Discussion: Judge Weighs Whether To Toss Key Evidence In Mueller's Case Against Manafort

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 sitterā€™s name off of lease!!

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The employeeā€™s 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.

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Indeed. Also, ā€œinevitable discoveryā€ may get invoked.

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Though Jackson had ordered the FBI agent who conducted the search to be present at the hearing, Manafortā€™s lawyers decided it would not be necessary to question the agent.

Because the agentā€™s testimony would absolutely demolish their argument?

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ā€œManafortā€™s lawyers decided it would not be necessary to question the agent.ā€

WRONG.

Manafortā€™s 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. Heā€™s on the fucking lease, had a key, put things in the unit for Manafort on his behalf? This isnā€™t a judge ā€œgrapplingā€ with something. It is Manafortā€™s 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: Manafortā€™s lawyers are making the correct argumentsā€¦Iā€™ll give them thatā€¦but with facts that render those arguments weaksauce.

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My former pet sitter let my Mrs Kravitz neighbor into my backyard when I wasnā€™t 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 wasnā€™t there but I was responsible. Same principle?

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Yeah, it would seem that if the employeeā€™s 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.

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Sean Hannity said he read the Va Judgeā€™s 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 ā€˜smack downā€™ of Mueller. Well, when Manafort loses this round, he will not even mention the subject. Not. Even. Mention. It.

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Exactly.

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Thatā€™s exactly what I was thinking. If his name was on the lease, then he had authority to give access.

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Absolutely right.

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OK, three guys own a business. There are items in a storage room related to the business. Theyā€™re all on the lease and all have a key. Itā€™s 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 ā€œBobā€™s personal school recordsā€. Tom lets the cops in, an officer points at that box and says ā€œCan I look in that box?ā€

Iā€™m a little dubious it was Bobā€™s 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, Iā€™ve said before Manafortā€™s toast. Heā€™s still toast.

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ā€œThe special counselā€™s 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 donā€™t see where the Judge will have any problem with the search warrant based on that alone.

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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

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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 Manafortā€™s team exhaust all their legal arguments.

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Judge seemed to give Manafortā€™s attorneys a hard time and was critical at their absence of case law cites. Sheā€™s basically telling Manafortā€™s attys ā€˜Go strong or go wrong. This is some weak tea that you put before my court.ā€™

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Right?!? The FBI guy was only there because Manafortā€™s attorneys demanded he be there in an act of attempted intimidation. Blew up on them again looks like. Itā€™s hard to defend a guilty man.

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