people, CNN and apparently other news outlets have decided to get into the harassment business given that reporting news is just not good enough for them. Seriously, they tried to do this: In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, CNN and several other media outlets requested that the court release the names and home addresses of all jurors in the Paul Manafort fraud case. Jurors haven not yet rendered a verdict on any of the 18 charges against...

#Breaking CNN has filed a motion to unseal the names and addresses of the Manafort jurors

The anti-Trump cable news network has a long history of doxxing threats and harassment. In a motion filed in federal court on Thursday, CNN and several other media outlets requested that the court release the names and home addresses of all jurors in the Paul Manafort fraud case. Jurors haven not yet rendered a verdict on any of the 18 charges against Manafort, who briefly served as President Donald Trump’s campaign manager in 2016. The motion — filed on behalf of CNN, Washington Post, BuzzFeed, POLITICO, New York Times, NBC Universal, and the Associated Press — asks the court to...

Shortened title. Full title: Judge Ellis Declines Motion by CNN, WaPo to Release Names of Manafort Jurors – Reveals ‘I HAVE BEEN THREATENED’ CNN, Wapo and Buzzfeed are demanding the names and addresses of the Manafort jurors be released to the public. On Friday, Judge Ellis, a Reagan appointee, revealed he has received threats, however; he did not provide details.

Judge T.S. Ellis III revealed in open court Friday that he has received death threats relating to his presiding over Paul Manafort’s trial for bank and tax fraud at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The judge has since retained the protection of the U.S. Marshals Service. “I have the marshal’s protection,” Ellis said. “I don’t even go to the hotel alone. I won’t even reveal the name of the hotel.” “I had no idea this case excited this emotion in the public,” he added.

BREAKING: Judge in Manafort trial says he's received threats, won't reveal jurors' names over fears for their safety

Paul Manafort’s criminal trial on bank and tax fraud charges was held up for several hours on Friday as the federal judge presiding over the case repeatedly met with federal prosecutors and Manafort’s defense attorneys. Judge T.S. Ellis III, who has otherwise placed a priority on the trial moving quickly, pushed the start of witness testimony in the trial until Friday afternoon, according to multiple media reports. Ellis began the day by holding a bench conference with attorneys from both sides before the jury was called into the courtroom, and held a second conference before leaving the room “to consider...

After days of being dressed down by the judge overseeing the Paul Manafort case, federal prosecutors sought Thursday to put their foot down -- filing a motion complaining that Judge T.S. Ellis III had unfairly admonished them in front of the jury. Ellis has memorably and repeatedly criticized Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team during the trial for the former Trump campaign chairman. On Wednesday, Ellis ripped into prosecutors for letting a witness, IRS Agent Michael Welsh, sit in the courtroom before his testimony. But in a five-page motion filed Thursday, Mueller deputy Andrew Weissmann and other attorneys on the team...

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The Latest on the bank fraud and tax evasion trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort (all times local): 10:50 a.m. The judge in Paul Manafort's trial has called a recess without explanation. U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis lll huddled with attorneys from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office and Manafort's defense lawyers, as well as court security officers, for more than 20 minutes before calling the recess. The judge then exited the courtroom toward the jury room. The recess comes as prosecutors are preparing to finish their case Friday. Manafort faces charges of bank...

Special counsel Robert Mueller filed a formal complaint against the judge presiding over Paul Manafort’s tax fraud case this week; claiming T.S. Ellis III violated protocol while ruling against the prosecution’s star witness. According to Politico, Mueller’s team is increasingly frustrated with the “cranky judge” who has rebuked the special counsel’s office on multiple occasions. [T]he judge’s condescending attitude [could give] the jury the impression that the prosecution’s case is dubious “[T]he judge’s condescending attitude [could give] the jury the impression that the prosecution’s case is dubious,

Ellis had rebuked Andres for not looking at him while he was talking. "Look at me! Don’t look down," Ellis said. When Andres said he was looking at a document, Ellis said "that’s B.S." And on Wednesday, Ellis chastised Andres again for how he speaks to him. At one point, Andres responded with a simple "yea." "Be careful about that, this is not an informal proceeding," Ellis warned.

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...

It looks like Mueller’s prosecutors can’t take the heat. Rick Gates, Paul Manafort’s former business associate took the witness stand Monday afternoon in the bank fraud and tax evasion case against Manafort.

The judge in Paul Manafort’s trial suggested to a prosecutor for special counsel Robert Mueller that he is “so frustrated” that there were tears in his eyes. Bloomberg reported that U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III made the comment to prosecutor Greg Andres during a discussion out of earshot of the jury and members of the media. “I understand how frustrated you are,” Ellis said. “In fact, there’s tears in your eyes right now.’’ Andres disputed Ellis’s statement, to which the judge replied, “Well, they’re watery.” Tensions have broken out between the prosecutors and Ellis throughout the trial: The judge...

Paul Manafort. Tony Podesta. Tad Devine. Greg Craig. Manafort worked for Trump. Tony Podesta is the brother of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager. Tad Devine was Bernie Sanders’ chief strategist. Greg Craig was Obama’s White House Counsel. All four men also, directly or indirectly, allegedly did work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. And the ECFMU was allegedly a front for Yanukovich's Ukrainian pro-Russian faction. Manafort and the Podesta Group had failed to register as foreign agents. Tad Devine had worked for Manafort on the Ukraine project. Craig had written a report on Ukraine for one of Manafort’s lobbying...

Paul Manafort‘s third day on trial over charges of bank fraud and tax evasion was cut a bit short on Thursday after government attorneys made the same mistake twice in a row. The last witness called to the stand was J. Philip Ayliff, a certified public accountant (CPA) at Paul Manafort’s long-serving tax-preparation agency, Kositzka, Wicks and Co. (KWC), of Richmond, Virginia. As time inched along during the last witness’s testimony, nothing of particular interest seemed to be occurring at all. Ayliff was mostly providing foundational testimony regarding the basic functions of a tax-preparation company. Prosecutors then moved on to...

Paul Manafort. Tony Podesta. Tad Devine. Greg Craig. Manafort worked for Trump. Tony Podesta is the brother of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager. Tad Devine was Bernie Sanders’ chief strategist. Greg Craig was Obama’s White House Counsel. All four men also, directly or indirectly, allegedly did work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. And the ECFMU was allegedly a front for Yanukovich's Ukrainian pro-Russian faction. Manafort and the Podesta Group had failed to register as foreign agents. Tad Devine had worked for Manafort on the Ukraine project. Craig had written a report on Ukraine for one of Manafort’s lobbying...

Paul Manafort. Tony Podesta. Tad Devine. Greg Craig. Manafort worked for Trump. Tony Podesta is the brother of Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager. Tad Devine was Bernie Sanders’ chief strategist. Greg Craig was Obama’s White House Counsel. All four men also, directly or indirectly, allegedly did work for the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. And the ECFMU was allegedly a front for Yanukovich's Ukrainian pro-Russian faction. Manafort and the Podesta Group had failed to register as foreign agents. Tad Devine had worked for Manafort on the Ukraine project. Craig had written a report on Ukraine for one of Manafort’s lobbying...

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors were lectured by a federal judge on Wednesday for the language they’ve used in the courtroom, as the trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort entered its second day. U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III specifically told prosecutors to stop using the word “oligarch” to describe wealthy Ukrainians, whose dealings with Manafort are at the heart of the fraud charges he faces in northern Virginia federal court. The judge said the term has a “pejorative” meaning and is not relevant in this case. Further, he cautioned that using it could suggest Manafort is associated...