Judge Mulls Dismissal Of Manafort Charges, "Sharply Questioned" Mueller Overreach

POSTED BY: SIGNYM
UPDATED: Wednesday, May 17, 2023 15:01
VIEWED: 5182
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SIGNYM

Saturday, May 5, 2018 5:28 PM

Quote:
....it's looking increasingly likely that Manafort could escape his charges - and be free of his ankle bracelets - because in a surprising rebuke of Mueller's "overreach", Eastern District of Virginia Judge T.S. Ellis, a Reagan appointee, said Mueller shouldn't have "unfettered power" to prosecute over charges that have nothing to do with collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

Ellis said he's concerned Mueller is only pursuing charges against Manafort (and presumably other individuals) to pressure them into turning on Trump. The Judge added that the charges brought against Manafort didn't appear to stem from Mueller's collusion probe. Instead, they appeared to be the work of an older investigation into Manafort that was eventually dropped.

"I don’t see how this indictment has anything to do with anything the special prosecutor is authorized to investigate," Ellis said at a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, concerning a motion by Manafort to dismiss the case.

It got better: Ellis also slammed prosecutors saying it appeared they were using the indictment of Manafort to pressure him to cooperate against Trump. Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty and disputes Mueller’s assertion that he violated U.S. laws when he worked for a decade as a political consultant for pro-Russian groups in Ukraine.

"You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort’s bank fraud," Ellis said. "You really care about what information he might give you about Mr. Trump and what might lead to his impeachment or prosecution."

According to Bloomberg, Ellis is overseeing one of two indictments against Manafort. Manafort is also charged in Washington with money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent of Ukraine.

* * *

Manafort's lawyers had asked the judge in the Virginia case to dismiss an indictment filed against him in what was their third effort to beat back criminal charges by attacking Mueller’s authority. The judge also questioned why Manafort’s case there could not be handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia, rather than the special counsel’s office, as it is not Russia-related. A question many others have asked, as well.

Ellis has given prosecutors two weeks to show what evidence they have that Manafort was complicit in colluding with the Russians. If they can't come up with any, he may, presumably, dismiss the case. Ellis also asked the special counsel’s office to share privately with him a copy of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein’s August 2017 memo elaborating on the scope of Mueller’s Russia probe. He said the current version he has been heavily redacted.

MORE AT https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-04/judge-mulls-dismissal-manafo
rt-charges-concerned-mueller-overreach

ALSO AT https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/04/politics/paul-manafort-hearing/index.ht
ml
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/04/who-is-ts-ellis-look-at-jud
ge-in-manafort-mueller-case.html
AND MORE

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Saturday, May 5, 2018 10:34 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
....it's looking increasingly likely that Manafort could escape his charges - and be free of his ankle bracelets - because in a surprising rebuke of Mueller's "overreach", Eastern District of Virginia Judge T.S. Ellis, a Reagan appointee, said Mueller shouldn't have "unfettered power" to prosecute over charges that have nothing to do with collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

Ellis said he's concerned Mueller is only pursuing charges against Manafort (and presumably other individuals) to pressure them into turning on Trump. The Judge added that the charges brought against Manafort didn't appear to stem from Mueller's collusion probe. Instead, they appeared to be the work of an older investigation into Manafort that was eventually dropped.

"I don’t see how this indictment has anything to do with anything the special prosecutor is authorized to investigate," Ellis said at a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, concerning a motion by Manafort to dismiss the case.

It got better: Ellis also slammed prosecutors saying it appeared they were using the indictment of Manafort to pressure him to cooperate against Trump. Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty and disputes Mueller’s assertion that he violated U.S. laws when he worked for a decade as a political consultant for pro-Russian groups in Ukraine.

"You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort’s bank fraud," Ellis said. "You really care about what information he might give you about Mr. Trump and what might lead to his impeachment or prosecution."

According to Bloomberg, Ellis is overseeing one of two indictments against Manafort. Manafort is also charged in Washington with money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent of Ukraine.

* * *

Manafort's lawyers had asked the judge in the Virginia case to dismiss an indictment filed against him in what was their third effort to beat back criminal charges by attacking Mueller’s authority. The judge also questioned why Manafort’s case there could not be handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia, rather than the special counsel’s office, as it is not Russia-related. A question many others have asked, as well.

Ellis has given prosecutors two weeks to show what evidence they have that Manafort was complicit in colluding with the Russians. If they can't come up with any, he may, presumably, dismiss the case. Ellis also asked the special counsel’s office to share privately with him a copy of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein’s August 2017 memo elaborating on the scope of Mueller’s Russia probe. He said the current version he has been heavily redacted.
MORE AT https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-04/judge-mulls-dismissal-manafo
rt-charges-concerned-mueller-overreach

ALSO AT https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/04/politics/paul-manafort-hearing/index.ht
ml
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/04/who-is-ts-ellis-look-at-jud
ge-in-manafort-mueller-case.html
AND MORE

The redacted authorization Memo is also funny. The Muellair Team's Dreeben told the Judge they don't need to show the Judge a nonredacted copy, and the Judge said they do if they want to have a case.

WHOZIT

Sunday, May 6, 2018 12:46 AM

Poor Bob, historians are going to trash him. He should have just retired and moved to Delaware.

JEWELSTAITEFAN

Sunday, May 6, 2018 1:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by JEWELSTAITEFAN:
Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
Quote:
....it's looking increasingly likely that Manafort could escape his charges - and be free of his ankle bracelets - because in a surprising rebuke of Mueller's "overreach", Eastern District of Virginia Judge T.S. Ellis, a Reagan appointee, said Mueller shouldn't have "unfettered power" to prosecute over charges that have nothing to do with collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

Ellis said he's concerned Mueller is only pursuing charges against Manafort (and presumably other individuals) to pressure them into turning on Trump. The Judge added that the charges brought against Manafort didn't appear to stem from Mueller's collusion probe. Instead, they appeared to be the work of an older investigation into Manafort that was eventually dropped.

"I don’t see how this indictment has anything to do with anything the special prosecutor is authorized to investigate," Ellis said at a hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, concerning a motion by Manafort to dismiss the case.

It got better: Ellis also slammed prosecutors saying it appeared they were using the indictment of Manafort to pressure him to cooperate against Trump. Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty and disputes Mueller’s assertion that he violated U.S. laws when he worked for a decade as a political consultant for pro-Russian groups in Ukraine.

"You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort’s bank fraud," Ellis said. "You really care about what information he might give you about Mr. Trump and what might lead to his impeachment or prosecution."

According to Bloomberg, Ellis is overseeing one of two indictments against Manafort. Manafort is also charged in Washington with money laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent of Ukraine.

* * *

Manafort's lawyers had asked the judge in the Virginia case to dismiss an indictment filed against him in what was their third effort to beat back criminal charges by attacking Mueller’s authority. The judge also questioned why Manafort’s case there could not be handled by the U.S. attorney’s office in Virginia, rather than the special counsel’s office, as it is not Russia-related. A question many others have asked, as well.

Ellis has given prosecutors two weeks to show what evidence they have that Manafort was complicit in colluding with the Russians. If they can't come up with any, he may, presumably, dismiss the case. Ellis also asked the special counsel’s office to share privately with him a copy of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosentein’s August 2017 memo elaborating on the scope of Mueller’s Russia probe. He said the current version he has been heavily redacted.
MORE AT https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-04/judge-mulls-dismissal-manafo
rt-charges-concerned-mueller-overreach

ALSO AT https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/04/politics/paul-manafort-hearing/index.ht
ml
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/04/who-is-ts-ellis-look-at-jud
ge-in-manafort-mueller-case.html
AND MORE
The redacted authorization Memo is also funny. The Muellair Team's Dreeben told the Judge they don't need to show the Judge a nonredacted copy, and the Judge said they do if they want to have a case.

The redaction action:
https://www.courthousenews.com/judges-wants-to-see-unredacted-memos-di
recting-mueller-probe/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-manafort/us-judge-
says-mueller-should-not-have-unfettered-power-in-russia-probe-idUSKBN1I51WE

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/04/mueller-challenged-manafort-
case-568935

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/blogs/andrew-bolt/whats-that-got-to-do-wit
h-a-russia-probe/news-story/15fae0cdeb09fac2c2ce996952c61c70

https://www.compuserve.com/politics/story/0002/20180504/L1N1SB10G_1188
617907

Yep, Dreeben tells Judge he doesn't Need To Know, Judge says "I'll be the Judge"

JJ

Sunday, May 6, 2018 2:16 AM

The judges opinion is meaningless if the Mueller team can show this is related to the Russia investigation. It is and they can.

tick tock

JJ

SIGNYM

Sunday, May 6, 2018 2:57 AM

I have not had time to read all of this but ...

Quote:
FBI Chaos: Comey Caught In Lie Over Flynn Investigation; Anti-Trump "Lovebird" Lisa Page Quits

Quite a bit of FBI-related news broke late Friday;

A newly unredacted section of a House Intel Committee report reveals that former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe told Congressional investigators that the FBI had virtually no case against Mike Flynn

The same report reveals that James Comey contradicted himself during a recent interview with Bret Baier

Comey, McCabe and then-Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary McCord gave the committee "conflicting testimony"

Anti-Trump FBI "Lovebird" Lisa Page (with whom Peter Strzok was having an affaird) has flown the coop, tendering her resignation on Friday

One of Comey's closest confidants, former FBI top lawyer James A. Baker also resigned Friday

*****

A newly unredacted version of the House Intelligence Committee's final report on Russia was released on Friday, containing bombshell revelations stemming from the Congressional testimony of former FBI and DOJ officials Andrew McCabe and James Comey.

For starters, the redacted section of the report covers up the fact that former deputy director Andrew McCabe told Congressional investigators the FBI had virtually no case against former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn.

McCabe also says that former FBI Director James Comey spearheaded the "ambush" of Flynn at the White House - in which two FBI agents, one of whom was Peter Strzok dropped in unannounced to interrogate him.

McCabe told the committee that "The two people who interviewed [Flynn] didn't think he was lying[.]" as well as "[N]ot [a] great beginning of a false statement case."

“Deputy Director McCabe confirmed the interviewing agent’s initial impression and stated that the 'conundrum that we faced on their return from the interview is that although [the agents] didn’t detect deception in the statements that he made in the interview … the statements were inconsistent with our understanding of the conversation that he had actually had with the ambassador,'” the report states.

Next, we learn that Comey lied (or had a terrible lapse in memory) when he told Fox News host Bret Baier that he didn't tell Congressional investigators what McCabe told them; that the two FBI agents who interviewed former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn didn't think he was lying to them.

“Director Comey testified to the Committee that ‘the agents…discerned no physical indications of deception," reads the new report. "They didn’t see any change in posture, in tone, in inflection, in eye contact. They saw nothing that indicated to them that he knew he was lying to them.”

Here's what Comey told Fox's Baier last week:

Baier: Did you tell lawmakers that FBI agents didn't believe former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was lying intentionally to investigators?

Comey: No. And I saw that in the media. I don't know what - maybe someone misunderstood something I said. I didn't believe that, and didn't say that.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-05-05/fbi-chaos-comey-caught-lie-o
ver-flynn-investigation-anti-trump-lovebird-lisa-page

But the reason why I think that this whole RUSSIA!!! thing has gone sideways is because now they're focusing on Stormy Daniels. Still, I believe a lot of skeletons and evidence of collusion (against Trump) will come out. IG Horowitz' report will come out May 15, I believe.

Democrats were all wroth when a Special Prosecutor went haring and hounding after all kinds of bullshit with President Clinton, starting with Whitewater and ending with a stained blue dress. THEN, they could recognize that it was just a partisan witch hunt, a travesty of justice. NOW, when they're doing the same thing themselves, they can't see the error of their

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 6, 2018 6:37 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:

Folks, it's time you started focusing on IMPORTANT stuff, not made-up crap about RUSSIA!!! or trivial stuff about some hooker. Our total debt burden is sky-high, our manufacturing and middle class have been hollowed out, the rules of the game have separated out the world into a tiny elite of uber-wealthy and a near-universal group of powerless, the globe IS warming. We have a lot more to focus on than "monsters under the bed"!

Yup.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

1KIKI

Sunday, May 6, 2018 7:24 AM

But thinking is hard Signy! It's so much nicer in a cozy partisan nest, trolling people who aren't like you, focusing on 'enemies'.

So anyway ... anyone up for a rational, fact-based, and civil discussion about the topic?

6IXSTRINGJACK

Sunday, May 6, 2018 5:57 PM

I'm beginning to enjoy my powerlessness. Revel in it even. So little responsibility when you have no power. I'll let the ones with the money do the heavy lifting. Both in my own microcosm of a life and in the grander scheme of things.

I had no idea how much free time I have when I was drinking all the time. If you include sleeping, about 85% of my time is mine to do whatever I want to do. My life is pretty awesome.

Do Right, Be Right. :)

JJ

Sunday, May 6, 2018 11:46 PM

tick tock

JJ

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