Posted on 08/17/2018 12:38:53 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
US president Donald Trump defended Paul Manafort as “a good person” and declined to rule out a pardon as a jury spent Friday deliberating the fate of the former campaign chairman.
“I think the whole Manafort trial is very sad,” Mr Trump told reporters on the South Lawn at the White House, before departing for a fundraiser on Long Island. “I think it’s a very sad day for our country. He happens to be a very good person, and I think it’s very sad what they’ve done to Paul Manafort.”
Mr Manafort faces 18 counts of tax evasion and bank fraud. Asked if he would pardon him, Mr Trump said: “I don’t talk about that now.”
The president also reiterated a line often pushed by his White House: that Mr Manafort only worked for him a short time. In fact the 69-year-old political consultant managed the campaign for nearly five months, a pivotal period in which Mr Trump secured the Republican presidential nomination.
Mr Trump’s comments came as a jury convened for a second day of deliberations in Alexandria, Virginia, following a three-week trial in which federal prosecutors called 27 witnesses to testify against Mr Manafort. The list included Mr Manafort’s deputy on the Trump campaign, Rick Gates, who struck a plea deal and has been co-operating with the special counsel, Robert Mueller.
Although the trial is focused on Mr Manafort’s finances and not Russian interference in the 2016 election, it is the first major test of Mr Mueller’s investigation. Mr Manafort faces up to 305 years in prison....
(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...
Guardian says it was a whole big 5 months. Can’t make this stuff up.
50/50.
That’s my odds I’d give on Trump pardoning Manafort.
But for sure - nothing till AFTER the election.
I read somewhere that Manafort did try to squeeze extra money out of the campaign, and that was one of the reasons he was fired. I think the post said something like, “You don’t steal from Mr. Trump.”
So, I find it hard to believe Trump would pardon him.
He’s likely dirty. But, he’s being singled out for prosecution because maybe, just maybe, he has some damning info about Trump.
Don’t even respond to questions like this or voluntarily make comments re the same MR President. Don’t give the left any ammo, they’ll just twist your words
Leftists heads explode. Again.
Details at eleven.
Ruh Roh! Representative Lieu says that would be grounds for impeachement. Fidiot!
Good.
Do it.
Good. Make the media’s head spin again.
I think he’ll probably pardon him............the day before he leaves ofice. Manafort may have to do 6 years.
...But for sure - nothing till AFTER the election...
2020
>>50/50.
That’s my odds I’d give on Trump pardoning Manafort.<<
I think it is 60/40 on hung jury.
Trump has endless patience
Let’s see a verdict first and what charges
Trump should issue a pardon for Sessions.
If they get a hung jury Mueller will file charges again, and this time he is likely to get a much friendlier judge.
I think in that scenario Trump would likely pardon him rather than subject him to a kangaroo trial in which he’d have no shot of acquittal.
That possibility of a pardon which MSM raised and emphasized gives ManafortMr Manafort some support to keep him from rolling over and copping to whatever Mueller wants him to say.
Sessions belongs in prison for incompetence and dereliction of duty and in hell for manipulating his way into a job he is recused from,
Trump’s hair is grounds for Impeachment if that’s what the guys in the House want to use.
“Trump should issue a pardon for Sessions.”
Sessions is Pardoned from Existence.
I like those odds too!
Nothing would piss off Mueller, the enemedia and idiot libs everywhere than a hung jury.
This was supposed to be a slam dunk. Open and shut case.
What with the jury asking about reasonable doubt..... Manafort could even be acquitted!
Hells Yes.
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