Best line in the article…
It is standard FBI practice to carry weapons and check residents for the same during a home search, but former federal prosecutors told TPM that the use of a “no-knock” raid was notable.
Were the feds wearing jackboots and black leather when they “burst” into the house?
This is highly unusual behavior in a white-collar criminal investigation. It’s much more typical in drug cases or those involving suspected terrorists.
“I’f he’s been told that he’s a a target—that he’s likely to be indicted—I think the way you interpret that is he’s likely to be indicted, said Michael Zeldin, a former federal prosecutor," showing keen insight for which former prosecutors are known.
“Notable?” I think it’s almost unheard-of in cases like this.
And couldn’t happen to a nicer or more deserving guy.
The FBI should have brought flowers and a box of chocolates for Kathleen Manafort so that she would not be shaken.
Coming in with weapons and not knocking should be reserved only for minority neighborhoods. Such tactics are not for warranted for Russian traitors chairing the campaign of a neo-nazi and white christian supremacist sympathizer.
The Manaforts deserve a large suitcase of money and a public apology for the inconvenience.
Cavity searches for the Manaforts! (Who knows what they could be hiding up there?)
This is great news for John McCain!
Waaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!1!!!11111!!! BUT BUT BUT…LEAKS!!!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! There isn’t enough vacuum in the universe for the GOP/Teatrolls to suck everything they have coming to them. Nonetheless, I strongly encourage everyone to tell at least one GOPer/Teatroll per day to suck it.
Oh, I dunno about “highly unusual.” I always preface that I’m don’t practice criminal law, but it seems to me this is precisely how state and federal law enforcement do and SHOULD behave when they are particularly concerned about the imminent destruction of evidence should the party being investigated get wind of whatever leads the investigation has latched onto. It certainly isn’t first-choice type stuff, but “highly unusual” suggests something is amiss or not according to procedure, which could have dangerous implications in terms of due process. Here, I think this is something that has a procedure, particularly since “quick, he’s going to destroy evidence!!!” is a foreseeable circumstance, and it’s just rarer that it’s invoked.
The Trumpian fucknuts and his state media propagandists want to deluge the public with complaints of leaks, etc. (which I suspect is a preface to complaints that everyone under the sun had their due process rights violated), but given the positioning of all the players, if I were Mueller, I’d be deeply deeply concerned that leaks might flow to those being investigated, no matter how much I trusted the team I put together. Anyone can be bought with a credible death threat. Anyone.
Rough stuff, and seems to be weirdly unrelated to the 2016 campaign. Assuming Manafort has been engaged in tax evasion that was missed despite him being under FBI investigation, seems like another instance where Comey totally dropped the ball. So glad that guy is gone. Suspect Macmillan is starting to feel like they’ve massively overpaid for his memoir.
When you’re raiding the house of an FSB/KGB NOC, you leave nothing to chance.
The FBI appears to have been interested in his dealings with shady Russian/Ukrainian politicians and businessmen and whether or not he was being recruited as an intelligence asset or involved in black market/money laundering shenanigans. They wouldn’t necessarily have been poking around in his tax returns – that’s the IRS’s job. But it sounds like Mueller started connecting the dots and he’s going down for tax evasion or other financial crimes.
“…they must’ve had strong evidence that he was going to destroy documents,…”
Manafort won’t flip, so I hope they nailed his ass. Wonder if we’ll ever get to see Mueller’s flowchart?
His choices seem to be the following: catch the Polonium Flu now for flipping (or to prevent it) OR catch the Polonium Flu later while in prison. Suffice it to say, I would NOT want to be him at this point haha
I remain puzzled over the hullabaloo and intense scrutiny given Manafort FBI Raid. This appears to be standard practice for all targets of their investigations. is the Big difference how he and his wife were treated. because they are rich and white? do these sorts of crimes among this class go without usual charges? I am puzzled. one big question would be how many times in how many states to how many people does this action occur? its almost funny
federal prosecutors told TPM that the use of a “no-knock” raid was notable.
Even David Chase knew that.
Come soon to a Trump tower near you.
Surprised Trump has tweeted about pardoning Manafort and Sessions.
Perhaps, but seems pretty weak given the obvious financial motive to his dealings in Ukraine etc. This guy is a lobbyist. If Comey hadn’t been looking, he should have been.
Also, Mueller may be playing multi-dimensional chess. He’s clearly found something quite deeply concerning, and Manafort’s finances are key to one thread.
I would suspect that the stuff that is going to tie much closer into the OOJ and/or collusion and/or Donnie Two Scoops are things which are being kept incredibly quiet in order to not to give away the direction or extent of various parts of the investigation.
I don’t believe the fact that stuff isn’t dribbling out now means there isn’t stuff there, but rather that Mueller has an exceedingly disciplined team and they are all holding schtum (no leaks!) about the various threads that are being followed.
It’s the woven tapestry that will tell the tale. And it will be very, very tightly woven before we are shown the picture.