Manafort cuts tentative plea deal with Mueller

[Lakhota]

Who wouldn't take that kind of deal? The question is weather Montiforte can shed light on the crazy allegations of collusion that has all but been abandoned.

Funny. We all know there was "collusion" - but the critical factor is whether there was "conspiracy".

 

[EasyPeasy]

Who cares.

I am beating that Rump cares. How long til tweets come out on what a POS Manafort is from Rump?

Yeah, we know, any day now, any day now.

 

[Aldo Raine]

Who cares.

I am beating that Rump cares. How long til tweets come out on what a POS Manafort is from Rump?

Yeah, we know, any day now, any day now.

So you have seen the evidence or lack there of? Please share with us.

 

[Crixus]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

Can you explain, or you just got diarria of the mouth?

 

[dudmuck]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

This is a full cooperation deal.
Without cooperation, the deal is rescinded.
This is the first flip of trump tower meeting attendee. Which means its not good for Trump.

Paul Manafort just made landfall as a Category 5 on the Trump White House.

 

[Polishprince]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

This is a full cooperation deal.
Without cooperation, the deal is rescinded.
This is the first flip of trump tower meeting attendee. Which means its not good for Trump.

Paul Manafort just made landfall as a Category 5 on the Trump White House.

How does it hurt President Trump if Manafort decides to lie about him at Mueller's behest?


Actually, he would be screwing up his chance for a presidential pardon permanently.

 

[EasyPeasy]

Who cares.

I am beating that Rump cares. How long til tweets come out on what a POS Manafort is from Rump?

Yeah, we know, any day now, any day now.

So you have seen the evidence or lack there of? Please share with us.

So far, there is zero... even the DOJ stated there is zero evidence that any U.S. citizen was involved in meddling with the election. Let it go.

 

[WEATHER53]

So the witch hunt is still trying to string together how Manaforts tax and banking issues from long before Trump considered the Presidency is related to Russian interference in the election?

 

[ABikerSailor]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

This is a full cooperation deal.
Without cooperation, the deal is rescinded.
This is the first flip of trump tower meeting attendee. Which means its not good for Trump.

Paul Manafort just made landfall as a Category 5 on the Trump White House.

How does it hurt President Trump if Manafort decides to lie about him at Mueller's behest?


Actually, he would be screwing up his chance for a presidential pardon permanently.

If the charges are prosecuted by the state, a presidential pardon won't help him.

 

[dudmuck]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

This is a full cooperation deal.
Without cooperation, the deal is rescinded.
This is the first flip of trump tower meeting attendee. Which means its not good for Trump.

Paul Manafort just made landfall as a Category 5 on the Trump White House.

How does it hurt President Trump if Manafort decides to lie about him at Mueller's behest?


Actually, he would be screwing up his chance for a presidential pardon permanently.

Law enforcement is really good at detecting lies. thay must be, for the evidence to stand up in court.

Manafort has zero chance of pardon.

1. Mueller already got the key pieces of testimony a pardon would thwart.

2. Manafort is subject to civil forfeiture; he loses $46M even with pardon.

3. The dropped charges can be filed in states. (i.e. unpaid state taxes)

 

[Lakhota]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

This is a full cooperation deal.
Without cooperation, the deal is rescinded.
This is the first flip of trump tower meeting attendee. Which means its not good for Trump.

Paul Manafort just made landfall as a Category 5 on the Trump White House.

How does it hurt President Trump if Manafort decides to lie about him at Mueller's behest?


Actually, he would be screwing up his chance for a presidential pardon permanently.

If the charges are prosecuted by the state, a presidential pardon won't help him.

I agree! Also, even if Trump pardons him - Manafort cannot take the fifth and would be compelled to testify in court. Also, a pardon would not return all the millions of dollars of cash and properties that Manafort has agreed to forfeit. It looks like Mueller totally owns Manafort.

 

[WaitingFor2020]

Here's the court documents filed by Mueller, online through the WSJ:

https://www.wsj.com/public/resource...nalInformation20180914.pdf?mod=article_inline

 

[BluesLegend]

Someone cut a plea deal for crimes that had nothing to do with Trump, I'm sorry why are liberals rejoicing?

 

[WaitingFor2020]

WSJ report:


Paul Manafort Pleads Guilty, Will Cooperate With Mueller Probe
Ex-campaign chairman is the latest Trump associate to admit wrongdoing in federal investigations

WASHINGTON—Paul Manafort pleaded guilty to two federal crimes and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, a dramatic turnaround for the former Trump campaign chairman who now becomes a powerful asset for special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Mr. Manafort, who has long struck a defiant posture toward Mr. Mueller, becomes the fifth associate of President Trump’s to plead guilty in connection with the special counsel’s probe, which is examining, among other things, any potential coordination between Moscow and Trump campaign officials in 2016.

• None of Mr. Manafort’s crimes that he admitted Friday—or was convicted of in a separate trial in Virginia last month—relate to such coordination. But his cooperation agreement is far-reaching, requiring him to be “fully debriefed,” provide relevant materials, “participate in undercover activities” and testify whenever requested by Mr. Mueller’s office.

Mr. Manafort could help prosecutors as they piece together information about Russia and whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice by firing Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey in May 2017. For one thing, Mr. Manafort is the first person to cooperate with Mr. Mueller who also attended a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that has drawn the special counsel’s interest. That session included Mr. Manafort; Donald Trump Jr.; Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner; and several Russians who had promised incriminating information about Democrat Hillary Clinton.


A jury found Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign manager, guilty of eight counts of fraud, but couldn't reach a verdict on 10 other counts. Photo: Associated Press
Mr. Trump has denied any wrongdoing, and in a brief telephone interview Friday said that the Manafort case had nothing to do with him. “I got hit with an artificial witch hunt that should never have happened,” Mr. Trump said.

Still, that the former campaign chairman is now cooperating with the special counsel is likely to heighten the legal and political pressure on Mr. Trump, less than two months before midterm elections.

Mr. Manafort, appearing in court in a dark suit Friday, admitted to conspiring against the U.S. and obstructing justice.

“I plead guilty,” he said softly as he faced the judge, after one of Mr. Mueller’s prosecutors gave a lengthy recitation of Mr. Manafort’s misdeeds that included leading an effort for years that lobbied Washington officials on behalf of the Ukraine government without reporting it.

Mr. Manafort, 69 years old, had been convicted last month by a federal jury in Virginia of not reporting to tax authorities more than $16 million he earned between 2010 to 2014 for political consulting work in Ukraine, and he faced eight to 10 years in prison based on that conviction. He has been in jail since June after being accused of trying to influence the testimony of a potential witness.

He would have risked more prison time with a second criminal trial that was to start Monday on charges of conspiring against the U.S., conspiring to launder money, failing to register foreign lobbying work, misleading the government and obstruction of justice.

Mr. Manafort now faces as much as 10 additional years based on his plea. But prosecutors agreed to request a lesser sentence if Mr. Manafort provides them with substantial assistance.


After Friday’s court hearing, Manafort attorney Kevin Downing told reporters Mr. Manafort “accepted responsibility” and “wanted to make sure his family was able to remain safe and live a good life.” Mr. Downing had previously said Mr. Manafort would not cooperate with Mr. Mueller.

Mr. Manafort’s longstanding resistance to federal prosecutors, even while other figures pleaded guilty, had drawn praise from Mr. Trump, who called his previous trial “sad” and at one point lauded Mr. Manafort for having “refused to ‘break’ - make up stories in order to get a ‘deal.’ ” In a Fox News interview last month, Mr. Trump decried the longstanding prosecutorial practice of offering defendants leniency in exchange for information.

It isn’t clear what effect Mr. Manafort’s cooperation will have on the chances that Mr. Trump will pardon his former campaign chairman, which Democrats and some Republicans have warned would set off a political firestorm.

Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said in a text message Friday that Mr. Manafort’s decision to cooperate did not affect the possibility of a pardon. Asked if Mr. Trump might still do so, Mr. Giuliani said, “No comment, but I don’t know of anything preventing it.”

Mr. Manafort now joins former Trump national security adviser Mike Flynn and others in cooperating with Mr. Mueller. Three other longtime Trump confidants, including his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, have provided information to prosecutors in New York in a campaign-finance investigation that has implicated the president.

Mr. Manafort, in connection with Friday’s agreement, agreed to forfeit some of his multimillion-dollar homes, including a Brooklyn townhome and an estate on Long Island, as well as funds in multiple bank accounts.

Mr. Manafort’s trial in Virginia, which concluded in August, involved days of detailed testimony from people who had worked with and for Mr. Manafort. The testimony included embarrassing accounts of Mr. Manafort’s spending habits and what appeared to be deliberate efforts to mislead banks, accountants and his own bookkeeper about his income and expenses.

He was found guilty on eight counts, and the jury deadlocked on 10 others. Mr. Manafort admitted guilt on those 10 charges as part of Friday’s agreement.

The cases against Mr. Manafort are not related to the special counsel’s core mission of investigating Russia’s actions related to the 2016 election. Rather, they have focused on his work for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted and fled to Russia in 2014. That work was performed in the decade before Mr. Manafort served as Mr. Trump’s campaign chairman for several months in 2016.

As part of the plea, Mr. Manafort said the Ukraine work included shaping U.S. perception of Mr. Yanukovych and his pro-Russia party. He admitted he didn’t register as a foreign agent until June 2017, after he had misled federal investigators about the nature of his efforts.

He helped pay a law firm $4 million for its work on a report used to bolster Ukraine’s prosecution of Mr. Yanukovych’s political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko. But he used offshore accounts to pay the firm so Ukraine could falsely assert the report cost $12,000, according to the court document.

In court documents associated with the guilty plea, Mr. Manafort acknowledged that part of his work on behalf of Mr. Yanukovych included “an all out campaign to try to kill” congressional efforts to scrutinize him.

In May 2013, the document said, Mr. Manafort asked lobbyists “to write and disseminate within the United States news stories that alleged that” Ms. Tymoshenko “had paid for the murder of a Ukrainian official.” He directed the lobbyists to leave “no fingerprints.”

Mr. Manafort also used charges of anti-Semitism to try to tarnish the image of Ms. Tymoshenko, and then turn Jewish sentiment against the Obama administration in the U.S., the court document says.

He spread stories, for example, that an Obama cabinet member who had criticized Mr. Yanukovych “was supporting anti-Semitism because the official supported Tymoshenko, who in turn had formed a political alliance with a Ukraine party that espoused anti-Semitic views,” the court papers said.

He planted that idea with the media, according to the document. “I have someone pushing it on the NY Post. Bada bing bada boom,” he told a colleague, referring to the New York newspaper, the document said."""


I ONLY HIRE THE BEST PEOPLE
Patho Of The United States, Duhnald Trump

 

[DrainBamage]

Someone cut a plea deal for crimes that had nothing to do with Trump, I'm sorry why are liberals rejoicing?

I think the liberals are rejoicing because there is a possibility that the plea deal involves someone who might have information that has to do with Trump (or others in Trump's inner circle) committing crimes relating to the 2016 election.

The liberals are probably also pleased that this strengthens Mueller's position greatly, since the claims that the special investigation isn't producing results ring more hollow with each conviction.

It also stamps out the "wasting money" thing for the investigation, since Manafort just contributed 46 million to a 20 million dollar investigation.

It also makes a pardon near impossible, since Manafort wouldn't get his money back, would have to testify under oath (with threat of a new perjury charge), face state charges to something he's admitted doing, and would be even more politically disastrous for Trump.

That's my guess on those liberals anyway.

 

[skews13]

That's a darn shame... now we won't get to see and hear all the evidence Mueller's prosecutors had.... this works out great for Trump and the elite/elect Republicans running, not having this trial exposing all the Russian ties, right before the election....

Manafort's expecting the pardon Trump promised him for ''not ratting him out''

This is a full cooperation deal.
Without cooperation, the deal is rescinded.
This is the first flip of trump tower meeting attendee. Which means its not good for Trump.

Paul Manafort just made landfall as a Category 5 on the Trump White House.

How does it hurt President Trump if Manafort decides to lie about him at Mueller's behest?


Actually, he would be screwing up his chance for a presidential pardon permanently.

If the charges are prosecuted by the state, a presidential pardon won't help him.

I agree! Also, even if Trump pardons him - Manafort cannot take the fifth and would be compelled to testify in court. Also, a pardon would not return all the millions of dollars of cash and properties that Manafort has agreed to forfeit. It looks like Mueller totally owns Manafort.

You missed the best part of the whole story.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed to forfeit his apartment in Trump Tower instead of one his bank accounts in his plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Thats right boys and girls. Robert Mueller now owns a piece of Trump Tower, and has it hanging on his wall as a trophy in his office. And there isn't thing one Trump, or the Supreme Court can do about it.

 

[Skylar]

Currently reported on MSNBC. Apparently ABC is the original reporting source. Apparently we won't know details until maybe tomorrow.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has tentatively agreed to a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller that will head off his upcoming trial, sources familiar with the negotiations tell ABC News.

The deal is expected to be announced in court Friday, but it remains unclear whether Manafort has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors or is simply conceding to a guilty plea, which would allow him to avoid the stress and expense of trial, according to three sources with knowledge of the discussions.

More: Tentative deal reached between Manafort and special counsel: Sources

With 7 charges reduced to 2......and Manafort reportedly cooperating with the special counsel.

There's a chance that Manafort will get out of jail before he dies of old age! And I'm very interested in what Manafort has to tell Mueller about the Trump campaign.

 

[skews13]

Currently reported on MSNBC. Apparently ABC is the original reporting source. Apparently we won't know details until maybe tomorrow.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has tentatively agreed to a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller that will head off his upcoming trial, sources familiar with the negotiations tell ABC News.

The deal is expected to be announced in court Friday, but it remains unclear whether Manafort has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors or is simply conceding to a guilty plea, which would allow him to avoid the stress and expense of trial, according to three sources with knowledge of the discussions.

More: Tentative deal reached between Manafort and special counsel: Sources

With 7 charges reduced to 2......and Manafort reportedly cooperating with the special counsel.

There's a chance that Manafort will get out of jail before he dies of old age! And I'm very interested in what Manafort has to tell Mueller about the Trump campaign.

I'm interested to know if the AG of NY will pay him a visit, and show him the evidence she has to put him in state prison for life, and dare his ass to accept the pardon from Trump.

 

[BluesLegend]

Its interesting how so many on the left assume Trump is guilty when we have a presumption of innocence in the USA. Why, because Trump whooped their ass in the election? Because Trump mocks them at every opportunity? Because Trump is stacking the SCOTUS with conservatives and signed a hug tax cut bill? All of the above?

 

[Skylar]

Currently reported on MSNBC. Apparently ABC is the original reporting source. Apparently we won't know details until maybe tomorrow.

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has tentatively agreed to a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller that will head off his upcoming trial, sources familiar with the negotiations tell ABC News.

The deal is expected to be announced in court Friday, but it remains unclear whether Manafort has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors or is simply conceding to a guilty plea, which would allow him to avoid the stress and expense of trial, according to three sources with knowledge of the discussions.

More: Tentative deal reached between Manafort and special counsel: Sources

With 7 charges reduced to 2......and Manafort reportedly cooperating with the special counsel.

There's a chance that Manafort will get out of jail before he dies of old age! And I'm very interested in what Manafort has to tell Mueller about the Trump campaign.

I'm interested to know if the AG of NY will pay him a visit, and show him the evidence she has to put him in state prison for life, and dare his ass to accept the pardon from Trump.

Is 'accepting' a pardon even a thing? I think its like a break up. It doesn't require two people agree. Just one.