Breaking : Manafort Defense Rests Without Offering A Defense
The defense has rested in the Paul Manafort tax evasion case, without even calling a single witness. All the defense lawyers did was request that the case be thrown out for lack of substance. The judge denied the request.
The prosecution called 20 witnesses to prove Manafort evaded US taxes by paying for luxury consumer goods from overseas bank accounts designed to hide his income from US tax liability.
Final arguments will conclude today.
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A former prosecutor said on tv this morning that the case against Manafort is one of the strongest he has ever seen.
Sounds to me like the prosecution has a pretty tight case if the defense doesn't have any thing
They had an overwhelming case against OJ too. You never know anymore. Just hope they have the right jury.
Which is why their not even bothering calling any witnesses or putting on any real defense. They're going for a mistrial because that's Manaforts only chance to squeak out of this. But even with a mistrial, the prosecutors will undoubtedly re-try him almost immediately with a sequestered jury.
Don't be too sure.
I'm sure you'd be saying the same thing if this was the head of the Obama campaign, right? You'd be out front defending President Obama if over a dozen of his campaign staff had already been indicted or plead guilty to lying about their numerous contacts with Russian money laundering oligarchs under control of Putin, right? You'd shout from the rooftops how Obama couldn't have had anything to do with any of the illegal acts of his associates and demand physical evidence of any connection to the President before believing he had anything to do with the corruption surrounding him, right?
How do you, or the "former prosecutor" know when there is no media allowed in the courtroom?
Sounds like things are being pulled from someone's nether lands.
Omigawd. Are you serious?? Cut this shit out ... are you kidding me??!? The jury was not even sequestered. That notwithstanding:
Cite .
Cite .
For gawd's sake ... no cameras are allowed in the courtroom, a courtroom artist is allowed in the courtroom, and several reporters are allowed in the courtroom. What the fuck??!?! Are you shittin' me??!? Did someone send you here to make such ridiculously absurd statements just for my enjoyment??
Some people's heads should be pulled out of their nether lands! If you're uninformed, inform yourself. The internet can be your friend. It keeps people from looking like total fuckin' idiots.
Whoever sent this guy here to make that statement, let me buy you dinner. I can't wait to share this person's statement with the people I'm having lunch with. What a huge laugh we'll get from this ...
But they've gotten so used to the environment in there they are reticent about extricating their cranium from Trumps posterior. Plus, they likely believe if they try and extract them now they'll come out with a mountain of feces on their heads. At the moment their heads are the only thing keeping it all from spilling out everywhere. They're like human butt plugs.
If it looks like shit, if it smells like shit, if it thinks like shit, it's shit.
Trump's been calling his base idiots from the outset ("I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and they'd still vote for me") and they're too deplorably stupid to get it. The inane rhetoric exhibited here from some of his lemmings only solidifies it. Unbelievable naivete (I think calling some people naive instead of ridiculously uninformed is so much nicer) on many people's parts is ... well ... entertaining. This is one time I can attest Trump was right and not lying. They don't care if he murders someone, nor do they care if he speaks in incestuous tones about his daughter. They'll still vote for him.
Interesting strategy.....I guess we'll have to wait and see if it works or not.
It's not a strategy, it's a concession. Manafort knows he is screwed.
And you know this from your extensive knowledge of the legal system? Or maybe, you are just guessing......?
If he had a case, why was it not presented?
Several times in the prison shower.
Oh yes he does.
Cite .
True, but that million he gets back will buy a lot of top ramen in the commissary.
He'll need that money to bribe his 'husbands' not to let all the others have a turn at him in the showers.
Maybe the prosecution gave his case when their star witness admitted to being a liar, embezzler and used alot of that money to finance a secret affair.
Sounds like a great witness for the defense.
You sure do have a strange infatuation with men in prison.
You mean the guy that was a partner with Manafort? If he was such a horrible person, why did Manafort spend so much time working with him? Weird!
Keep tryin', hon. The only infatuation involved will be the number of criminals that will be infatuated with telling Manafort he has "purdy lips."
Final arguments tomorrow morning now.
Tax evasion. All this talk of Russian collusion and all they can nail Manafort on is tax evasion.
yeah, better to let him go.
because manafort was going to flip on trump remember? another fail by the left.
once the complete fisa application is declassified by trump and all judicial proceedings resulting from same are declared fruit of a poisonous tree... manafort will be pardoned and liberal heads will explode.
perhaps manafort will even sue the doj and all complicit parties (sessions will settle out of court)
should be good fun to watch
Hardly. And this has nothing to do with Trump being taken down. Trump is certainly capable of doing that on his own. This is merely testament to instead of draining the swamp, infesting it with traitors, cheaters, liars and ineffectual bumpkins. Trump has surrounded himself with scammers and cheaters: Mnuchin. Pruitt. The list goes on.
Don't worry ... Trump will step on his own dick. All in due time ... all in due time. I am enjoying every minute of watching the idiot-in-chief hang his sorry, lying, incestuous and traitorous self.
You realize that in order to be pardoned, one must admit guilt. There's no way around that. If he's pardoned, Trump will be admitting he knew of his wrongdoing and condoned it. Our heads won't explode. Trust me on that.
Amen sister.
Ok.....since his weinie is so short.....is he going to lay down and smash it with a shoe?
You're right ... he's going to lay down in a gynecological chair, put his feet in the stirrups, while Huckabee and Guiliani heft his fat belly away from his groin so his minuscule penis makes an appearance and he'll swat it with a four foot shoe horn. Hell, if Trump didn't have money, he'd have no dick at all. His claims of money are what get him laid. However the loser-in-chief has claimed several bankruptcies:
#1) Trump Taj Mahal (1991):
#2 and #3) Trump’s Castle and Trump Plaza Casinos (1992)
#4) Trump Plaza Hotel (1992)
#5) Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts (2004)
#6) Trump Entertainment Resorts (2009)
Other business failures:
Trump Steaks
GoTrump (online travel site)
Trump Airlines
Trump Vodka
Trump Mortgage
Trump: The Game
Trump Magazine
Trump University
Trump Ice (bottled water)
The New Jersey Generals (pro football team)
Tour de Trump (bicycle race)
Trump Network (nutritional supplements)
Trumped! (syndicated radio spot)
Loser, loser, loser, loser, and more loser.
Manafort's won't. He fuckin' cheated the IRS. That will NEVER EVER be set aside. He's going to be somebody's wife in prison soon enough.
No sure this is the right place for you to expound on your sexual fantasies.......
Sadly, his latest business failure has made all of us the ones who really lose.
You are thinking of Flynn and Cohen and.......they did flip... LOL
Were you one of those folks that said back in November 2016 that he would never make it to inauguration day without being charged with crimes? Then after that, 'within 6 months', after that 'during the first year', after that......well, you get my point.....
Funny ... only you would think that as sexual. You fond of testicular inadequacies are you? Cute.
You're right. Trump is always comical.
That's a hell of a lot more than just 6 as some one claimed earlier
Nope, it will just fall off with his late stage leprosy and he'll accidently squish it with a golf cleat...
For women who value themselves, it isn't.
ow
I bet he's not married.
Omarosa just told MSNBC that Trump knew about the hacked Dem emails before they were made public by wikileaks. Let's see what comes of that.
I'm taking everything Omarosa says with a grain of salt. She knew what kind of person trump is and she went to work for him anyway. Wasn't she the one that told us we would have to bow down to him or some such nonsense? Now she's looking for attention and I for one and am sitting back here holding my purse.
She knows something. She is also tainted as a witness. The whole crew is like that.
I meant Magic 8 Ball because he thinks he's right about everything.
Mr Giggles admits he's always wrong
Too fuckin' funny!!!
Oh you mean like when Trump said within the first year a wall would be built and paid for by Mexico, that there would be a special prosecutor for Hillary and she would be locked up, that ISIS would be dead on HIS FIRST DAY, that he would not be playing golf at all because he would be "working for you", that Obamacare would be replaced, that ... well, the list is too long. So, as Judge Judy says, don't piss on our leg and tell us it's raining. Stevie Wonder can see that your lyin', cheatin', incestuous, traitorous president is a liar, cheater, incestuous traitor. Get over it. History will not be kind to Trump. I guess you feel someone has to.
So does Mr. Blue. It's just one of the kabillion things I adore about him. Including his gift for exaggeration ... omigawd. It's priceless.
And I heard a small blurb on the news this morning that a base in Afghanistan was over run. I need to go research this, of course, but it turns out to be of any significance......
What was that about ISIS on the run?
Something both of you have forgotten, yes, Trump as the ability to pardon people, for federal crimes but, when it comes to a state crime, like the ones Manafort is on trial for in Virginia, Trump can't pardon him for that.
You're so smart, you sexy thang!
Taliban overrun Afghan army base, kill 17 troops
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban overran a remote base in northern Afghanistan, killing 17 soldiers, as Afghan forces battled the insurgents for the fifth straight day in the eastern city of Ghazni on Tuesday, trying to flush them out of the city's outskirts, officials said.
The Taliban claimed that dozens of forces at the northern base, known as camp Chinaya, had surrendered while others were captured. At least 19 soldiers were wounded in the assault, according to Defense Ministry spokesman Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed.
The Taliban had besieged the base, which housed about 140 Afghan troops, for three days before the attack late Monday, said the local provincial council chief, Mohammad Tahir Rahmani.
ok....not US troops but still....
The trial in Virginia is a Federal Trial, not a state trial
You found it before me! I went for a smoke break
You realize that in order to be pardoned, one must admit guilt. There's no way around that. If he's pardoned, Trump will be admitting he knew of his wrongdoing and condoned it. Our heads won't explode. Trust me on that.
Wrong. The President can pardon without admission of guilt, even without an indictment or conviction
HEADLINE: Manafort is facing charges in both state and federal courts.
The current trial is in Federal court
It has state implications. In other words five states could charge Manafort, if he is found guilty in federal court, Trump can't pardon Manafort for state crimes and, pardoning Manafort could trigger an impeachment.
Then the obvious remains: Why need a pardon if you're not guilty. If Trump pardons him, it does not negate the fact that Trump knew he was guilty at the time. The more crooks he pardons, the guiltier Trump looks. Trumplethinskin would throw his own mother under the bus. If his handlers told him the more he pardons, the guiltier he appears, he'd stop pardoning.
The fact remains Trump cannot pardon ALL of his crimes.
Yet another nothingburger.
Mr. Giggles has to be a wise man, he married Trout.
SSSHHHH!!!!!
He already has a big ego!!!!
Awww....you're too good to me
I had to laugh! You clearly didn't understand and I find that colossally funny. You big ol' goof. I even voted up that little comment of yer'n. My comment was in response to LFOD's statement that Trumplethinskin can pardon Manafort because he is in federal court and federal offenses can be pardoned. That's true enough. However, Manafort has other trials to be had that are on the state level. Stupidfragilecalloussexistextrabraggadocious cannot pardon state offenses.
HA!! Just admit you know hardly anything.
No, but it seems to be something on your mind. I was just pointing it out-as anyone that has even a minimal level of comprehension can see.
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Are you late for a Mensa meeting? Yeah .... didn't think so. Intellectual quips are not your forte.
Yeah, and I'm sure Al Capone was squeaky clean other than the tax evasion case which eventually sent him to prison. When dealing with organized crime and enemy foreign governments who are skillful at covering their tracks, often the only thing you can do is follow the money. It's the paper trail that exposes the actual crimes behind the scenes. If you believe he was getting all that money from Russian oligarchs just for being innocent pen pals with the Kremlin, you're either monumentally gullible or you've intentionally stuck your head in the sand.
Didn't Capone die in prison?
Actually he didnt. he spent most of the 30's in prison, but was paroled late in 1939 and lived for 8 more years, all of which was spent in physical and mental decline from the effects of syphilis.
While I'm sure everyone dies a little bit in prison, Capone did serve out his term and was paroled in 1939. He did get very sick in prison and was transferred to a hospital after his release for treatment of late stage syphilis. In 1946, his physician and a Baltimore psychiatrist performed examinations and concluded that Capone had the mentality of a 12-year-old child (something we're watching occur in the White house today). After a stroke and a heart attack in early January 1947 he passed away January 25th.
That was a great comment~!
Sounds a lot like our current POTUS.
I think I saw it in the news ... when I was in GRADE SCHOOL! But did you see the latest on Kellyanne Conway? Apparently she prayed one night that she wouldn't be dragged down with Trump. Of course God couldn't guarantee that, so he asked her what else she wanted more than anything else.
God: Well, I can't guarantee you won't go down with the Trump Titanic, so what else would you like?
KC: Well, I'd like a unicorn.
God: Aw jeez. Can't you ask for something more realistic, something that I could fulfill?
KC: Well, okay, I'd like a man to really love me for me.
God: Hmmmm ... okay ... what color would you like that unicorn?
After working for Trump Kellyanne Conway thought about getting a brain transplant, but then she changed her mind...
huh...I thought he did
oh well
When Sarah Huckabee found out that Omarosa got a pink slip, she wondered why she got stuck with that lousy overdone makeover.
Yes, Sarah almost outperforms her boss in her lie ability, almost...
I never underestimate the lack of power of stupid people in small groups. I keep picturing t-shirts with "I'm With Stupid" and an arrow pointing straight up.
I got one for you...
No, he was released and, moved to his home in Florida were he died.
Hilarious! You gotta wonder about someone calling President Obama "Odummy" when he was editor of Harvard Law Review, graduated Harvard magna cum laude, etc. It doesn't take much intellect to call people names, which is only weapon of the uneducated. Just ask Trump. His stupidity is unpresidented .
Love you, girl!
Sad, 8 years in office and you still cannot spell, "Obama".
Some people find it hard to spell his name when they spent so many years starting his name with an "N".
Ouch! LOL But very true.
Tax evasion is how they eventually got Capone.
And syphilis is how the universe eventually got Capone.
True that.
This isn't that an uncommon of a tactic. It's simply a common strategy defense lawyers use if the defendant isn't going to testify. Consider:
1. You don't want to put Manafort on the stand.
2. You've already gotten what you want from the prosecution witnesses in cross (Gates got shredded as a prosecution witness). Calling them again only gives them a chance to look better,
3. It reinforces to the jury that the burden of proof is on the prosecution and the defense wants to project confidence prosecution didn't meet their burden.
It's a tax charge, so he's probably guilty anyway, but the uninformed speculation in this thread about what it "means" is just that, uninformed.
Total bullshit. I work for lawyers. You think with all the evidence, the defense is attempting to project confidence that the prosecution didn't meet the burden of proof? Are you kidding me??? He wasn't called to defend himself because the second he gets on the stand, the prosecution can ask him about anything. Manafort would be leaving himself open to further charges, e.g., perjury. He'd be easily tripped up. He has no defense. To attempt to pretend he has a defense is disingenuous at best, ludicrous at worst. Manafort would be his own worst enemy if he took the stand and his lawyers know that. They're simply trying to minimize the time. Adding a charge of perjury would add more years to his sentence.
You mean like the woefully informed NTer that called President Barack Obama "Odummy"? To quote Abraham Lincoln: "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Or, if you're a "bible" person, "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue." [Proverbs, 17:28] But the ultimate stupid people just can't help themselves from giving themselves up as stupid. Even Forrest Gump stated "stupid is as stupid does."
Oopsey. Meant "didn't meet."
It's almost like you didn't read my post.
OF course they don't want to put him on the stand. It's point #1!. The lawyers job is to figure out the best strategy for the defendant, and if he can't or shouldn't testify that limits the options. These are some of the best lawyers in the world (they just don't work for them) and this is the strategy they've judged to be their best chance at an acquittal. They've made Gates look ridiculous already and want to leave that impression in the jury's mind.
It's how you make the best of a bad hand.
I did indeed read your post. Did you not make the statement above?
Do you know lawyers often bluff? And they bluff the hardest when they have the least to work with?
Sometimes nothing can be a real cool hand.
And sometimes, most times, they know their client is guilty as sin and they attempt to minimize the damage that can be further created by the guilty client. The paper trail is there; the electronic communication trail is there; they didn't even bother with any hearsay on their client's behalf. They can claim that Gates' testimony is hearsay but it's a moot point. They know their client is a consummate liar and not smart enough to know that telling the truth is sometimes his best bet.
Actually, if Manafort could prove his innocence he would be testifying. The defense whole case is that Gates is a liar. I guess that's the Fuhrman defense. Don't look at the evidence, look at that bad man that testified for the prosecution.
Stop the presses, I'm in 100% agreement with you.
I would not mind having lunch with some of my local NT members.
Sundance Square. I'll buy.
I'll drive.
Cool! It might take a little longer to get there, but I'll buy lunch for everyone!
SP will drive, Blue will buy and I will drink
I saw a great bumper sticker yesterday ...
"Vote For A Clown, Expect A Circus"