Trump defends ex-aide Manafort, jury ends second day of deliberations

By Nathan Layne and Karen Freifeld

 

FILE PHOTO: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort departs from U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, U.S., February 28, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo

 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - In a break with convention, President Donald Trump weighed in on a criminal trial as the jury considered a verdict on Friday, calling the tax and bank fraud case against Paul Manafort "very sad" and lauding his former campaign chairman as a "very good person."

 

A federal court jury in Alexandria, Virginia completed its second day of deliberations without reaching a verdict in the first trial stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 15-month-old investigation of Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election.

 

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, presiding over the case, said he personally had received threats related to the trial and was being protected by U.S. marshals.

 

Ellis revealed the threats as he rejected a motion by a group of news organizations to make public the names of the jurors, saying he was concerned about their "peace and safety."

 

"I had no idea this case would excite these emotions ... I don't feel right if I release their names," the judge said.

 

In remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump again called Mueller's investigation, which had cast a cloud over his presidency, a "rigged witch hunt," but sidestepped a question about whether he would issue a presidential pardon for Manafort.

 

"I think the whole Manafort trial is very sad, when you look at what's going on there. I think it's a very sad day for our country," Trump said.

 

"He worked for me for a very short period of time. But you know what? He happens to be a very good person. And I think it's very sad what they've done to Paul Manafort."

 

Trump made his comments while the jurors, mulling 18 criminal counts against Manafort, deliberated behind closed doors on Friday morning.

 

As president, Trump has the power to pardon Manafort on the federal charges. He has already issued a number of pardons, including for a political ally, former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio. Asked by a reporter on Friday if he would pardon Manafort, Trump said, "I don't talk about that now."

 

The jurors are not sequestered but have been instructed not to watch news reports or talk to others about the case. Deliberations by the six women and six men in the jury were set to resume on Monday morning.

 

PRO-RUSSIAN POLITICIANS

 

Prosecutors accused Manafort, 69, of hiding from U.S. tax authorities $16 million in money he earned as a political consultant for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine to fund an opulent lifestyle and then lying to banks to secure $20 million in loans after his Ukrainian income dried up and he needed cash.

 

Manafort faces five counts of filing false tax returns, four counts of failing to disclose his offshore bank accounts and nine counts of bank fraud. If convicted on all counts, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

 

The charges largely predate Manafort's five months working on Trump's campaign during a pivotal period in the 2016 presidential race, including three months as campaign chairman.

 

It is unusual for a U.S. president to comment about the character of a defendant in an ongoing trial and criticise the legal proceedings. It was not the first time Trump has weighed in since Manafort's trial began on July 31. On the first day of testimony, Trump said Manafort had been treated worse than 1920s gangster Al Capone.

 

Trump has made previous comments criticizing various federal judges and courts and has been harshly critical of Mueller, a former FBI director who is investigating whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia, an allegation the president and Moscow deny.

 

On Friday, he accused Mueller of having "a lot of conflicts," but said the special counsel should be allowed to finish a report on his investigation.

 

Prohibitions on jurors reading about a case they are deciding are difficult to enforce in the smartphone era, Cornell University criminal law professor Jens David Ohlin said.

 

"We trust jurors to be on their best behaviour and wall themselves off but that kind of goes against human nature," Ohlin said.

"I think it was very ill-advised for the president to do this. He should have kept his mouth shut," Ohlin added.

 

The prosecution could request a mistrial, but such a manoeuvre was very unlikely, Ohlin said.

 

The jury sent a note on Thursday afternoon asking Ellis four questions including one about defining "reasonable doubt." In a criminal case, a jury must find a defendant guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt."

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-18

Manafort wasn't an "aide" he was the frickin' campaign chairman. Don't minimize it.

I wonder what the betting odds are being given for Trump pardoning Manafort. Seems a pretty safe bet that will happen. So much for justice.

I guess he still has the goods on Trump otherwise he would have been completely thrown under the bus.

Yes our criminally corrupt Swamp King president is clearly signaling that he will pardon Manafort if convicted.

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Ellis revealed the threats as he rejected a motion by a group of news organizations to make public the names of the jurors, saying he was concerned about their "peace and safety."

 

Yeah this little snippet should make any objective observer a little pissed off. CNN leading the charge of media douchebaggery, naturally. 

 

Quote

In denying the request from CNN, The Associated Press, Politico, NBC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post and BuzzFeed News, Ellis said he has no reason to believe the jurors wouldn’t also be exposed to threats if their names were revealed. 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402369-manafort-judge-says-hes-received-threats

 

Another snippet:

 

Quote

The Federalist reported that CNN, along with a conglomerate of other media outlets, filed a motion Friday morning to publicly reveal the names and home addresses of those serving on the jury in the trial after jurors asked the judge questions that legal experts interpreted as favorable for Manafort’s defense attorneys and unfavorable for the prosecution.

http://thefederalist.com/2018/08/17/federal-judge-denies-cnn-request-dox-jurors-manafort-trial/

11 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes our criminally corrupt Swamp King president is clearly signaling that he will pardon Manafort if convicted.

When Manafort went to trial instead of flipping, it was obvious he had a pardon in his pocket.  Fortunately, the NY State AG can bring tax evasion charges against him (not double jeopardy even under the prior NY double jeopardy law, because the act of filing a state tax return is different than the act of filing a federal tax return https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/schneiderman-double-jeopardy/558389/), and there's no way Andrew Cuomo is going to pardon him.  Unless he flees the country before his state trial, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

7 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Yeah this little snippet should make any objective observer a little pissed off. CNN leading the charge of media douchebaggery, naturally. 

 

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402369-manafort-judge-says-hes-received-threats

 

Another snippet:

 

http://thefederalist.com/2018/08/17/federal-judge-denies-cnn-request-dox-jurors-manafort-trial/

The media always supports full disclosure.  The policy of the courts is that the juror's names become public record once the verdict is delivered.  I suspect that Judge Ellis' announcement yesterday, that he received death threats from your cohorts, will result in the names being sealed until Trump has been behind bars for a few years.

1 minute ago, zaphod reborn said:

The media always supports full disclosure.  The policy of the courts is that the juror's names become public record once the verdict is delivered.  I suspect that Judge Ellis' announcement yesterday, that he received death threats from your cohorts, will result in the names being sealed until Trump has been behind bars for a few years.

 

Predictable. 

 

CNN & Co. are actively looking to dox the Jurors in one of the most high profile court cases in a while, all under the guise of the media, and your excuse is to somehow make it "my cohorts" that are the ones threatening Judge Ellis? 

 

You, and people like you, are the reason that the media is being kept away from the Jurors. 

 

If Manafort catches a break, and it very much looks like that may happen, you people will totally vilify these jurors and dog pile them like you do on this forum to anyone who isn't a rabid & unhinged liberal. 

 

PS: they want the jurors names and addresses now, not after the verdict. 

4 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

You, and people like you, are the reason that the media is being kept away from the Jurors. 

I'm a lawyer, so I not only have access to the jurors, but had background checks and handwriting analysis performed on them.

The judge made the right decision not to reveal the names and addresses of jurors. 

it’s shocking to hear he himself has received death threats.

 

Trump’s comments while the jurors deliberate are out of order.

 

He needs to take his hands off judicial process.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Trump’s comments while the jurors deliberate are out of order.

?

 

2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

He needs to take his hands off judicial process.

 

So reporters ask trump a question about the trial, trump comments his opinion on the trial to the reporters who asked him the questions about the trial.....

 

But Trump was out of line for commenting about the trial, even though the media was literally asking for comment about the trial. 

 

The mental gymnastics is earth shattering. 

 

 

Hope they convict Paul is one flakey dude.reported on Politico Ivankas business partner being indicted on tax fraud pops can’t be far behind!what a crew of grifters holey cow!

3 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

?

 

 

So reporters ask trump a question about the trial, trump comments his opinion on the trial to the reporters who asked him the questions about the trial.....

 

But Trump was out of line for commenting about the trial, even though the media was literally asking for comment about the trial. 

 

The mental gymnastics is earth shattering. 

 

 

He’s out of line for what he said.

 

He could have simply said ‘I’ll withhold comment while the case is at trial’.

 

 

Manafort is facing 18 felony charges, he’s offered no defence.

 

Illiberals should not get their hopes up.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

he’s offered no defence.

 Maybe Mr. Lawyer up there in post # 9 can comment on what this actually means, because from what I read, it doesn't mean what you think it means. 

1 minute ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 Maybe Mr. Lawyer up there in post # 9 can comment on what this actually means, because from what I read, it doesn't mean what you think it means. 

Like I say, don’t get your hopes up.

5 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

He’s out of line for what he said.

 

He could have simply said ‘I’ll withhold comment while the case is at trial’.

 

He said Manafort is a good person. 

 

THE HORROR

1 minute ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

He said Manafort is a good person. 

 

THE HORROR

That’s for the jury to decide.

 

And they’re on it!

If the jury comes back NG, its gonna be Horroshow just to watch the Leftzis heads explode! 

 

Meanwhile if he is convicted, who gives a shit, the government caught another happy member of politicowithhishandinthecookiejar.com. Like he is the first politico to lie, cheat and steal over mammon, duh.

 

Its pretty meaningless in the whole scheme of things, other than being a part of this whole farce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 20187 yr by Nyezhov

35 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

If the jury comes back NG, its gonna be Horroshow just to watch the Leftzis heads explode! 

 

Oh there will without a doubt be some NG's but I doubt hell walk completely. 

16 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Oh there will without a doubt be some NG's but I doubt hell walk completely. 

That keeps the drama going. Gives folks stuff to argue about without resolving anyhting.

 

But than again, any result will continuing the arguing without resolving anything.

1 minute ago, Nyezhov said:

That keeps the drama going. Gives folks stuff to argue about without resolving anyhting.

 

But than again, any result will continuing the arguing without resolving anything.

 

Of course. Muller needs convictions to justify his investigation. Nevermind that they have zero to do with Trump & Russia, but that wont stop the dense liberals & never trumpers from banging on about it like its vindication for the year and a half of hearing about RUSSIA. 

15 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Of course. Muller needs convictions to justify his investigation. Nevermind that they have zero to do with Trump & Russia, but that wont stop the dense liberals & never trumpers from banging on about it like its vindication for the year and a half of hearing about RUSSIA. 

Keep your denial glasses handy, you are going t need them.

2 hours ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

?

 

 

So reporters ask trump a question about the trial, trump comments his opinion on the trial to the reporters who asked him the questions about the trial.....

 

But Trump was out of line for commenting about the trial, even though the media was literally asking for comment about the trial. 

 

The mental gymnastics is earth shattering. 

 

 

What about Trump's tweets and declarations which had no one asking his opinion. Please, you cannot be so uninformed as to think Trump does not speak his mind and without anyone asking his opinion.

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

"I think the whole Manafort trial is very sad, when you look at what's going on there. I think it's a very sad day for our country," Trump said.

 

"He worked for me for a very short period of time. But you know what? He happens to be a very good person. And I think it's very sad what they've done to Paul Manafort."

 

What is exceptionally sad, is that this corrupt, lying, thieving, bankrupting, five time draft dodging, urine loving, serial statutory rapist, is defending a man who might go to prison for the rest of his life, for crimes he committed, without a doubt. The Mango Mussolini does not even know how ridiculous he sounds when he makes such emotionally charged statements. It is all about deflecting his own guilt, of which he is no doubt. He is not only the least dignified man in the history of American politics, he is probably one of the lowest class individuals, and one of the most heinous men in the history of the nation. Tiny Trump is a permanent stain on the face of America. He is a cartoon. A caricature of a man. A half man, half child, with less control of his emotions than most 12 years old possess. His thin skin speaks volumes about the miniature size of his heart, and his nearly complete lack of self esteem. A man in his position with even a shred of propriety and dignity would have refused to answer the question, and simply said answering the question is inappropriate. But, he does not know the definition of that term. The good men and women who protect and defend our nation are bad people in his opinion, and Manafort is a good person. What can one even say about this infantile moron? 

 

Tiny Don. Moving America backwards, every day of his presidency. 

He is not your favorite person is he!

1 hour ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Of course. Muller needs convictions to justify his investigation. Nevermind that they have zero to do with Trump & Russia, but that wont stop the dense liberals & never trumpers from banging on about it like its vindication for the year and a half of hearing about RUSSIA. 

You know Trump will be convicted of something no matter what.  There is already plenty of evidence.  Your Fox News lines don’t hold up.  Prosecutors work from outside in, and there is a list of others being prosecuted.  This is normal for special councils.  This will last 2-4 more years.  Trump will also be prosecuted by New York State, which he can’t be pardoned for

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

He’s out of line for what he said.

 

He could have simply said ‘I’ll withhold comment while the case is at trial’.

 

 

 

You do understand that this is Trump we are talking about? He simply can't keep his mouth shut or his fingers off the Twitter keys.

Strange that on every Trump thread a 'new member' pops up to defend the Orange Messiah , obviously just a coincidence....

6 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Strange that on every Trump thread a 'new member' pops up to defend the Orange Messiah , obviously just a coincidence....

 

Some members may have multiple personalities.

What President of the United States really meant was, "I've gotten away with much more manipulative frauds than Mr. Manafort."