Paul Manafort asks judge to dismiss criminal charges against him

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

Source: CNN

Paul Manafort has asked a federal judge in DC to dismiss the five criminal charges against him, arguing that special counsel Robert Mueller had no right to indict him for work done before he joined the Trump campaign as chairman in 2016.

"Those issues simply have no connection to the alleged coordination with the Russian government or the 2016 presidential election," Manafort's lawyer wrote in a motion to dismiss the case filed Wednesday. Though Manafort's team acknowledged that the Justice Department had told Mueller to prosecute any criminal action he discovers while investigating possible Russian collusion, "It is a blank check the special counsel has cashed, repeatedly," Manafort's filing said.

Manafort then asked the court on Wednesday to throw out a conspiracy money laundering charge he faces, as well as the government's request for him to forfeit assets and property. He argues that even if he failed to register to lobby in the US for foreign governments, he didn't make his consulting income illegally. Foreign lobbying registration violations compose most of his DC criminal indictment -- though allegations that he laundered money through foreign bank accounts to avoid paying taxes are part of a separate case he faces from Mueller in Virginia.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/14/politics/paul-manafort-motion-to-dismiss/index.html

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In other news: People in Hell want cold water.

[sprinkleeninow]

1. I'm hittin' the hay as soon as, but this. 😆

Need to check and see if I'm still on planet Earth.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Doesn't he face a possible 340+ years in prison?

It doesn't sound like he is going to flip anytime soon. Who is paying for his attorneys? He is broker than broke.

[BigmanPigman]

3. Yep, you're right.

I just googled his name and they have a photo...same guy. I wonder what he was writing on that paper and passing it to someone so quickly...I hope he isn't ordering a hit on Haley.

[FSogol]

13. You are confusing him with Gates. Gates is broke and cannot pay his attorneys.

Manafort is close to being a billionaire with assets all around the world.

[BigmanPigman]

18. I thought he worked for the moron's campaign for free since

he couldn't get his foreign money due to deals he made and sanctions.

[FSogol]

19. He did work for free. n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

4. So let me get this straight

If a cop is sent to patrol a little strip mall due to a report of someone breaking into a car and they see me smash the window of a store and start taking items out of it, they are supposed to ignore my illegal activity because they were not explicitly told to look for someone breaking into a store.

[Cosmocat]

5. Yeah

That is the quote logic unquote here.

[Igel]

15. Sounds like plain-view doctrine to me.

But the objection will be tossed.

The information used to indict Manafort wasn't in plain view nor the subject of what amounts to a search warrant. However, the documents and information could easily be interpreted as falling under the scope of Mueller's investigation and once uncovered Mueller's under no obligation to see just the kinds of crimes or intelligence breaches he's charged with looking for.

Rather like if a cop investigates a domestic assault and in passing the neighbor suggests that the husband may have guns locked in a shed in his back yard. Cop gets a warrant, just to be on the safe side. But in the shed there aren't any guns, but the cop does find drugs in an open box.

[haele]

21. Guess he thought it would be worth a shot.

Wouldn't cost him anything but pride if the judge didn't agree with him.

Haele

[citizen blues]

6. Sounds like Manaforte has cut a deal with Trump

The charges he’s asking to be dismissed would be easy for Trump to pardon without putting Trump in jeopardy. Note that loss of assets is one that’s being asked to be dismissed. That way, even if Manaforte goes to prison, his family would still have the money and, in Manaforte’s eyes, would still be taken care of. It would only be by pardoning something that has to do with the campaign that would be a threat to Trump because then Manaforte could be compelled to testify against Trump.

Furthermore, Trump would love to do any type of pardon that he could convince himself would undermine Mueller. By issuing Manaforte a pardon, he could claim that the Mueller team had over-reached and gone outside the bounds of what they’re supposed to be investigating. That would also lay legal groundwork for Trump crying foul on some of the charges brought against him.

I might be way off base, but Manaforte has got to be getting something big enough to offset a prison sentence that’s keeping him from flipping.

[machoneman]

7. Ah, but consider...

...even if Trumpyboy pardons him of Federal charges, I've read that NYS can bring charges their own charges as some of his money transfers, IIRC, did occur with NYC based banks. If they do and a jury finds him guilty under New York's laws, Trumpenstein can't do a damned thing.

[Nitram]

8. Good luck with that, dude!

[PatSeg]

9. Thanks, first laugh of the day!

"Your honor, I committed that murder BEFORE I joined the Trump campaign. He has no right to indict me for that crime."

[lark]

10. Waah, I'm part of the oligarchs and laws don't apply to me.

Just ask Putin and drumpf, they'll tell you.

[Maeve]

11. "Hey, I got away with that stuff for years! You can't get me now!"

"And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids"

[Scruffy1]

12. Lawyering 101.

If your clent is innocent you argue the facts, if guilty, the law. Looks like to me they are stalling for time to make a deal with the feds.

[FSogol]

14. They are stalling for time, hoping for a Trump pardon. n/t

[Igel]

17. Could be.

But asking for the charges to be dismissed would be a faster, easier, cheaper way of doing it. And much less invasive and intrusive.

If you were arrested because of a search warrant that was improperly executed would you then want to rely just on the facts to get you sprung? Esp. if a lot of what you're alleged to have done is overseas and years ago?

I'd go the quick and easy route; the arduous way via trial and a not-guilty is still there if that one fails.

[Gothmog]

16. This is not going to happen

[orangecrush]

20. .....

[D23MIURG23]

22. What the fuck kind of answer does he expect from this?

"Well I was going to charge you with a crime, but if you promise to be a good boy next time..."

Fuck off Manafort. If Mueller had access to the information then he and his grand juries have the right to charge you with a crime.