Posted on 07/17/2018 3:12:00 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a motion from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort to move his Virginia trial further from the Washington, D.C., media market.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis denied a motion filed by Manafort's attorneys to move the Virginia trial, scheduled for later this month, from Alexandria, Va., to Roanoke, Va., because his attorneys claimed that relentless media coverage of his role in the Trump campaign and the Russia investigation would taint a potential juror pool.
"The mere fact that a case has drawn substantial media attention does not, by itself, warrant a change in venue," Ellis wrote in his ruling.
Manafort faces charges of bank fraud and money laundering, as well as lobbying law violations over his work for pro-Russia political parties in Ukraine prior to joining the Trump campaign. He has pleaded not guilty, but a former business associate pleaded guilty to similar charges earlier this year.
His attorneys had previously argued that the trial "may be the rare case where a juror’s predisposition may directly tie to their vote in the last presidential election" in his bid to move the trial to Roanoke.
"It is not a stretch to expect that voters who supported Secretary Clinton would be predisposed against Mr. Manafort or that voters who supported President Trump would be less inclined toward the Special Counsel,” the attorneys wrote in a court filing arguing for Roanoke's more even distribution of Republican and Democratic voters.
Manafort has denied any wrongdoing, and none of the charges filed against him by Robert Mueller's special counsel's office relate to allegations of collusion with Russia or any crimes committed during the 2016 presidential election.
He remains in jail after a judge ordered him detained last month for violating the terms of his bail by allegedly attempting to tamper with a witness.
It’s a TRAVESTY that Manafort is in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT!!! MUREDERERS don’t even get Solitary!
When he gets to Sue he’ll be very very Rich
Manafort is and was a plant.
If Manafort wanted the overhead solar window closed during a typhoon,
the “Judge” would quickly and firmly REFUSE with a strongly worded note.
“Any further requests that appear equally frivolous, capricious and spurious in their nature, will result in the plaintiff being fined for wasting The Court’s most precious time!! Have I made myself clear??”
A plant by who?
Trump? Is Manafort the fall-guy? Expendable and is allowed to placate Mueller by having someone in jail over this witch hunt nonsense?
I don’t care if he’s Hilliary’s LOVER....he does not deserve SOLITARY!
Stupid judge. Excellent grounds for any appeals.
This man is in solitary confinement with out being convicted of any crime. He is being squeezed by Mueller and nobody but Freepers seem to give a damn.
Trump should pardon him for the simple fact that this is not supposed to be how justice is conducted in America
I think its good that he’s in protective custody rather than in the general population where any MS-13 gang member or schizophrenic can try to make a name for himself by stabbing a celebrity.
“Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne described Manafort’s entry check-in at the William G. Truesdale Detention Center as “routine.”
“Because he is a high-profile inmate, Mr. Manafort will be placed in protective custody, which limits his interactions with other inmates,” Lawhorne said in a statement. “Specific details about Mr. Manafort’s confinement will not be made public due to security and privacy concerns. We will work closely with the U.S. Marshals to ensure his proper care while he remains in our custody.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/07/12/paul-manafort-arrives-alexandria-jail-placed-protective-custody/780145002/
He is part of the insurance policy. He was planted by Rinos. He knew his role.
He is a political prisoner. I never knew I would see the day in America. I can’t believe that the President is slowly getting boxed in. The “resistance” is right on schedule to mosey into the Midterms.
Seems to me this will make for an automatic retrial.
It is a shame that liberal judges have zero ethics. Their politics trump everything. Many should be removed from the bench for cause, but it will never happen.
Is it
“Move trial farther fro”
or
“Move trial farther, Bro”?
GEESH!! He shouldn’t be in ANY PRISON WITHOUT A TRIAL!! OMG...what has happened to you?
I agree completely. But he IS there, a judge sent him there, and so he should NOT be in the general prison population, for his safety.
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