The thing I noticed is that Mueller has to be fully satisfied with his conduct, or else everything comes down like a ton of bricks. manafort might want to look at the statements he has his lawyer making, and might also consider not arranging the publication of op-eds that undermine the investigation.
I’d say this buttons up the suit nicely …
And it’s an expensive one too … so Manny should be happy ----
I’ve read the plea agreement and it looks like a grand slam for Mueller: Manafort must cooperate without limitation, Manafort forfeits real estate and financial assets in the range of 20-40 million, and Manafort faces up to 10 years of jail time.
Can anyone clarify the amount of jail time? The plea is to two counts, each of which carries a maximum of 5 years (per text on page 2). Later on in section 4.D. Sentencing Guidelines Analysis, it says the range is 210 to 262 months (bottom of page 4). So is the 210-262 months an indication of what it could have been? Elsewhere the agreement states that the sentencing Court is not bound by this agreement and may impose a different term.
A final question, assuming Manafort is sentenced to two 5 year terms, can they run concurrently?
Ok, so here is Mueller’s new primary source of information on Cyprus banking and Russian oligarch cash flows. I’m guessing we’re gonna hear a whole lot more about money laundering soon.
I suspect Manafort’s deal is delaying tactic. he knows if he’s quiet he gets a pardon within two years. His role now is to stymie and tie up Mueller’s investigators.
I think it can depend on how cooperative Paulie has been with Mueller and the grand jury. Ten years sounds about right to me.
[quote=“established_1781, post:6, topic:77406”]
he knows if he’s quiet he gets a pardon within two years
[/quote] Yesterday I was saying something similar. I was wrong. The forfeiture of property will survive any pardon (see section 12.k). Manafort may have already testified in front of a grand jury sufficiently to make any pardon a slam dunk obstruction of justice, and if not he will do so very soon. Trump gains nothing from pardoning Manafort now and possibly would add to his own liability by doing so.
Trump cannot pardon state crimes, only federal crimes. I believe the second trial was for state crimes.
How is Paul Manafort going to do “undercover activities”?
The upcoming DC trial was still for federal crimes.
I still can’t believe its been so many hours and President Crazypants still hasn’t tweeted anything yet about this. Someone must have grabbed his phone. Either that or someone’s found some new way of diverting his attention…and frankly, I can’t believe he’s following wall-to-wall coverage of the hurricane either. Plus, there’s no way he will read that plea agreement so any understanding of it will have to come from his flunky attorneys. Wonder how forthcoming they’ll be or if they want just one weekend where they don’t have to defend the indefensible for that moron.
…and a $200 “clerk fee”.
That’s just petty.
Methinks Manafort set up an arrangement with the Feds to put his family into witness protection as part of the deal too.
I just found this:
Jed Shugerman, law professor, Fordham University
It’s important that Mueller has continued to make sure that a presidential pardon won’t save Manafort. Manafort is pleading guilty to only two charges — conspiracy and witness tampering — but he is conceding to the other facts in the “criminal information,” which establish money laundering and mention the money laundering statute. So Manafort would still face slam-dunk state charges for money laundering, bank fraud, state tax fraud, and other crimes if he were to receive a presidential pardon (which affects only federal crimes).
I suspect the same…and having the option to revoke said protection would give the prosecution a big stick to wield regardless of a presidential pardon.
There is a $100 per offense of conviction special assessment in Federal Court. I assume that is what you are referring to. Payable to the District Court clerk.
Plus, if he gets a pardon he can’t plead the Fifth when called before the court on any matter involving this case or these charges and his involvement in them from my understanding. So what good would a pardon do for tRump personally now that the cat is already out of the bag. Its all on the record, provided by Mueller and agreed to by Manafort. I’m sure Manafort also had to make some kind of example of what he could offer Mueller’s team to get to this point in the cooperation agreement as well. I hope its something juicy. Since tRump has always been a micro-manager…I think its more than likely whatever Manafort offers Mueller will have to implicate tRump or there wouldn’t have been a deal in the first place.
As it has been pointed out elsewhere, if he were pardoned, this plea agreement would still compel him to testify in front of a grand jury. This is what Alan Dershowitz in fact just said.
Trump’s only course now is to try to stop the entire investigation by firing Sessions and trying to replace him with someone who has agreed to fire Mueller and declare an end to the investigation. Of course, all hell would break loose and it is quite possible that Republicans in the Senate would finally balk at cooperating with Trump.
I think we’re entering an endgame of some kind. I just don’t know how it is going to play out.
I wonder what enticement anyone could have to take that job. What could be so attractive that they will ruin their legal reputation to pacify Trump?
And isn’t it still Rosenstein who has to fire Mueller since Sessions is recused?