Discussion: WaPo: Manafort's Home Was Raided Last Month As Part Of Russia Probe

[khyber900]

Clearly, this is big news. FBI got a court to approve a warrant based on probable cause of a crime having been committed and that the target was not cooperative. Manafort’s spokesperson’s statement suggested it might not have been the first or only such raid.

It does not look like Manafort has cut a formal deal yet. He seems to be a key to unlock the espionage door. His big mistake might’ve been to let Junior into a meeting with key Russian agents. Junior’s attorney, Alan Futerfas, is known for representing people who rat out other people in a conspiracy. His last big case (2016) involved his representation of a son who outed the drug dealing father for running a drug operation out of the family pizza joint in Queens.

Wouldn’t Trump tell his son to throw Manafort under the bus? He has no close connection to them except that he came recommended by friends of Putin to the campaign. What use does Putin have for Manafort any longer?

[bluestatedon]

What use does Manafort have for Putin any longer?

The more ominous question for Manafort is what use does Putin have for him any longer?

[katscherger]

Love your posts – always insightful.

[justruss]

One thing with Manafort, he is so well connected and experienced, he is a danger to a lot of people.

[spencersmom]

Ironically, Spicer lasted as long as press sec as Manafort did as campaign chairman.

Very limited role for a very limited time indeed.

[somuchforsubtlety]

Fake news. Didn’t happen.

If it did happen, it wasn’t bad. Just business deals and overzealous FBI.

Maybe colluding with Russia is bad but it’s not a big deal. Everyone colludes with foreign power and gets raided by the FBI.

It’s not Trump’s fault anyways. This was just the Trump campaign that colluded Russia. It was not the Trump person or Trump presidency.

If it was Trump’s fault, he didn’t mean it. He is new to this and doesn’t understand the rules.

It was a politically genius move to collude with Russia.

Hillary really did it. Obama really did it. Why is no one talking about Pelosi?

---

I think that covers everything I’ll hear for the next week.

[spencersmom]

Well done!

Scary how easily the script writes itself.

[docd]

“FBI agents executed a search warrant at one of Mr. Manafort’s residences. Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well.”

When given no option by a pre-dawn warrant, Manafort was, I’m sure, willing to share any information that he hadn’t already squirreled away in Moscow.

[candirue]

Oh, there will be porn, too. And not the nice kind, either.

[buckyor]

I’m old enough to remember GOP hacks complaining about all those leaks about the investigation that must be originating from Mueller’s office. Well, if his office was leaking, surely this information would have come out before now. So I guess they’ll have to look elsewhere- maybe a mirror.

[dannysgrandma]

From the WAPO article:

The search warrant indicates investigators may have argued to a federal judge they had reason to believe Manafort could not be trusted to turn over all records in response to a grand jury subpoena.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fbi-conducted-predawn-raid-of-former-trump-campaign-chairman-manaforts-home/2017/08/09/5879fa9c-7c45-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html?utm_term=.eb28648d5205

[ronbyers]

Manafort might not have been turned in late July, but there is nothing like having a search warrant served late at night to focus your attention on the possibility of spending time as a guest of the Feds. Given his threat to Putin and Putin’s MO for dealing with threats like Manafort, the FBI’s witness protection program is probably looking pretty good right now.

[arc_of_the_universe]

Draining the swamp.

[docd]

Yep, and I think they were right to have those suspicions.
Surely he realized that he would be a target for this. Did anyone who read the story think “Whoa! Didn’t see that coming!”
But their arrogance may win out.

[greenman66]

How long will it be before Manafort passes away from a rare unexpected (convenient) illness? He is in the position where everyone is after him and some significant fraction of those people want him removed. If he is smart, he will ask to be placed in protective custody. I doubt he is leaving the house or having pizza delivered to it.

[nowarino]

[clare]

Did the find the shredder working in high gear?

[metaghost]

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T’was the witch of November come stealin’

[maxaroo]

“FBI agents executed a search warrant at one of Mr. Manafort’s residences. Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well.”

That’s very admirable. When armed FBI agents show up at your house with a search warrant, what alternative is there other than to cooperate?

[fuzz]

When you’re as dirty as Manafort’s kids believe he is you have to keep records of all that crooked accounting. This isn’t he killed somebody and has to hide the body–this is a decades-long professional criminal enterprise. The real books exist somewhere.