In January of 2015, Russian journalist Lyudmila Savchuk infiltrated a Russian troll factory - an operation specifically set up to disrupt the U.S. elections through social media. This is her re-telling of those events.Jul.17.2018
Mueller’s Star Witness Against Manafort Vanishes; Judge Snaps After Feds Admit They Want to Hide Rick Gates During Trial
In a shocking admission Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors said Rick Gates may not testify in the trial of his former business partner Paul Manafort.
Prosecutor: Rick Gates may not testify in Manafort trial
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team said Wednesday it may not put Rick Gates on the stand to testify against his former business partner Paul Manafort. The Washington Times The Washington Times
Judge in Manafort's Virginia trial asks prosecutors to avoid mentioning collusion
"Paul Manafort’s Defense Team Opens Trial by Blaming Associates "
By Trish Turner
Washington — Jul 25, 2018, 5:40 AM ET
VIDEO - (unmuting it doesn't work for me.)
Though "Russia" and "collusion" are words that have appeared in headlines about the work of special counsel Robert Mueller, they are not words to be uttered during the coming trial of Paul Manafort.
On Monday, Judge T.S. Ellis -- the 30-year veteran of the bench who will preside over the Virginia trial of President Trump’s one-time campaign chairman -- instructed the prosecution that "collusion" was off limits, as well as the mention of "Russians."
Prosecutor Greg Andres readily agreed, adding, "We don’t intend to mention alleged collusion with the Russians," noting that only "a very small portion of the trial" will mention collusion -- but only insofar as it relates to the government’s claim of a quid-pro-quo relationship in which Manafort received bank loans allegedly in exchange for a Trump campaign position for a former bank chairman.
A pool of 70 potential jurors for the Manafort case filed into federal court in Virginia on Tuesday, none told in advance anything about the case, each looking around quizzically as reporters observed them from the opposite side of the room.
Manafort's trial is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, while a trial in Washington, D.C., is slated for mid-September.
PHOTO: [inside] Donald Trump, Campaign Manager Paul Manafort, and his daughter Ivanka Trump do a walk thru at the Republican Convention, July 20, 2016, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. more +
Each person in the jury pool, culled from the tony suburbs of Alexandria just minutes from D.C., filled out a questionnaire to determine whether or not he or she could fairly and impartially sit in judgment of Manafort, who was sitting nearby -- no longer in a jail-issued jumpsuit but in a dark blue suit.
Those forms -- designed to query a potential juror's knowledge and possible biases toward Manafort -- were then left with the court and placed under seal, though copies also were to be shared with both sides in the case for use in next week's selection process.
But none of those men and women, a majority of whom appeared middle-aged, will hear all about the highly publicized allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, the investigatory mandate of special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors.
"There's a lot of 403 potential here," the judge warned, using legal jargon to refer to evidence that might be relevant but is far outweighed by its prejudicial or misleading value, adding that prosecutors need to "be cautious."
Essentially, the case in the Eastern District of Virginia is focused solely on alleged financial crimes, from tax evasion to bank fraud -- a straight white-collar criminal case, according to numerous legal experts ABC has consulted.
PHOTO: [inside] Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort walks through security at the William B. Bryant Annex to the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse on June 15, 2018 in Washington, D.C. more+
Those alleged financial crimes, for which Manafort has pleaded not guilty, were discovered as part of the sweeping mandate Mueller has -- including a probe for any crimes that might arise from an investigation into the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia.
The separate case against Manafort in Washington is entirely different. There, the subject of the veteran lobbyist and public relations tactician's alleged ties to Russian-connected politicians in Ukraine is replete with mentions of the Kremlin, from a longtime Manafort associate with ties to Russian intelligence to the "pro-Russia political party in Ukraine," for which the defendant had done work for years, all of this alleged in a superseding indictment in the District.
The charges in Washington, for which Manafort also has pleaded not guilty, center on a complex conspiracy to launder and hide tens of millions of dollars paid by Ukrainian politicians, a failure to register as an agent of a foreign power -- a legal requirement to lobby -- making false statements about that failure to file and the recently added charge of obstruction of justice, made after an alleged attempt by Manafort to tamper with witnesses. After an indictment on the later charge, the defendant was remanded to jail through his trials.
Back in Virginia, Judge Ellis, 78, said he intends to allow prosecutors "some latitude" in recounting to the jury Manafort's work in Ukraine, but the irascible jurist cautioned, "Most people don’t distinguish between Ukrainians and Russians," adding, perhaps to lighten the mood, that he also would not allow any pictures of Russians "with scantily clad women."
Andres, with a grin amidst laughter in the room, popped to the lectern to assure the judge, "There will be no pictures of scantily clad women. No pictures of Russians."
"Paul Manafort’s Defense Team Opens Trial by Blaming Associates "
* Prosecutors sought to illustrate Paul Manafort's expensive taste in suits, cars and real estate — paid for by wire transfers from offshore accounts.
* What's next: The trial will resume at 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday.
* The charges: Manafort has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of bank fraud and tax crimes. (He also faces federal charges, including money-laundering conspiracy, in a case due for trial in September.)
* What to expect: Prosecutors plan to call as many as 25 witnesses.
10 hr 32 min ago
The second day of testimony in the Manafort trial just ended. Here's how it went down.
From CNN's Marshall Cohen
[...]
* Rick Gates: Prosecutors raised the prospect that Gates, Manafort's longtime deputy, would not be called as a witness, potentially complicating the defense's attempts to deflect blame from Manafort to Gates.
[...]
12 hr 14 min ago General contractor details "hundreds and hundreds" of Manafort bills paid by wire transfers From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
[...]
What prosecutors are trying to show: They are trying demonstrate how Manafort used money he earned in Ukraine for his personal benefit, and hid it from federal authorities and others in shell companies.
[...]
11 hr 19 min ago Prosecutors expect to rest case against Manafort next week From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
[...]
13 hr 22 min ago Manafort was only client to pay with international wire transfers, former clothing store manager says From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
[...]
14 hr 12 min ago Judge says jury may bring a birthday cake to court From CNN's Marshall Cohen and Katelyn Polantz
[...]
17 hr 39 min ago Manafort's name was on loan documents, FBI agent testifies From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
Matthew Mikuska, an FBI agent who searched Manafort's Alexandria, Virginia, apartment for business documents and other evidence last July, told the jury that Manafort's name was on several documents showing millions of dollars in loan agreements and wire transfer invoices.
Why this matters: This is the first moment in the trial when prosecutors have gotten to the meat of their argument — that Manafort knowingly signed several kinds of false financial documents.
This courtroom sketch depicts Paul Manafort, fourth from right, standing with his lawyers in front of U.S. district Judge T.S. Ellis III, center rear, and the selected jury, seated left. | Dana Verkouteren via AP Photo
Manafort Trial Day 2: Fake bills, a banned word and a Rick Gates surprise
A parade of luxury vendors testify for the prosecution.
By JOSH GERSTEIN and DARREN SAMUELSOHN
08/01/2018 11:58 AM EDT
Updated 08/02/2018 12:28 AM EDT
Special counsel Robert Mueller's team is hurtling through its tax- and bank-fraud case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, with prosecutors predicting their case could wrap up as soon as next week.
[...]
Ellis called a mid-morning recess, interrupting Mikuska’s testimony after about 30 minutes. But the questioning resumed after a brief intermission. Headed into the lunch break, Ellis again joked to the jurors about the delights of the court’s menu.
“I hope your pheasant under glass will be delivered,” the judge said.
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