Discussion: Manafort Asks Judge To Move Virginia Trial From DC Suburb To Roanoke

TPM Article Topics
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Shorter Manafort: How about in Russia?

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This, combined with the article about his bitching about “solitary confinement,” suggests that either his lawyers are taking him for every dime he’s worth or he doesn’t appreciate the gravity of the charges against him. Probably both.

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He’s also probably deluded to think that lots of people are paying attention to his predicament. People voted for Drumpf. They are not paying attention.

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Or NYC! He and/or his lawyers are clueless.

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“Nowhere in the country is the bias against Mr. Manafort more apparent
than here in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area,” they wrote.

Uh, I really don’t recommend they try any west coast city.

So is this Hail Mary number 2 or number 3 with Judge Ellis?

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Uncle Tom Ellis always wants to earn points with Massa, so he will likely agree.

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They listen to Fox down in Roanoke, not MSNBC. A built in bias that can be enhanced by Hannity as the trial progresses.

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Sorry… no way Trump could concentrate long enough to make such a statement… maybe Melania… huar! huar! huar!

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Put another way,

Alexandria city (it’s independent/not in a county) went 76% Clinton, 18% Trump
Fairfax County went 64% Clinton, 29% Trump
combined: 66% Clinton, 27% Trump

Roanoke County went 33% Clinton, 61% Trump
Roanoke city (same issue) went 56% Clinton, 37% Trump
combined: 43% Clinton, 51% Trump

One more pass using Clinton+Stein as “L Wing” and Trump+Johnson+McMullin as “R Wing”,

Alexandria city went 76% L Wing, 22% R Wing
Fairfax County went 65% L Wing, 33% R Wing
combined: 67% L Wing, 32% R Wing

Roanoke County went 34% L Wing, 65% R Wing
Roanoke city went 58% L Wing, 42% R Wing
combined: 44% L Wing, 55% R Wing

This isn’t about the awareness / informed problem. This is about the political persuasion problem. Can’t say as I blame them for trying. Not sure how you make this likely to result in a fair/unbiased jury. Alexandria/Fairfax probably isn’t. Neither is Roanoke/Roanoke.

Edited to reflect Roanoke city vs. Roanoke county thanks to @deuce below for pointing out that Roanoke also has this city vs. county issue as well. I hadn’t noticed that.

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What? Roanoke is cut off from all TV, newspapers and the internet? Doesn’t the judge instruct the jury that they should only make their decision on what was presented? This happens in ever trial. Your trial is no different than the millions of others that have taken place. Just give it up Manafort, okay?

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Does he get to select where he will serve his sentence… presuming this “terrific guy” is not “treated unfairly by the government”?

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Manafort’s issue isn’t that he’s looking for a fair justice system. He wants justice system skewed in his favor. That’s the conservative “Law and Order” mindset in a nutshell: a pass for rich white republican, a hammer for everyone else.

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Little Odessa seems like a fair venue.

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It’s what lawyers, good and bad, with unlimited money and a terrible case do, anyway.

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My God how many motions have they sent to the judge? It’s a legal blizzard stratagem whereby later they can claim all the turndowns have had an effect on the trial, the judge, the jury and God know who else.

Drowning man reaching for the elusive life jacket the waves keep pulling away!

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“Nowhere in the country is the bias against Mr. Manafort more apparent than here in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area,” they wrote.

Womp! Womp!

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I wonder if the real gambit isn’t to offer a cranky old judge a route to hand off a case the judge doesn’t want to deal with. That the venue change would yield a far more defendant-favorable jury pool is of course just happenstance.

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I genuinely think they’re concerned by the fact that the jury pool is mostly going to be Democrats who’ve got the ass for Manafort and want to move to a place where the jury pool will mostly be Republicans who will make up whatever shit they have to make up–most of which will aready have been made up for them by Fox–to acquit.

The truth is, he’s more likely to get a fair trial from Democrats because they mostly don’t live in a world where ideology is a dogma that generates immutable truths without regard to the truths of mere empiricism. But the thing is, that’s what they’re really afraid of. They don’t think they can win a fair trial. They need a jury that will nullify and they’re not going to get it in the DC area.

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Apparently, Mr. Manafort is afraid of a “jury of his peers,” and hopes to find a less informed pool elsewhere.

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