A conspracy to obstruct justice through witness tampering requires co-conspirators.
Maybe even unindicted co-conspirators.
Maybe even unindicted co-conspirators with joint defense agreements.
Which have “co-conspirator” written all over them.
Can’t wait for Mueller’s next move.
I’ll celebrate when some real time is handed down and some more indictments are aimed upwards.
I wonder if Papa will have finished his sentence before Manafort starts his?
This, the NYT op ed, less than 60 days to the midterm, tell all books, a Michael Moore film coming and a little Florence thrown in for good measure.
David Bowie’s Under Pressure is playing in my head right now
Donnie, I beg your pardon.
I wonder if there might be some state charges that could be spun out of this. I imagine witness tampering is a crime under DC law.
Popehat has thoughts on the superseding information:
I know y’all are used to be saying “no, this is typical, it happens all the time,” but I’ve never seen anything like that Manafort superseding information – the charging instrument he’ll plead to.
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Review: in federal court if you’re charged with a felony you have a right to be indicted by grand jury. An “information” is a charging instrument used when (a) it’s a minor crime for which indictment isn’t required or (b) you’re going to waive indictment and plead guilty.
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Informations are usually relatively concise and not too performative. This one is – wow. It’s 38 pages. It has EXHIBITS. I cannot remember ever seeing an Information with exhibits. Any other fedcrim practitioners out there ever see one?
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It’s only two counts – conspiracy to defraud the united states (all the pre-charge stuff he did) and conspiracy to obstruct justice (the post-charge witness tampering). But the descriptions are lavishly detailed.
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Now, it’s not unusual to have the defendant admit to a robust statement of facts. But this level of detail in the information strikes me as unusual. The exhibits are especially a novelty to me.
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I could be wrong of course. But it appears that the information is calculated to make it more politically painful to pardon Manafort – to make a preemptive strike on the “he was unfairly prosecuted for old stuff that was nothing” narrative.
Most successful witch hunt in history.
Trump is screwed anyway this goes.
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Manafort flips, spills his guts about how Trump and the whole sick crew cozied up to the Russians.
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Trump pardons Manafort and the whole country sees what traitorous bastards they both are.
I don’t want to succumb to irrational Mueller-worship but damn, the guy’s maddeningly deliberate to where you’re going nuts and then he moves a knight and boom, the opponent’s checkmated.
Anyone have anything plausible on what Mueller might have got out of the deal? We can see he gained ground but I’d think Manafort had to play ball with him at least a little.
Lost in all this hubbub about a Trump pardon is that Manafort still faces potential state charges for tax fraud and probably other crimes for which he has already pleaded guilty, and a Trump-issued pardon does nothing about those risks to Manafort. So I expect there will be some sort of cooperation or Manafort will spend the rest of his useful like in prison.
It’s important to remember that Mueller is a professional at this, and we are not, and he also knows things that we do not. If generic internet everyman wants to second-guess any decisions coming out of the Special Counsel’s office, they should keep both of these things in mind.
Trust me, I tend not to second-guess professionals in a field of which I know nothing. Short road to embarrassment there. Just there are a lot of good guessers out there with the knowledge to make the guesses educated. Have to wonder if just to get the lawyer’s fees saved Manafort gave Mueller a few little tidbits on the down low. Not full-blown cooperation, just a hint here and there.
Yeah, I didn’t mean you specifically were doing that, just an additional thought on the dangers of Mueller-worship (which I do think is happening to some folks sometimes).
Not quite a trojan horse strategy, but Manafort is not going to sell out…
Plead guilty and wait for the dotard to pardon a “true patriot”…
Absent an agreement to cooperate, it all comes down to the elocution.
That’s what Jennifer Rubin is suggesting. .x.com
Manafort WOn’t FLip. Mueller got what he needed whatever it is.
Is this a CHECKMATE moment or what?
Bingo.
I haven’t a clue, but I will miss having this in the news everyday thru the midterm.
Definitely. I’m not sure if it will actually deter Fat Nixon from issuing the pardon (shooting yourself in the foot is better than being shot in the heart), but that’s definitely a logical explanation for why there’s so much detail in there.
edit: since serving the sentence for the crimes Manafort has pleaded to means he will likely die in prison (per Josh’s ed blog), I’m very skeptical there’s any cooperation here. That reinforces the “I dare you to try and pardon this guy” line of reasoning, I guess. Dang. Obviously I’m speculating wildly, but this might not be 12-dimensional chess from Mueller. It could be as simple as a “fine, asshole, you should have cooperated – enjoy your time in the can. Try and get your pardon now”.
edit #2: There is a cooperation agreement?!? Holy fucking shit!!! Wow!!!