U.S. special counsel files new charges against Trump former campaign aides

[webfact]

U.S. special counsel files new charges against Trump former campaign aides

By Sarah N. Lynch

 

FILE PHOTO - Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for U.S. President Donald Trump, departs after a bond hearing as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing Russia investigation, at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller filed a new set of criminal charges on Thursday against President Donald Trump's former campaign aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates that include bank and tax fraud, escalating a legal battle that started last year.

 

The charges were contained in a 32-count indictment against the two men that was filed in the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.

 

Manafort and Gates are already facing criminal charges by Mueller's office in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that include conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to defraud the United States and failure to register as foreign agents for political work they did for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.

 

They were among the first to be charged, as part of Mueller's ongoing investigation into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. Trump has denied any collusion took place.

 

The latest indictment includes allegations of wrongdoing as recently as January 2017 and said Manafort and Gates were desperate for cash when their lobbying business dried up.

 

The indictment charged they were able to secure more than $20 million in loans by falsely inflating the income of Manafort and his lobbying firm and failing to disclose existing debt.

 

A spokesman for Manafort did not immediately comment on the new charges, and a lawyer for Gates could not be immediately reached.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Frances Kerry and David Gregorio)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-23

[MajarTheLion]

Yet more smoke that has nothing to do with Mueller's stated mission. What does this tell us? Mueller doesn't have SQUAT on Trump-Russia collusion.

[mtls2005]

Manafort was (a) campaign manager for Trump, he was a foreign agent for pro-Russia Ukrainian stooge Yanukovych, in his greed to cover his lavish lifestyle as Ukrainian funds dried up he may have "sold" White House positions for dodgy bank loans.

 

An additional 32 felony criminal indictments seems like a bit more than smoke?

 

But the goal is to get Gates (if he hasn't already) and Manafort to flip on someone higher up.

[TomAikins]

1 hour ago, MajarTheLion said:

Yet more smoke that has nothing to do with Mueller's stated mission. What does this tell us? Mueller doesn't have SQUAT on Trump-Russia collusion.

You honestly think that? What's in the cigar that you're smoking? An ex-FBI agent who actually has met Mueller before told me that he's doing a classic FBI investigation. You round up all of the smaller players first and squeeze them to get what you can and then slowly work your way up the food chain. He's doing this by the book and is being through and methodical. And you know what? If there's nothing there then that's what he's going to say. The man has no agenda. He's a decorated Marine who served in combat in Vietnam and he's a dedicated prosecutor (he took down John Gotti for chrissake) and people are criticizing HIM?  And he's also a Republican. All of the wingnuts who defend Trump are up in arms and attacking this guy for doing the job he was hired to do. If he was investigating a Democrat what would they be saying? It's typical two-faced hypocritical conservative BS. 

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

1 hour ago, MajarTheLion said:

Yet more smoke that has nothing to do with Mueller's stated mission. What does this tell us? Mueller doesn't have SQUAT on Trump-Russia collusion.

This isn't just about collusion, Trump will soon be found to have evaded taxes and or committed fraud as well with his many shady deals with the Russians. Trump's days are limited. Even once he is found guilty you will still make excuses why he should get away with it. 

[tonray]

Unless you are family, working for Trump will expose everything you have ever done, and Trump will dump you off in the nearest ditch when he is done with you. It's all about Donald and nobody else.

[zaphod reborn]

2 hours ago, MajarTheLion said:

Yet more smoke that has nothing to do with Mueller's stated mission. What does this tell us? Mueller doesn't have SQUAT on Trump-Russia collusion.

Mueller has a duty to prosecute any crimes that he uncovers which justify a prosecution.  The extent of Manafort's fraud and money laundering scheme is just staggering.  This poorly researched article from Reuters is misleading.

 

Manafort had dozens of companies spread out in offshore tax havens and was raking in hundreds of millions of dollars.  Moreover, he was flaunting his wealth.  The scheme lasted 10 years.

 

There are connections to Wilbur Ross, Commerce Secretary, who was president of Cypress Bank.  Manafort offered to work for free as Trump's campaign manager.  At the same time, he was in contact with the Russian government and tried to set up a meeting between Putin and Trump during the campaign.  This specific indictment has nothing to do with the Trump campaign, but may lead to testimony against Kushner and Trump, Jr. as Gates has flipped, and the expectation is that Manafort will eventually flip.

[Sir Swagman]

What are the odds that if your 'buddies and bestys' are into scams and money making shady or illegal activities you stand above all that. As a person with a spotless reputation (according to faux news) that doesn't include being sued thousands of times, bankrupt 6 times, reported sexual predatory practices and non-existent monogamous lifestyle.....I go with Fox.

[William T]

3 hours ago, MajarTheLion said:

Yet more smoke that has nothing to do with Mueller's stated mission. What does this tell us? Mueller doesn't have SQUAT on Trump-Russia collusion.

So there’s no evidence of collusion with the trump campaign and Russia. Trump and Fox News keep saying so.

But did Trump not say in his election campaign that he was in favour of lifting some of the sanctions against Russia. And did not Mike Flynn have at least two meetings with the Russian Ambassador which he lied about. So it was in Russia’s interest that Trump became President.

And of course Trump’s son and son-in law and Paul Maniforth agreed to have a meeting with a Russian agent to get some ‘dirt’ on Hillary He later claimed she had nothing worthwhile and they then discussed the question of the Russian ban on American couples adopting Russian orphans. But of course that ban was put on in response to American sanctions against Russia put on when they invaded the Crimea. The two topics go hand in hand.

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, zaphod reborn said:

connections to Wilbur Ross

Manafort may also be knowledgeable the secret meeting between Erik Prince (brother of now Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, founder of Blackwater and Trump supporter*) and a Russian business executive with ties to the Kremlin to discuss U.S.-Russia relations during a meeting in the Seychelles.

 

* Prince donated to Trump’s campaign, made multiple visits to Trump Tower in New York and said he wrote some foreign policy memos for the Republican candidate, which he delivered to Trump campaign manager Steve Bannon.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-prince/blackwater-founder-prince-details-meeting-with-russian-in-seychelles-idUSKBN1E038M

 

 

[mtls2005]

Perhaps my favorite part of the indictment is where Manafort blames Gates for his $300,000 delinquent AMEX bill. Classy guy.

 

Desperate for cash in 2016 Manafort pitches himself to Trump as campaign manager, says he'll work for free. Hmmm.

 

And Manafort promised a Chicago banker (Steve Calk) that he could get him named Secretary of the Army in the Trump administration in return for a fraudulent loan.

 

 

 

44. In addition, Lender D questioned MANAFORT about a $300,000 delinquency on his American Express card, which was more than 90 days past due. The delinquency significantly
affected MANAFORT’s credit rating score. MANAFORT falsely represented to Lender D that he had lent his credit card to a friend, GATES, who had incurred the charges and had not reimbursed him. MANAFORT supplied Lender D a letter from GATES that falsely stated that
GATES had borrowed MANAFORT’s credit card to make the purchases at issue and would pay him back by a date certain. 

 

 

 

The indictment can be found here...

 

https://www.justice.gov/file/1038391/download

 

 

[Srikcir]

4 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Classy guy

Shows another example how little the Trump campaign vetted anyone for senior positions in its organization. Wreckless and irresponsible.

[mtls2005]

7 hours ago, ALLSEEINGEYE said:

This isn't just about collusion,

 

Manafort helped to elect the preferred Kremlin candidate in Ukraine.

 

Manafort did a runner from Ukraine with a lot of his Russian partners' money, and was supposed to help launder more money for them, while he was laundering his own money and avoiding paying U.S. taxes. The Russians came looking for their money in 2015. Manafort was scrambling to pay them off so he went on a massive bank fraud run. 

 

Then, one assumes with the 'guidance' of the SVR, he was 'encouraged' to insulate himself into the Trump campaign (or end up drinking a dioxin or polonium cocktail) and positively influence the Russian agenda. Obviously, Gates was similarly involved, and he even stayed through the transition.

 

I'm not sure it could be much more collusion-y?

 

(I'm giving Trump/45 the benefit of early onset senility so he probably forgot what happened.)

 

One assumes Manafort and Gates are hoping that the Presidential Pardon Pen is poised, but that only covers Federal crimes and I assume Mueller has a back-up plan for the joint prosecution of some State crimes which preclude a pardon.

 

And if Manafort's $10 million bond is based on fraudulent real estate valuation he may be heading towards pre-trial incarceration?

 

In other news...

 

In Series Of Text Messages, Paul Manafort’s Daughter Implicates Her Father In Mass-Murder

 

300,000 texts were hacked and stolen from the mobile phone of Andrea Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager’s daughter. Mr. Manafort recently disclosed receiving $17 million for work in the Ukraine.

 

1. "Don’t fool yourself,” Andrea wrote to her sister, according to the texts. “That money we have is blood money.” “You know he has killed people in Ukraine? Knowingly,” she continued, according to the reviewed texts. “As a tactic to outrage the world and get focus on Ukraine. Remember when there were all those deaths taking place. A while back. About a year ago. Revolts and what not. Do you know whose strategy that was to cause that, to send those people out and get them slaughtered."

 

https://www.themaven.net/theintellectualist/news/in-series-of-text-messages-paul-manafort-s-daughter-implicates-her-father-in-mass-murder-3QYf7RjMh0a8yRWFEc-LsA?full=1

Edited February 23, 2018 by mtls2005

[Srikcir]

23 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Manafort helped to elect the preferred Kremlin candidate in Ukraine.

A U.S. embassy cable sent from Kiev to Washington in 2006 described Manafort’s job as giving an “extreme makeover” to a presidential hopeful named Viktor Yanukovych, who had the backing of the Kremlin and most of Ukraine’s wealthiest tycoons.

http://time.com/5003623/paul-manafort-mueller-indictment-ukraine-russia/

If anyone used Wikipedia to vet Manafort for Chairman of Trump's campaign, this should have sent a warning about Manafort's criminology.

And Trump said he only hires the best people!

[mtls2005]

24 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

And Trump said he only hires the best people!

 

Manafort led his pitch with the fact that he owned a condo in Trump Tower - but don't ask where the money came from, or how it got so "clean".

 

Paul Manafort's Trump Tower condo becomes the latest sticking point for prosecutors

 

Manafort bought the apartment in an all-cash deal in 2006 using one of the LLCs he controls.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/06/paul-manaforts-trump-tower-condo-the-latest-issue-for-prosecutors.html

[Trouble]

The indictment makes for interesting reading.  I really have no problem with these guys consulting in the Ukraine for whether a pro Russian or anti-Russian candidate and political party.  That's just business. But how could they be so stupid with the handling of the money and setting up all the offshore companies.  It looks like a very stupid way to avoid paying taxes.  Greed knows no bounds. Don't see that this makes any case against the Trump campaign in general other than failing to insure the hangers-on were honest.  But we all know that no matter the country or party affiliation, politics seems to attract the worst self serving men and women whether elected or working behind the scenes.

[Jingthing]

14 hours ago, Srikcir said:

Shows another example how little the Trump campaign vetted anyone for senior positions in its organization. Wreckless and irresponsible.

He didn't expect to win. Why vet?

[Jingthing]

Closing in on the big fish ... 

That's how they do.

 

 

Quote

 

Mueller is about to take a big step closer to Trump

...

Neither, though, is known to have had intimate familiarity with what the Trump campaign effort looked like. Which makes Friday’s news of an intent by Gates — both a campaign staffer and, before that, a Manafort partner — to cooperate with Mueller potentially very significant.

 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/02/23/mueller-is-about-to-take-a-big-step-closer-to-trump/

[mrwebb8825]

On 2/23/2018 at 10:25 AM, William T said:

But did Trump not say in his election campaign that he was in favour of lifting some of the sanctions against Russia.

Are you referring to this piece of BS, opinionated reporting?

https://www.politicususa.com/2017/12/06/rachel-maddow-nails-trump-campaign-repeatedly-promising-lift-russian-sanctions.html

[William T]

I heard Trump himself say it in his campaign.

[ilostmypassword]

9 hours ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Are you referring to this piece of BS, opinionated reporting?

https://www.politicususa.com/2017/12/06/rachel-maddow-nails-trump-campaign-repeatedly-promising-lift-russian-sanctions.html

Believe it or not, and you probably won't, just calling something you don't like B.S., doesn't make it so. To do that you actually have to address the questions that were raised. You might try that for a change.

[mrwebb8825]

8 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Believe it or not, and you probably won't, just calling something you don't like B.S., doesn't make it so. To do that you actually have to address the questions that were raised. You might try that for a change.

Since the ONLY people who were in those meeting have NOT made ANY public statements about discussing sanctions except to deny it was a topic. The ONLY people who were in those meeting who may or may not have made a statement to Mueller's team about the content of those meeting has been kept a secret, it's HIGHLY doubtful that some news sensationalist would be privy to the facts. But you go right ahead and believe it to feed your need to hate. 

[mrwebb8825]

15 hours ago, William T said:

I heard Trump himself say it in his campaign.

Link please. I heard him say he would like to improve relations with Russia.