What Is Paul Manafort's Motive For Volunteering To Testify In Front Of The House....

[global1]

Intelligence Committee? Something sounds fishy to me about this. Why would he do this if he is wrapped up in this Trump/Russia thingy? Is he going to lie his butt off or is he going to sing like a canary? What's up?

[uponit7771]

1. Right now he doesn't know there's OBJECTIVE proof that there was or wasn't agreements to do anything

... so he thinks he's safe which he could be.

Its usually the cover up which most likely there's a gang of evidence of that

[kentuck]

4. Or he knew that Nunes was going to shut down the Committee with his actions??

And he knew there would be no Committee to go before? Then, it would be easy to say that you are willing to testify? Knowing there is no one to testify to?

[uponit7771]

24. This is true too, didn't think about the angle of the dems walking out and not wanting to be a part

... of the committee..

Kremlin KKKlan is wrong on that end too

[Historic NY]

2. A deal!!

[librechik]

25. yup!

good god, he's done. So what does a guy with no morals and no borders and no friends do??? Try to stay out of Putin's reach!

[Sculpin Beauregard]

28. Bingo!!

[kentuck]

3. They should question Mr Manafort along with Carter Page.

At the same time.

One of them would be trying to deceive much more professionally than the other.

[jmg257]

6. Carter PAGE.

[kentuck]

14. Thanks!

[jmg257]

22. Anytime! :)

[Chasstev365]

5. Only two possibilities

A. Sing like a bird to save his sorry ass.

B. Be the fall guy for Benedict Donald

Either way, he should watch his back or he may have a Russian "Accident."

[calimary]

41. Joan Walsh tweeted about speculation that Michael Flynn may have already cut a deal to squeal.

Joan Walsh?Verified account @joanwalsh 5h5 hours ago
More
Joan Walsh Retweeted Juliette Kayyem
Holy...Joan Walsh added,

3:33
Juliette KayyemVerified account @juliettekayyem
From my sources and what has been openly reported, it increasingly looks like #Flynn may have a deal with the FBI. #trumprussia
58 replies 210 retweets 444 likes

Heard speculation today that the "big three" (Paul Manafort, Carter Page, and Roger Stone) who are all scheduled to testify. The talk was about how there's a fourth person in that little group who's quite noticeably quiet right now: Michael Flynn. That was interpreted as being kind of odd. And presumably, why all's so quiet around him could be because he's already made his deal, whereas the other three may still be busy trying to make their own deals.

SOMEONE'S gonna sing to save his ass. Sure feels like that's where the bread crumbs are leading, at this point.

Just gets murkier and murkier.

[L. Coyote]

7. Appearances and PR. He knows he will be subpoened anyway.

His professional work is making really bad guys look good, and he's doing for himself now.

[JTFrog]

19. Yep. Tweety said the same thing last night. nt

[calimary]

8. Found some interesting food for thought here:

A FORMER NSA ANALYST SAYS THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATIONS COULD END DONALD TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/episode-330-london-attacks-trump-and-russia-autism-on-sesame-street-kids-climate-change-lawsuit-and-more-1.4035186/a-former-nsa-analyst-says-the-russia-investigations-could-end-donald-trump-s-presidency-1.4035193

snip

John Schindler says he understands why Trump's team wants to ice his long-time colleague.

"If I was Trump, I'd want to distance myself as far away as possible from Paul Manafort," Schindler told me on Day 6.

Schindler is a former analyst at the National Security Agency and a former professor at the Naval War College. He regularly shares chatter he hears from the intelligence community on social media, and writes regularly for The Observer.

snip

Schindler thinks Manafort may be looking for protection. We spoke moments after Devin Nunes, the House intelligence chairman unexpectedly announced Manafort has volunteered to testify before the committee.
"Paul Manafort is afraid of getting some polonium tea," Schindler says, referring to the poisoning of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko by Russian agents.
"It's been a bad week for Paul Manafort," Schindler says. "He wants to do a deal, which is probably wise."

snip

"Trump, by inclination, doubles down, triples down, quintuples down at every opportunity. "
"If, however, not just people around him, but the president himself is facing possible indictment down the road, that could be a game changer. He could be removed from office for that, whether he wants to be or not."
"But Paul Manafort wanting to testify indicates he knows that he's facing some very serious federal charges and wants to clear the air. It tells me that Trump's whole defense is one member of his inner circle away from turning state's evidence and spilling some beans and it starts to be all over."
"We're not there yet," Schindler says. "But I think that day's coming."


I visit Schindler's Twitter page frequently. Most interesting reading there.
https://twitter.com/20committee

[jmg257]

12. Any notion of what those federal charges might be?

[calimary]

15. Not being a lawyer I'm not sure I could make a realistic guess.

But visions of collaborating-with-the-enemy type charges do come to mind. Espionage? Obstruction of justice? Treason? Tax evasion? Al Capone sure skated freely on all kinds of sins until the feds finally nailed him on that last one.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

18. Money laundering, tax evasion to begin with;

covering up those financial crimes leads to the others. The reason he won't produce his tax returns probably has more to do with what isn't in them than what is.

[calimary]

40. I saw somebody among the chattering class talking about how it might not be any of the usual

spy-type or treason-type stuff we'd all assume it might, but rather, RICO. Racketeering. To start.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racketeer_Influenced_and_Corrupt_Organizations_Act

I don't care if it starts with a candy store burglary. As long as it starts, and grows legs. LOTS of legs.

[LiberalFighter]

35. Rico, failure to register as a foreign agent (lobbying)

[L. Coyote]

13. They have the evidence from the surveillance or we would not know about the investigation yet.

I'm betting they don't need anyone to squeal at this point.

Manafort, the consumate PR guy, wants to control the narrative, to get out in front of all this to the extent possible.

Keep this in mind, at this point only one side knows what is in the evidence locker.

[librechik]

26. polonium tea is a great motivator to cooperate w subpoena

[2naSalit]

31. also affords him personal protection at our expense...nt

[ksoze]

9. I have heard it would not be under oath

On one the shows last night. I think it is a coordinated bluff and also points out the one guy missing - Flynn. Some suspect he has already sung to the FBI and has a deal - hence his absence lately.

[LaydeeBug]

10. to obfuscate and draw attention away from 45. nt

[50 Shades Of Blue]

27. +1

[jmg257]

11. Likely he feels anything he did won't be proven to amount to collusion.

Sure he is a slimeball king-maker, but that in itself isn't a crime.

[Gman]

16. Nunes tipped them all off

He thinks he knows what to say now.

[n2doc]

17. FUD

He is going to tell them lies they want to believe.

[ecstatic]

20. Maybe they're blackmailing trump? If one or both pull out before the hearing

then they've been paid off... Nunes is also afraid of what they'll say. He's compromised too, IMO.

[tblue37]

21. Maybe he is trying to pull an Ollie North. nt

[CK_John]

23. Immunity and he spills the beans or he takes the 5th.

[deepcover]

29. Something smells fishy alright

It was just reported this morning on AMJOY this morning that Devin Nunes is a co-owner in a winery with a Russian businessman who is reported very, very, very close to Putin. This committee has to either remove Nunes as chairman or shut down and a Grand Jury called. How did this republican who is a farmer from central CA with no intel experience become chairman of this important committee. If he is this close to Putin with his wallet there is no way he should be chairman let alone a congressman.

[Blanks]

30. My theory is that they're gonna build a case against Flynn...

Blame everything on him. Make it look like the only contact with the Russians was Flynn, he'd gone rogue.

My prediction is that it'll go over about as well as 'repeal and replace', Gorsuch and the 'Muslim ban'.

[malaise]

32. Reduction of prison

sentence?

[gopiscrap]

33. Immunity

[MoonRiver]

34. Yep

[asiliveandbreathe]

36. So, with manafort, an American lobbyist, any monies paid to him

by anyone would need to be declared on his taxes? - the Ukraine lobbying monies for example..etc etc...just a thought? - subpoena the tax returns..along with the others Flynn, page, ....

[MurrayDelph]

37. The first ones to roll over

get the most-lenient sentences?

[4139]

38. So there wouldn't be: 'was subpoenaed to be forced to testify' in every news story

... instead 'volunteered to
Testify is what's in the news.

[duncang]

39. Remember he can take the fifth at any time.

So he can talk when he thinks he has a point to make or shut up when he doesn't want to answer. You know he will have his lawyer sitting next to him. Since nunes is placing the testimony behind closed doors dipshits stooges can come out afterward and say there's nothing to see.