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First charges filed in Mueller investigation// Treasury Dept employee arrested for leaks Login/Join 
Go ahead punk, make my day
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quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
The guy is tough!
And maybe he doesn't have shit to sell to them either!
 
Posts: 45798 | Registered: July 12, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
wishing we
were congress
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http://www.foxnews.com/politic...ut-star-witness.html

The federal judge in the trial of ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team on Thursday they cannot prove a key part of their case unless prosecutors call Manafort’s former business partner to the stand.

U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III issued the warning after prosecutors suggested Wednesday that Rick Gates – who is cooperating with prosecutors and had been considered a potential star witness – might not be called to the stand after all.

Referencing Gates, Ellis told prosecutors in court they “can’t prove conspiracy without him.”

“Not necessarily,” Mueller prosecutor Greg Andres responded, before saying they still have “every intention” to call Gates to the stand.

Ellis, a 78-year-old Reagan-appointed judge known for colorful comments, also quipped that his “wife wasn’t fooled” by the prosecution’s comments on Wednesday leaving open the option of not calling Gates — suggesting he did not believe the prosecution was being serious about the possibility.
 
Posts: 19505 | Registered: July 21, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
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Looking kinda shaky there, commies.
 
Posts: 107266 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Political Cynic
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J

thats what I was alluding to

Capone was a murderer, but got nailed for tax evasion -sentenced to 11 years and if I recall my history he was out in 8

Manafort is being accused of tax evasion and is looking at 305 years where the average sentence is something like 3 years

he's being punished because he was on Trumps campaign team, not because of the tax evasion - its him being railroaded by the Hillary Support team at DoJ which are pissed because they lost and he was partly responsible

this is why I have no faith in the DoJ

its not about justice, its about getting even and settling scores

not saying Manafort is innocent of tax evasion but they are going to extraordinary lengths



[B] Against ALL enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC


 
Posts: 53086 | Location: Tucson Arizona | Registered: January 16, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Peace through
superior firepower
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It seems as if the judge is on to their shit.


____________________________________________________

"I am your retribution." - Donald Trump, speech at CPAC, March 4, 2023
 
Posts: 107266 | Registered: January 20, 2000Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
principle of
Due Process
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posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
J

thats what I was alluding to

Capone was a murderer, but got nailed for tax evasion -sentenced to 11 years and if I recall my history he was out in 8

Manafort is being accused of tax evasion and is looking at 305 years where the average sentence is something like 3 years

he's being punished because he was on Trumps campaign team, not because of the tax evasion - its him being railroaded by the Hillary Support team at DoJ which are pissed because they lost and he was partly responsible

this is why I have no faith in the DoJ

its not about justice, its about getting even and settling scores

not saying Manafort is innocent of tax evasion but they are going to extraordinary lengths


You need to work on your alluding!

Maximum sentence is the sum total of maximum sentence on each count. What is the average if those convicted and sentenced to those getting the maximum possible sentence? Say, in the last 5 years?

He isn’t being charged with campaign related offenses because there aren’t any that can be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. What are the charges in the other case against him?

They hoped they could get him to rat out Trump. For whatever reason, that hasn’t worked, yet.




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
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Due Process
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Here is an assessment of Manafort’s situation from Jonathan Turley:

Hunter Thompson once decried the fleeting fortunes of gamblers as “tomorrow’s blinking toads, dumb beasts with no hope.” Paul Manafort is about to discover if he is one of those “blinking toads.” The trial of the former Trump presidential campaign chairman in Virginia, on more than a dozen criminal counts of tax fraud, bank fraud and reporting violations, is about to begin. Rather than take a plea, Manafort has taken the gamble of a trial and the lingering chance of a pardon.

Manafort is in the worst possible legal position of having to “run the tables” by not only beating 18 counts in Virginia but then beating seven counts in a separate trial in Washington. He needs a sweep or nothing. That is quite a gamble and, frankly, Manafort is a bad bet. While he needs to beat all the charges, special counsel Robert Mueller needs only one conviction on one count to put Manafort away for as much as a decade.

That is what it means to “play the house.” The house usually wins. Right now, Las Vegas would give Manafort about the same odds of acquittal as it would give the Baltimore Orioles to win the World Series. Indeed, the one thing the Orioles, ranked worst in the MLB, have going for them is that people actually want them to win. That is not the case with Manafort, and that lack of empathy is likely to grow considerably in coming weeks with the expected witnesses at his trial.

The first challenge for the defense is that Manafort can be easily painted as someone who made millions off some of the most disreputable characters in the world. The more that jurors learn of Manafort, the less likely they are to find him relatable or likable. To the contrary, his lavish lifestyle will place a wide social and economic chasm between him and the jury. That is by design, as prosecutors know his lifestyle could leave jurors less inclined to give him the benefit of any doubt.

For that reason, they intend to call a myriad of minor witnesses, from a ticket vendor for the New York Yankees to a tailor to a Mercedes Benz salesman. Jurors will hear about his six homes, $2 million worth of antiques, a $500,000 landscaping bill, two silk rugs costing $160,000 and almost $1.5 million in clothes for himself. All of this is part of a lifestyle that seemed to be collapsing under its own weight, necessitating the alleged fraudulent efforts to secure nearly $25 million in bank loans.

This type of evidence invites class resentment and an unconscious desire to see an elitist fall. The legal chasm may be equally challenging. Jurors will be buried in a mountain of transactional and bank documents from numerous countries. Manafort is accused of hiding $30 million to evade U.S. taxes by using accounts in the United Kingdom, Cyprus and the Caribbean island nation of St. Vincent. Prosecutors claim he may have made more than $60 million in working for Ukrainian interests.

With multiple counts and such a daunting record, a jury often inclines to rely on prosecution witnesses. In this case, the witnesses will include Manafort’s former aide and confidant, Richard Gates. The combination of a less than sympathetic defendant, a tower of financial documents and a flipped former associate makes conviction on at least some of these counts a high likelihood. So why hasn’t Manafort sought a deal with Mueller? Well, several possible reasons exist.

First, Mueller might be a bit short on mercy. He is unlikely to cut a deal with Manafort that did not involve pleading guilty to at least one count. Mueller would have to clear counts in both Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and that could not be done easily with a walk-away plea. Any plea likely would put Manafort behind bars for years. At age 69, a 10-year sentence could be the same as life in prison. Moreover, most of these counts would run concurrently so, while even one conviction is enough to hold him for much of his remaining years, Manafort may not find a deal as attractive.

Second, unlike former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, Manafort still has hope for a pardon. If President Trump were to go nuclear in shutting down the special counsel investigation, he likely would issue a slew of pardons. At this point, he is more likely to pardon Hillary Clinton than Cohen, but Manafort has remained loyal and silent throughout the probe.

Finally, just as Mueller might not be able to give Manafort what he needs, Manafort might not have enough to offer Mueller. The problem with being the matinee defendant for the special counsel investigation is that a plea bargain is more costly to secure. Manafort would need deliverables on Trump, and he may not have them. Short of a quid pro quo understanding with the Russians, or confirmation of the president’s knowledge of the Trump Tower meeting with Russians that implicates Donald Trump Jr. and others, Manafort may not have a deliverable.

Trump was not known to be close to Manafort, though they had interactions going back years. In other words, Manafort may not have a “get out of jail” card to use against Trump or key figures. For any of these reasons, Manafort may simply view a deal as offering too little and risking too much. Conversely, a pardon could mean no jail time and a clean slate.

If Mueller convicts Manafort, it is likely to be celebrated as proof of the legitimacy of the special counsel investigation. In truth, it is not. Manafort’s charges have nothing to do with Mueller’s original mandate involving Russian collusion, obstruction or any of the allegations directed against the president. That does not make Manafort innocent, but this was not the game Mueller was supposed to be playing. Manafort still has a defense to present, so it is too early to declare him a loser. However, he is taking a gamble in not taking a plea. In playing against the house, his odds at trial are long and, if he ever comes up for sentencing, his credit is short.

Link




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Picture of erj_pilot
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quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
If Mueller convicts Manafort, it is likely to be celebrated as proof of the legitimacy of the special counsel investigation. In truth, it is not. Manafort’s charges HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH [emphasis added] Mueller’s original mandate involving Russian collusion, obstruction or any of the allegations directed against the president.

THIS.
RIGHT.
HERE!!!!!

I'm a complete dumbass, but at least I can see THAT far past my dago nose!!! Jeezus...



"If you’re a leader, you lead the way. Not just on the easy ones; you take the tough ones too…” – MAJ Richard D. Winters (1918-2011), E Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne

"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil... Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel." - Isaiah 5:20,24
 
Posts: 11054 | Location: NW Houston | Registered: April 04, 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
wishing we
were congress
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https://lawandcrime.com/awkwar...over-major-screw-up/

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 specifics and attempted to “publish” one of Manafort’s e-file forms. Judge T.S. Ellis III‘s weariness all but amazed the courtroom as he denied the request–complete with an actual and pronounced finger-wag–before shouting:

No! You move it along!

(It probably hadn’t helped matters that court had just minutes ago returned from a lengthy recess due to the prosecution calling Ayliff out of the witness order provided to both the court and the defense. But as Judge Ellis noted yesterday, he has “a long memory.”)

Composing themselves again, the prosecution moved slowly forward before asking Ayliff to define the term “financial interest.” Ayliff began to answer the question but was immediately cut off by Ellis who noted that Ayliff was not a noticed expert. The defense then belatedly objected, prompting a quick and sarcastic dressing-down from the judge–but it was again the prosecution’s turn for scorn.

Static filled the courtroom as the longest bench conference of the day ensued. Upon returning to Ayliff’s testimony, the jury learned that the issue had been deferred until Friday–if ever. Then, Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye asked about another term of art contained on federal tax forms.

Judge Ellis, who was already standing by this point, advised Ayliff to wait and announced the court would recess early.

After the jury left, Ellis took a few minutes to tell the press and public all about the bench conference. As it turns out, not only was Ayliff a non-noticed witness being asked to give the equivalent of expert testimony, but the prosecution and defense had already agreed on what the term “financial interest” meant. Moreover, this agreement was provided on a proposed–and approved–jury instruction.

That is, not only was Ayliff not an expert and not a noticed expert as necessitated by the Federal Rules of Evidence–but his testimony had the potential to derail an already-agreed-upon definition of the term(s) in question. This, Ellis said, could have “confused or clouded” things for the jury.
 
Posts: 19505 | Registered: July 21, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
wishing we
were congress
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I don't fully understand this. Manafort wants to introduce evidence that the govt did not pursue some of the charges in 2014; Mueller team objects.

 
Posts: 19505 | Registered: July 21, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Festina Lente
Picture of feersum dreadnaught
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Surprise, surprise. Pretty clear why Mueller team objects. Might make their real clients unhappy.

Manafort Investigated But Not Charged for Crimes in 2014 Because Obama Cronies Implicated in Probe

A pair of Internet sleuths have uncovered information from the 2014 investigation of Paul Manafort that reportedly went nowhere because Manafort was tied to former President Obama’s Chief Counsel, Greg Craig, and State Department envoy, Cliff Sloan.

Techno Fog noted that the 2014 investigation of Paul Manafort went nowhere because it implicated Obama’s former White House Counsel Greg Craig.


https://www.thegatewaypundit.c...implicated-in-probe/



NRA Life Member - "Fear God and Dreadnaught"
 
Posts: 8295 | Location: in the red zone of the blue state, CT | Registered: October 15, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
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Due Process
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Two apparently forged documents could spell a mountain of trouble for Paul Manafort going forward.

During his trial in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) on Wednesday, multiple vendors took center stage as they were asked about their business relationships with Manafort and the myriad business entities he used to facilitate payments for non-business purposes.

After establishing the basic facts of those relationships, Mueller’s team plowed through and pored over as many documents as Judge T.S. Ellis III would allow in order to show various international wire transfers initiated by those entities to cover the costs of Manafort’s jet-set lifestyle.

The first vendor up was Maximillian Katzman, son of Alan Katzman, the namesake and proprietor of high-end, customized apparel brand Alan Couture, which is located in New York City just south of Central Park.

After rummaging through multiple government exhibits submitted and allowed into evidence, jurors and judge alike were treated to an apparently forged invoice for the bespoke men’s fashion brand.

The first page of said invoice was a jumble of Cyrillic no one attempted to make sense of in the courtroom. On the second page, was an admittedly poor attempt to imitate Alan Couture’s standard form for billing purposes.

Three obvious stand-outs here were noted and confirmed by the judge, the prosecution and the witness himself: (1) the company’s name was misspelled and off by one letter–instead of “Alan Couture” the form read “Alan Corture”; (2) the company’s zip code was wrong; and (3) Katzman had no recollection of the purported client. He said, “[We’ve] never had a client named ‘Global Endeavor.'”

As for the import of this suspicious invoice? The defense actually teed this one up.

On cross-examination, Katzman was asked if he ever met former co-defendant and current cooperating witness Rick Gates. Katzman said he had not, though earlier Katzman did note that he occasionally emailed Gates regarding “financial matters” like delinquent payment questions. Defense attorney Jay Nanavati then made the logic plain by asking, “Are you familiar with Rick Gates’ education or spelling ability.” Tucked behind some combination of confusion and a chuckle, Katzman replied with a simple, “No.”

That wasn’t the only bizarre documentation ringed by Cyrillic. Essentially the same thing happened with the prosecution’s seventh witness of the day.

Stephen Jacobson, a recently-retired contractor and former owner of SP&C Home Improvement, took the stand as another hoped for testament to Manafort’s alleged use of business entities to hide large amounts of income.

Jacobson’s company engaged in multiple projects on Manafort’s properties in the Hamptons and New York City over the years. Over the course of one five-year period, Jacobson’s company billed Manafort in excess of $3 million for work done. Most of these payments were made via international wire transfers, which Jacobson later speculated was probably why his business bank accounts were eventually closed without a reason given by the bank.

Then came an apparently forged invoice purporting to have been sent by SP&C. This invoice was also addressed to Global Endeavor–same as before–but Jacobson’s recollection of any prior relationship with the company wasn’t quite reliable. (On cross-examination, Jacobson stated that he wasn’t aware of ever receiving any payments from the Grenadines, where Global Endeavor is located; on re-direct, however, prosecutors brought attention to one apparently genuine invoice satisfied by the company.)

Jacobson was crystal clear about a few things though: (1) he said it was clearly an attempt to mimic or fake his logo and/or his company’s invoices; (2) he had no recollection of and didn’t think he received the purported payment amount; and (3) the invoice listed “design and architecture” services–both of which his company has never performed.

The rub: each of the two likely forged invoices were obtained during the FBI’s July raid on Manafort’s Alexandria, Virginia residence.

Link




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
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Fox News

Ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s accountant testified Friday in federal court that she had concerns about the accuracy of her client's tax returns but filed them anyway.

The testimony, on the fourth day of the trial, comes as prosecutors try to prove that Manafort knowingly violated tax and bank laws related to his political work overseas. Manafort has pleaded not guilty.

Cynthia Laporta, aertified public accountant with the firm KWC who is testifying with immunity, admitted she did have concerns about the representations given to her about loans by Manafort and his business partner, Rick Gates.

“Did you believe those representations?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye asked Laporta on Friday afternoon.

“No,” she replied.

“Did you still file those taxes?” Asonye asked.

“Yes,” Laporta said.

Laporta confirmed she was testifying under immunity because of the fear that she could be prosecuted for her actions.

Laporta also told prosecutors she “very much” regrets filing Manafort’s tax returns.

“At the time did you believe it was right or wrong?” Asonye asked.

JUDGE CAUTIONS MULLER TEAM ON HIGH BAR FOR MANAFORT CONVICTION

“Wrong,” answered Laporta. “I could have refused to file ... but that could expose the firm" to the risk of litigation.

Laporta went on to say she could have called Manafort and Gates liars, but said Manafort was “a longtime client.”

Prosecutors intend to use Rick Gates in Manafort case

The Manafort defense hinges on convincing jurors that Manafort was the boss who didn’t handle bills or accounts, but left that to Gates, who is cooperating with prosecutors and may testify as its star witness.

“Rick Gates had his hand in the cookie jar and couldn’t let his boss find out,” Manafort defense attorney Thomas Zehnle said during opening arguments.

T.S. Ellis, a 78-year-old Reagan-appointed judge in the case known for colorful comments, said this week that the prosecution cannot prove a key part of their case unless prosecutors call Gates to the stand.

Earlier Friday, Ellis reminded prosecutors of the high bar for conviction -- that they must prove the former Trump campaign chairman knowingly violated tax and bank laws.

Ellis indicated he believes the prosecution has demonstrated Manafort had control of foreign bank accounts despite checking a box on tax returns saying he didn’t.

But Ellis reminded prosecutors, “The government has to prove that [Manafort] knew what the requirement was and that he deliberately violated it.”

A source close to Manafort’s team told Fox News the defense has not yet decided whether to have Manafort testify during the trial. The source said the decision will be made after the prosecution rests its case, which could take place next week.

The trial continues Monday afternoon, when the defense will have the opportunity to cross-examine Laporta.

Link




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I have not yet begun
to procrastinate
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
quote:
Originally posted by KMitch200:
quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
ok, let me get this right
Al Capone got 11 years for tax evasion and muder
Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

Manafort is not accused of that.

Neither was Capone...tax evasion was the crime he got 11 yrs for.

What?
Manafort is charged with tax evasion, not that he was “on Trump’s campaign staff.”
So was Capone accused of tax evasion.

The post I quoted said "muder"(sic)
You said Manafort isn't accused of that - I thought you meant murder - I meant Capone wasn't charged with murder either.
Didn't think it would be that hard to figure out.
ETA: Sorry if I didn't make myself clear what I was referring to.


--------
After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box.
 
Posts: 3771 | Location: Central AZ | Registered: October 26, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I believe in the
principle of
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Picture of JALLEN
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by KMitch200:
quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
quote:
Originally posted by KMitch200:
quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
quote:
Originally posted by nhtagmember:
ok, let me get this right
Al Capone got 11 years for tax evasion and muder
Manafort is getting 305 years because he was on Trumps campaign staff?

Manafort is not accused of that.

Neither was Capone...tax evasion was the crime he got 11 yrs for.

What?
Manafort is charged with tax evasion, not that he was “on Trump’s campaign staff.”
So was Capone accused of tax evasion.

The post I quoted said "muder"(sic)
You said Manafort isn't accused of that - I thought you meant murder - I meant Capone wasn't charged with murder either.
Didn't think it would be that hard to figure out.
ETA: Sorry if I didn't make myself clear what I was referring to.


What difference does it make?

I was pointing out to nhtagmember that Manafort isn’t charged with being on Trump’s campaign staff, but with tax evasion, similar to Capone. Muder had nothing to do with it, murder either.

How much clearer could it be?




Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown
 
Posts: 48369 | Location: Texas hill country | Registered: July 04, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Gracie Allen is my
personal savior!
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by erj_pilot:
THIS.
RIGHT.
HERE!!!!!

I'm a complete dumbass, but at least I can see THAT far past my dago nose!!! Jeezus...

Yes, and you're absolutely right to be pissed about how far this has gone off track. But that's not the point at this moment in time. Right now Mueller is thinking that he needs to make the point to any other potential witnesses he comes across that they better cooperate with him or he will make their lives a protracted, expensive and terrifying hell. It's not as if anything Mueller can get Manafort convicted for will really justify the time, effort and money Mueller's invested.

Mueller isn't fighting this because he wants a piece of Manafort. Mueller's fighting this because he thinks that he'll have a bigger hammer to use when going after witnesses against Trump if Manafort cuts a deal with him or gets convicted. As far as anyone other than Manafort and his lawyer is concerned, that's the only reason for this battle to be fought.
 
Posts: 27291 | Location: Deep in the heart of the brush country, and closing on that #&*%!?! roadrunner. Really. | Registered: February 05, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
wishing we
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some sparks between the judge and the prosecutor

https://www.politico.com/story...e-prosecution-765100

Manafort prosecution’s frustration with judge leads to fiery clashes


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

and

https://www.politico.com/story...-6-rick-gates-765886

Manafort trial Day 6: Gates is a liar who led 'secret life,' defense team argues
 
Posts: 19505 | Registered: July 21, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted Hide Post
Paul Manafort's deputy Rick Gates admits he had a mistress, bought her a London apartment, stole millions from his boss - and may have embezzled from TRUMP'S inauguration funds

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...banking-network.html

Paul Manafort's long-time deputy testified for second day at his former boss's fraud trial in Alexandria, VA and came under fierce fire from the defense
Rick Gates admitted he had lied repeatedly about his own conduct to Robert Mueller's special counsel probe before making a plea bargain
He admitted he had a mistress whom he had bought a London apartment and admitted that he had stolen millions from Manafort himself
Woman was unnamed but Gates is a married father of four who said his wife now knew about the affair
He earlier told prosecutors that he said Manafort and he set up a network of offshore shell companies and bank accounts to hide income from the IRS
Cash-strapped Manafort wrote 'WTF' when he saw how much tax he owed and ordered Gates to bring down the bill illegally, Gates testified
'Mr Manafort had a great day in court,' his attorney Kevin Downing said as he left the courthouse

Paul Manafort's former deputy Rick Gates admitted to using offshore bank accounts to pay for a secret extramarital affair, including providing a London apartment for his mistress and luxury trips through Europe, during Manafort's tax and bank fraud trial on Tuesday afternoon.

Manafort's defense attorneys accused Gates of embezzling money from the former Trump campaign chairman to fund his 'secret life' and overseas mistress during an explosive exchange at the trial on Tuesday.

Gates also told the court he might have stolen money from the Trump inauguration committee while he was a staffer there after the election.

Gates, a 46-year-old married father of four and the government's key witness in the case, appeared to wither under cross examination from Manafort's attorneys, twitching and fumbling with his words when questioned about what the defense described as his 'secret life.'

'I acknowledge I had a period of time when I had another relationship,' admitted Gates. The woman was not named. He added: 'There is a period of time over 10 years ago when I had a relationship, yes.'

He acknowledged that as part of this relationship he purchased a 'flat in London' and flights to Ukraine, using money from foreign accounts that the defense says Gates stole from Manafort.

Gates acknowledged he also paid for 'fancy hotels' and 'trips to Europe' with around $2.5 million the defense claimed he embezzled.

He said he also used money to travel to Las Vegas for an unrelated work meeting with a movie producer, which he admitted could be considered embezzlement.

Manafort's defense team also questioned Gates about a plea deal he reached with the government, which required his to cooperate with prosecutors on the Manafort case in exchange for lenient sentencing guidelines and a reduction in criminal charges against him.

Gates acknowledged he had to plead guilty to false statements after lying during a February interview with federal investigators.

He said 'there's no question I struggled to get all the information out.'

He struggled under cross-examination to remember exactly what he had admitted to during interviews with investigators.

At one point, Downing asked him, 'Have they confronted you with so many lies that you can't even remember them?'

Manafort's attorney Kevin Downing asked Gates if he had embezzled money from the Trump inauguration committee while he was working there in late 2016.

'It's possible,' said Gates.

Gates also said he did not tell the Office of Special Counsel that he filed unauthorized expenses to the inauguration committee.

Gates, who was Manafort's deputy at the political consulting company DMP International, also appeared to get confused when pressed on how much money he expensed from the company's bank accounts without permission from Manafort.

When presented with a list of $3 million in his expenses by the defense, Gates initially told the court that some of the charges were authorized. He also admitted to previously telling investigators that six transfers, amounting to $450,000, were approved by Manafort.
'Have they confronted you with so many lies that you can't even remember them?'
Paul Manafort's defense attorney Kevin Downing to Rick Gates

But when the defense asked him which charges from the list were authorized, Gates was unable to identify them.

The cross examination was contentious from the beginning, with Downing asking Gates, 'When did you begin providing false and misleading information to the Office of Special Counsel?'

Gates responded that he did not provide false information. The defense asked why he had pleaded guilty to lying to investigators.

'Under the one instance I did [provide false information],' replied Gates. 'Up until that point I had not.'

Gates bristled at the claim from Manafort's attorneys that he was living a 'secret life,' arguing that his wife is aware of the affair.

'It's not a secret life on account of my wife is aware of it,' he said.

He also told the court that he has taken responsibility for his actions by cooperating with prosecutors, and said he committed crimes during a 'difficult time' in his life.

'I was living beyond my means,' he said. 'It was a difficult time…I regret it clearly and I'm taking responsibility for it.'

During the cross examination, Gates sparred with Manafort's attorney about whether to describe his actions as 'embezzlement.'

'Why won't you say embezzlement?' demanded Downing, as Gates continued to refer to 'unauthorized' expenses he took from the company and asked 'what difference' his word choice made.

Under pressure from the defense Gates conceded, 'It was embezzlement from Mr. Manafort.'

Downing also prodded Gates about the lack of written records showing that Manafort ordered Gates to commit financial crimes on his behalf.

Gates said Manafort gave him most of these orders in verbal conversations in order to avoid a paper trail.

'After all the lies you told…you expect the jury to believe you?' asked Downing.

Gates responded that he has taken responsibility for his actions, adding that Manafort has declined to do so.

'I'm here to tell the truth,' said Gates. 'I'm here to take responsibility for my actions. Mr. Manafort has the same path.'

Judge T.S. Ellis, who has been tough on the prosecution throughout the case, also interrupted Gates's testimony after Gates claimed Manafort closely monitored the money coming in and out of the company's offshore bank accounts.

'[Manafort] didn't know the amount of money you stole from him, did he?' asked the judge. 'So he didn't keep that close an eye on it.'

But the questioning prompted a dramatic halt to the trial when Downing asked Gates whether special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators had interviewed Gates about the campaign.
'I'm here to tell the truth. I'm here to take responsibility for my actions. Mr. Manafort has the same path.
Rick Gates

That prompted an objection from prosecutors and a sidebar conference. After several minutes of discussion away from the jury and the public, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III called for a 30-minute break, before resuming for the rest of the day without a single mention of the president.

As he left court Downing told reporters: 'Mr. Manafort had a great day in court.'

The testimony was a dramatic turn around after he told prosecutors about his and Manafort's financial affairs - including how strapped for cash, his boss told him to get his taxes lower, illegally.

Manafort wrote 'WTF' and 'not happy' in emails to Gates about his tax demands - then ordered them to be lowered as their company suffered money troubles, Gates told his fraud trial Tuesday.

Gates said the former Trump campaign chairman repeatedly voiced concerns that he was paying too much in taxes and ordered him to get the total down.

In one note described to the jury, Gates says Manafort in wrote the message about tax payments he was going to have to make: 'Rick, I just saw this. WTF?

'How could I be blindsided like this? You told me you were on top of this. We need to discuss options. This is a disaster.'

Gates says that he went on to help Manafort convert foreign income into loans as a way to reduce his tax bill. He later helped draft sham loan agreements and loan forgiveness letters, all at Manafort's direction, he told the jury. All are illegal.

Manafort went from making millions per year doing political consulting in Ukraine to having virtually zero contracts in the country, Gates testified, setting off a downward spiral that prosecutors say led Manafort to commit numerous financial crimes.

Gates, 46, who has been cooperating with the government since pleading guilty to obstruction of justice and conspiracy earlier this year, continued his second day of testimony at the former Trump campaign chairman's tax and bank fraud trial on Tuesday morning.


_________________________
"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."
Mark Twain
 
Posts: 12580 | Registered: January 17, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Info Guru
Picture of BamaJeepster
posted Hide Post
quote:
Originally posted by wcb6092:
Paul Manafort's deputy Rick Gates admits he had a mistress, bought her a London apartment, stole millions from his boss - and may have embezzled from TRUMP'S inauguration funds





“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams
 
Posts: 29408 | Location: In the red hinterlands of Deep Blue VA | Registered: June 29, 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
wishing we
were congress
posted Hide Post
sounds like the lawyer for Manafort hit Gates' credibility pretty hard.

Gates: "Mr Manafort, in my opinion, kept fairly frequent updates on the information from the accounts. Mr Manafort was very good about knowing where the money is and knowing where to spend it"

Judge Ellis: "Well, he missed the amounts of money you stole from him, though, didn't he ?"

Gates: "Yes, that's correct"

Judge Ellis: "So he didn't do it that closely"


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

detailed, but long thread on Gates testimony:

https://twitter.com/Techno_Fog.../1027009612002852869
 
Posts: 19505 | Registered: July 21, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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