MSNBC: Gates to plead guilty to 2 counts at 2 ET today.

[pnwmom]

Last edited Fri Feb 23, 2018, 02:16 PM - Edit history (2)

Lying to Federal agents

General conspiracy charge.

Both charges are felonies. Maximum sentence 5 years per count. If he agrees to cooperate, could have much less time than that.

To put this into context, when Mueller wanted to get mobster John Gotti, he made a plea deal with a 5 year total sentence for a cooperating witness who had murdered 19 people.

So don't worry that Gates appears to be getting off lightly. Mueller must think his cooperation will be very useful.

ON UPDATE: Someone is saying that the lying count appears to be that he lied while making his proffer a couple weeks ago. No wonder the plea deal seemed to fall apart.

And from USA Today:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/23/former-trump-aide-rick-gates-poised-plead-guilty-mueller-probe/358863002/

WASHINGTON — Rick Gates, a former aide to President Trump's campaign and a central figure in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, was poised to plead guilty to two felonies on Friday, according to court records and a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly.

Prosecutors working for special counsel Robert Mueller filed fresh charges against Gates early Friday afternoon accusing him of conspiracy to defraud the United States and making a false statement to the FBI during an interview this month.

The form of those charges, in what's called a criminal information, typically signifies a plea deal with prosecutors. A plea agreement hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon.


AND FROM DREAD PIRATE ROBERTS, the information document:

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4386213/2-23-18-Gates-Information.pdf


And having skimmed through the document, I noticed that a Member of Congress might have been involved in the meeting that Gates lied about. More about that here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210279535

[OnDoutside]

1. Excellent.

If Manafort had any sense, he'd either do a deal or go the revolver & glass of whiskey route, because he'll die in jail.

[emulatorloo]

9. Lets hope he does the deal

Surely Trump is not worth going to prison over or dying for. He has a family he needs to protect too. He doesn’t strike me as a “true believer.” Just a greedy mercenary and crook.

[OnDoutside]

11. It's hard to see what's in it for him now, with Gates knowing so much. I get

what was said about Putin getting him but I don't think that's a runner.

[emulatorloo]

13. If I thought Putin was coming after me I would want to be in the witness protection program ASAP

I wouldn’t be fucking around thinking I was smarter than Mueller and thinking I could still worm my way out of this somehow.

[OnDoutside]

22. I'm with you all the way there !!!

[Botany]

2. From 20 or so charges down to 2?

Gates has to be singing big time.

[pnwmom]

3. Yup! n/t

[Iliyah]

4. I read where Gates was concerned about his children, family's

reputation, dignity and protection in all this and that is why he plead guilty.

If he is flipping as well, I hope to GOD that his children and family have some type of security.

[pnwmom]

5. Yeah and also because he is guilty as hell and can't figure out a good defense. n/t

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. I doubt he gives a shit who gets convicted or who snitches over here.

Putin got what he wanted. What does he have to worry about? that somebody’s gonna take his $80 billion away? Or He loses an election?

[asiliveandbreathe]

6. yes - yes - yes - yes - yes, and yes to your OP...just now - banner at CNN -

trump holding press conference at 2ET..and this Gates pleading guilty to 2 counts at 2ET - well, we will have a full Friday afternoon, after all...

[Takket]

7. Just one question to ask Manafort now...

Do you want to help Mueller bring down drumpf, or do you want to die in prison?

[magicarpet]

16. Ask Manafort...

... do you ever want to see the children of your two daughters ? Or do you want these grandchildren to meet just their grandmother while grand pappy never sees them, and dies in jail.

[Takket]

17. And do you want your grandchildren to grow up

Knowing grandad is a traitor?

[magicarpet]

23. Too late in the game for Manafort to avoid the being tagged a traitor

That bird has flown from the cage.

[emulatorloo]

8. Thanks for the update. You speculated he lied while making his proffer the other day

Well done!

[pnwmom]

10. Thanks. I remember hoping that. I had read that that was one of the dangers of doing a proffer --

that if you lie the deal is off.

So maybe he'd only have had one count of 5 years if he hadn't blown it during the proffer. Now he knows he has to tread very, very carefully.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

12. Here's a link to the information he will be pleading to

Two counts-Conspiracy against the United States and Lying to the Special Prosecutor. https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4386213/2-23-18-Gates-Information.pdf . That's giving up an awful lot which means that Gates must be giving up an awful lot.

[pnwmom]

14. Thank you! I had been looking for that!

[lark]

15. Not surprising that congresscritters are now implicated.

Just hope it's Ryan or McConnell, but Nunes would be sweet to catch as well.

[duforsure]

19. Gates won't be the last one to turn.

Too many hate trump and his kids.

[FakeNoose]

20. About the second charge of lying

ON UPDATE: Someone is saying that the lying count appears to be that he lied while making his proffer a couple weeks ago. No wonder the plea deal seemed to fall apart.

This could explain why Gates abruptly fired his attorneys a couple weeks ago. At the time they put out a press release saying they didn't agree with his direction (or something to that affect.) But now Gates has all new lawyers and a plea-deal, so I guess he did the right thing.

It sure looks like Manafort is WAY more guilty than Gates, but hopefully Gates can tell us where the evidence is buried.

[Hekate]

21. Pass the popcorn, willya?