At one point, Zehnle compared the situation to his recent decision to hire a pet sitter. He said that just because the pet sitter had a key to his home temporarily did not mean that the individual had any authority to do whatever he or she pleased in the home.
Note to self: Take pet sitterās name off of lease!!
The employeeās name was on the lease for the unit, and the employee told the agent that he placed items inside the unit for Manafort.
Um, that seems to be the definition of apparent authority. I think the judge is just bending over backward to give Manafort a thorough hearing.
Indeed. Also, āinevitable discoveryā may get invoked.
Though Jackson had ordered the FBI agent who conducted the search to be present at the hearing, Manafortās lawyers decided it would not be necessary to question the agent.
Because the agentās testimony would absolutely demolish their argument?
āManafortās lawyers decided it would not be necessary to question the agent.ā
WRONG.
Manafortās lawyers decided it would blow up in their faces if they questioned the agent.
FIFY
The guy clearly had authority or at the very least ostensible authority. Heās on the fucking lease, had a key, put things in the unit for Manafort on his behalf? This isnāt a judge āgrapplingā with something. It is Manafortās attorneys throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks and to generate fodder issues for appeal. Same with the search warrant of the home: Manafortās lawyers are making the correct argumentsā¦Iāll give them thatā¦but with facts that render those arguments weaksauce.
My former pet sitter let my Mrs Kravitz neighbor into my backyard when I wasnāt there. My dog whom she used to taunt bit her upon entry. Not hard and no blood. Thankfully. Guess whose dog went into mandatory quarantine? I wasnāt there but I was responsible. Same principle?
Yeah, it would seem that if the employeeās name was on the storage unit lease, it was a pre-meditated attempt by Manafort to insulate himself from connection with the storage unit and its contents. Criminal conspirators, narcotics traffickers and money launderers do things like this and I find it hard to believe that the judge would rule that the person whose name was on the storage unit lease lacked authority.
Sean Hannity said he read the Va Judgeās prior in this case 50 times! He mentioned this reading number several times. Without tell his audience what he learned from the 1st to the 25th reading and the subsequent 25, he was sure that this was a bone crushing āsmack downā of Mueller. Well, when Manafort loses this round, he will not even mention the subject. Not. Even. Mention. It.
Exactly.
Thatās exactly what I was thinking. If his name was on the lease, then he had authority to give access.
Absolutely right.
OK, three guys own a business. There are items in a storage room related to the business. Theyāre all on the lease and all have a key. Itās common knowledge among the three that in addition to business items there is space left over for storage of personal items. A box is labeled āBobās personal school recordsā. Tom lets the cops in, an officer points at that box and says āCan I look in that box?ā
Iām a little dubious it was Bobās intention that Tom let cops root around his personal effects in order to determine if enough probable cause existed to return later with a warrant.
Going out on a limb here, Iāve said before Manafortās toast. Heās still toast.
āThe special counselās office argued that because the employee had a key, was listed on the lease and conducted business for Manafort in the unit, he had the authority to grant the FBI agent access.ā Good grief the man was a cosigner on the lease yet he is not allowed to use his own discretion on giving the FBI access to his storage locker? This is really grasping and I donāt see where the Judge will have any problem with the search warrant based on that alone.
Old, rich white guy criminals with old, rich white guy lawyers often walk on charges filed in our old, rich, white guy justice system.
See: Bob McDonnell
Commented below before reading all the comments already up explaining much better than I how the judge is going through the motions just to let Manafortās team exhaust all their legal arguments.
Judge seemed to give Manafortās attorneys a hard time and was critical at their absence of case law cites. Sheās basically telling Manafortās attys āGo strong or go wrong. This is some weak tea that you put before my court.ā
Right?!? The FBI guy was only there because Manafortās attorneys demanded he be there in an act of attempted intimidation. Blew up on them again looks like. Itās hard to defend a guilty man.