Trump lawyer (Giuliani) : Manafort said nothing damaging in Mueller interviews

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

POLITICS OCTOBER 22, 2018 / 5:24 PM / UPDATED 30 MINUTES AGO

Trump lawyer: Manafort said nothing damaging in Mueller interviews

Karen Freifeld, Nathan Layne
4 MIN READ

(Reuters) - Under an unusual arrangement, Paul Manafort’s attorney has kept Donald Trump informed about the former campaign chairman’s meetings with prosecutors investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and, according to Trump’s lawyer, Manafort has not said anything damaging about the president.

Rudy Giuliani, who represents Trump in the Russia probe, told Reuters that he had spoken with Manafort’s lawyer, Kevin Downing, as recently as last week. Manafort pleaded guilty on Sept. 14 to violating foreign lobbying laws and trying to obstruct justice. He was convicted at trial in another case in August.

Giuliani said the conversations were occurring under a so-called joint defense agreement, which allows lawyers who represent different clients to exchange information without violating attorney-client privilege.

Legal experts said it was unusual for such an agreement to remain in effect after a person pleads guilty and agrees to cooperate with prosecutors as Manafort has done.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-giuliani/trump-lawyer-manafort-said-nothing-damaging-in-mueller-interviews-idUSKCN1MW2U8

[htuttle]

1. Everything in this 'article' comes from Guilani

Bogus.

Tripe.

[rurallib]

2. If you can't trust what Gi911ani says

who can you trust?

[Arkansas Granny]

5. Don't forget, truth isn't truth.

[rurallib]

12. This is true

or maybe not

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Trump's washed-up TV lawyer says what?

LOL! Mueller was just having pleasant chats with Manafort about nothing in particular for hours and hours?

[Laura PourMeADrink]

6. Well, he just won't get a pretty sentence then, will he. LOL Although, if he REALLY

isn't spilling Trump dirt, then the pardon promise fix is in??

[Hoyt]

4. Don't trust Ghoul, but Manafort or Cohen "cooperating" does not mean they have anything that

will prompt indictment, impeachment or removal of trump. The longer this goes, the less I feel that Mueller or anyone else, up the line, will take meaningful action against trump or even his family or closest aides.

[Azathoth]

7. This

We're 18 months into this investigation, and that's not counting the previous FBI investigation that was ongoing since late 2016. I'm starting to think that if Mueller had the goods and was preparing to move on anyone really big, we'd have heard rumors by now.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

9. In my mind - if there was something very big - he would owe it to the nation

to not let the particular criminal stay in the WH. On the other hand, don't perhaps it is just so complex it is taking a long time. He knows he will have to have iron clad proof to put, say, the president's son in jail. I don't know - it's a true mystery. Trump seems too happy, which scares me - especially with his "in" to inside info.

[Azathoth]

10. I think we all tend to forget that Mueller is still a Republican

And not just any Republican, he was Dubya's FBI director for God's sake. I don't think he wants to prosecute a Republican administration. The end of Woodward's book, where Dowd was recounting his side of his interactions with Mueller, didn't give me a lot of faith. Sure, it was self-serving spin on Dowd's part, but the overall impression I got was that these were two veteran GOP lawyers commiserating over a Republican president who was so criminal and mentally disabled that it was impssible to look the other way.

I think Mueller just wants to focus on the Russians and dump everything he's learned about Trump and his criminal family in Congress's lap. I had been hoping that he'd uncover evidence that was so compelling he'd have no choice but to prosecute, but as each month passes that's becoming increasingly unlikely. Mueller and his team are pros but they're also Washington insiders working in Washington. If they had bombshell evidence and were working towards an indictment of Don Jr. or Jared, I think the Washington grapevine would have gotten wind of it by now. Every "big" break -- Flynn, Papadopoulos, Cohen, Manafort -- seems to have fizzled.

I suspect after the election Mueller will submit a couple reports to Congress which won't reveal a whole lot more than we already know. He'll then wash his hands of Trump and his administration and focus exclusively on the Russians and some of their deomestic enablers like Roger Stone. I hope to God I'm wrong.

[pnwmom]

15. Don't forget, Mueller is the former FBI head who set up a special Threat Focus Group

targeting the Russian mobster Semion Mogovilech in 2010, and listed him as one of the 10 most wanted worldwide.

Trump has a whole web of ties to S.M.

You really think Mueller's just going to give him a pass because he's an R? I don't.

I think it's taking a while (though a year and a half is NOTHING, as far as Presidential investigations go) is because the investigation is so complicated and spread all over the world.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211304065

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing other post

[Laura PourMeADrink]

8. Maybe, I would just love to know exactly how they are working. I wish they

had a film crew/documentarian with them. To me, it would be the most fascinating film ever.

[htuttle]

11. "When you come at the king, you best not miss" -- Omar from The Wire

The saying goes back as least as far as Emerson. If you intend to take down the top dog, you better be 100% sure you can take him out, else you'll be fucked by the repercussions.

How does one actually get a traitorous president out of power when he has Congress on his side? Not sure that's actually possible, given what we've seen from the Republicans so far.

So maybe, Mueller feels that he has no choice but to wait for a change in Congress. After all, no matter how good his case(s) are, if there isn't any 'honest arbiter' to take them to, it might be better for him to wait until it will be effective.

[Hoyt]

14. I hear you, and hope you are right. But, the reason for that is the king often prevails. Fitzmas

cured me of faith in this process.

[pnwmom]

21. We have to at least get the House, so they can run committees and issue subpoenas

and show the government what's been going on.

[spanone]

13. in your dreams rudy

[Demsrule86]

16. Only one problem...the plea agreement clearly states Manafort will give information without his

lawyers.

[pnwmom]

22. Hah! Forgot about that! PLEASE make an OP about that or I might have to!

[VOX]

17. If Rudy said it, it MUST be true!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

[Takket]

18. this is a guy who LITERALLY said facts are not facts

[Vinca]

19. If Rudy said it was raining, I'd stick my head out a window to be sure.

[lindysalsagal]

20. Just because mani didn't place 45 in a meeting with a russian

With money and files exchanged, doesn't mean mani didn't corroborate other details Mueller can use. ManI doesn't know all that Mueller knows.

This is an attempt by mani to calm 45 and putin down.

[sunonmars]

24. Just like dickhead, if Guliani said it, think the opposite.....