Fitting for a whitewash campaign.
Is Manafort betting that he is among the 10% that actually win in Federal Court? Take a deal, geesh.
I’m just…so…HAPPY, right now.
““A man in this courtroom believed the law did not apply to him””
That’s a stupid way to get the ball rolling. Unless the prosecutor is a mind reader he has to be making this up. He has no idea what Manafort believed and the suggestion that he does is a turn off. Right out of the box Mueller’s ace team gets obnoxious. Manafort is a genuine dirt bag. No need to make shit up about him.
I thought the same thing. he’s sure to go down so what gives? He had the option to talk and walk but instead he chose what’s certainly to be a rest of his life sentence.
I’m so curious to hear the defense’s argument. Arm-waving won’t get you too far in court…I hope.
Maybe he is more afraid of the
Russians then jail…
Heard on MSMBC they are trying to argue Gates is a false witness against him
10% sounds high, I think it’s more like 2-3%. He couldn’t take a deal because he’s (sensibly) afraid for his safety and the safety of his family. If he takes a deal, they would think he cooperated and whack him, so he has to go to trial to prove he’s not cooperating in any way. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas…
The judge is right. Being rich is not a crime. Generally it’s the poor who end up being punished by the law.
"At this point, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis jumped in "
This Ellis asshole is a dangerous loose cannon. It is highly irregular and rare for a judge to interrupt an attorney’s opening like that and particularly for something so minor and for which any comment from the judge was completely unnecessary and frivolous.
Perhaps Manafort is hoping to get a sentence for “technical” crimes. Accounting and such. Counting on a mild sentence ( less than 5?). Where he can lie low… Safe from Russian reprisal… And bide time for a pardon??
If they let him wear his 10K suit and dyed his hair roots, he’s doomed.
If they’re not allowed to name him as campaign mgr. for DT, how are they going to tie him with the influence peddling he used to get the $16M loans?
But her e-mails!
I’ve met Ellis. He’s well respected judge. When I met him he drove a crappy old car.
I don’t agree. The prosecutor is appealing to the jurors who are part of the law-abiding public. They represent Everyman. For the prosecutor to refer to the defendant as not caring about the lawfulness of his actions is quite proper. “Here is a man who doesn’t regard himself as bound to the same laws the rest of us respect,” is a perfect way to start.
Manafort is Mr. Leona Helmsley!
with good reason, uh, polonium tea-time?
Totally agree.