By Rowan Scarborough - The Washington Times - Updated: 2:47 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is trying to head off the Paul Manafort defense team from questioning his prosecutors over press leaks.
Mr. Mueller filed papers in U.S. District Court in Virginia opposing a request from Manafort attorney Kevin Downing to hold an investigative hearing into the rash of press reports on Mr. Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign manager.
Mr. Downing cited 10 stories, sourced to unnamed people who implicated Mr. Manafort in possible criminal activity. He contends the information came from grand jury testimony, which would be illegal for a prosecutor to leak.
In a footnote to his filing, Mr. Mueller’s lead prosecutor, Andrew Weissmann, makes a preemptive argument before District Court Judge T. S. Ellis III. If the judge does allow a hearing, Mr. Downing should not be allowed to question special counsel prosecutors or other Justice Department lawyers.
more
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/16/mueller-moves-muscle-out-manaforts-lawyers-grillin/
