Support Free Republic, Folks!
Posted on 08/11/2018 2:42:26 PM PDT by jazusamo
The first two weeks of the trial of former Donald Trump presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort on 18 counts of tax evasion and bank fraud charges have failed to implicate Trump or his campaign in any alleged criminal conduct.
Prosecutors working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller – who is investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election – are expected to call their final witness Monday at Manafort’s trial in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia. If convicted on all counts, Manafort could face a maximum sentence of 305 years in prison.
So far we’ve learned that the prosecution’s star witness, former Manafort employee Rick Gates, is a liar, a serial adulterer and a thief who embezzled funds from Manafort.
And we’ve learned that Manafort is alleged to have evaded paying taxes on income that he and Gates earned through secret offshore bank accounts, shell companies and fraudulent bank loans.
But when it comes to the mandate given to Mueller on May 17, 2017, we’ve learned absolutely nothing. Mueller was charged with investigating “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.”
But neither Gates nor any other witness at the Manafort trial has testified about the Russian election interference or any alleged collusion between the Trump campaign – or Trump himself – with the Russians.
Manafort was with the Trump presidential campaign for just under five months. That’s a tiny sliver of the long career of the 68-year-old.
All of the testimony at the Manafort trial has addressed events that occurred long before Manafort went to work for 2016 Trump campaign. The testimony has focused on Manafort’s and Gates’s activities as alleged “unregistered agents” representing the Ukrainian government starting in 2006.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
So how much does he owe in taxes?
This whole damn prosecution of Manfort is an effort to make him say untruths about Donald Trump. If he had information that would hurt Donald Trump, Muller would give him a get out of jail card free. It appears to me that Manafort will not make up lies to suit Mueller. It is that damn simple.
Exactly, you basically summed up what von Spakovsky said.
This trial was *ahem* “never intended” to implicate Pres. Trump
https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/07/robert-mueller-paul-manafort-collusion-evidence-wont-be-used/
http://dailycaller.com/2018/07/07/mueller-manafort-collusion/
etc, etc, etc ...
Yep. So far, it is no different than the case they could have pursued in 2014 or earlier. I wonder if Trump’s name has even come up.
Where was/is IRS in the scheme of events?
Hard for me to believe they haven’t audited the big bucks.
If Manafort is convicted the demoRats will spin this into a Mueller conviction just like they already spin this as an indictment for his faux investigation. To them it doesn’t matter that there is no collusion in the case, they got a conviction out of it.
In addition what everyone seems to fail to realize is this with Ukraine not Russians. Its why the Ukrainian aspect has been down played by the left. Ask anyone on the street and they will say this trial is about Manafort and the Russians. Has nothing to do with the Russians.
Yes I agree, but how could a killer like Al Capone be convicted of tax evasion and get 11 years, while the Mueller/Weinstein group are shooting for 302 years? Seems a little harsh, especially when their star witness embezzled millions from Manafort.
Wow! That would make a great headline for Jim Acosta to use on CNN.
Mueller wants to deal at sentencing. He knows this trial has no connection to Trump.
If Manafort had dirt on Trump, he could have plead guilty to a lesser crime, probably probation.
As Judge Ellis said, this whole trial is about squeezing Manafort to make him flip.
Funny thing is DOJ looked into this and passed. If Manafort is acquitted, Mueller has nothing to show for all his work.
Support Free Republic, Folks!
A whole lot less than the cost of the investigation.
von Spakovsky’s summation sums it up:
“Whether you support President Trump or oppose him, the simple and indisputable fact is that nothing in the Manafort trial so far has revealed any evidence of collusion with Russia or any other misconduct by President Trump or his campaign.
This trial is about Paul Manafort and Rick Gates – not Donald Trump.”
A ruse!
Complicated, Sh8t.
I was hoping for a 30 second recap from CNN so I could seem informed at work.
If I wanted any real discussion there would be a “Game of Thrones” type show with characters that we can all relate to.
This is why I’ve “Cut the Cord”, TV today sucks.
My unlimited streaming fits perfectly with my attention span.
I’ve got all the news anybody could want and I can get it in less than 30 seconds.
Beat that.
Blackmail isn’t complicated.
Manafort is still scheduled to go on trial in D.C. in September.
However much it it is you can bet the IRS has already seized all of Manafort’s off-shore accounts. Quite possibly they’ve taken everything that they allege Manafor owes, and then some.
However much it it is you can bet the IRS has already seized all of Manafort’s off-shore accounts. Quite possibly they’ve taken everything that they allege Manafor owes, and then some.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.