Paul Manafort trial Day 5: Rick Gates testifies he committed bank, tax fraud at Manafort’s directionWashington Post, Aug 6, 2018, Rachel Weiner, Matt Zapotosky, Ann E. Marimow and Justin Jouvenal
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5:58 p.m.: Prosecutor Greg Andres gets into argument with judge after testimony endsAfter dismissing the jury, Judge Ellis laid into prosecutor Greg Andres for what he saw as unnecessary questioning about the motivations of billionnaires involved in politics in Ukraine.
Andres pushed back angrily, prompting a heated exchange that went on for more than 10 minutes. Ellis repeatedly criticized Andres for not making eye contact, saying “look at me,†and saying he “looked down as if to say, ‘that’s BS.’ â€
Andres responded with frustration saying, “You continue to interpret our reactions in some way,†when the lawyers don’t do the same to the judge.
“You never rolled your eyes,†Ellis said, a reference to when he criticized the attorneys for doing so last week, “but you’re not the only one sitting at that table.â€
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5:47 p.m.: Gates testifies he moved money from offshore accountsAndres began questioning Gates about his work with Manafort on parliamentary elections in Ukraine beginning in 2007. Gates was asked to review several emails between Manafort and Ukrainian political officials and businessmen, which were displayed for jurors.
Gates said the operatives in Ukraine paid Manafort millions of dollars for political and policy work by wiring money from their companies in Cyprus to Manafort’s unreported foreign bank account in Cyprus.
At times, Gates testified that Manafort would move money from Cyprus to his U.S. accounts.
When Gates said Manafort was moving money from Cyprus, he said he was talking not about “shell companies†but “shelf companies†— as in, off-the-shelf, premade for someone to take over.
“They’re already on the shelf,†he explained.
Gates acknowledged under questioning by Andres on Monday afternoon that he has a powerful incentive to cooperate with prosecutors. If the government determines that Gates’s assistance in their case against Manafort is “substantial,†he could avoid jail time.
Judge Ellis emphasized several times that it would be up to the judge overseeing Gates’s plea agreement in Washington — U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson — to assess Gates’s cooperation and decide whether to sentence him to a term of probation.
5:35 p.m.: Judge, prosecutors spar over pace of the caseLate in the afternoon Monday, prosecutors sparred notably with Judge T.S. Ellis III over the pace of the case.
The heated confrontation came as prosecutors attempted to enter into evidence Rick Gates’s passport to show details of his travels to Ukraine and Cyprus. Ellis interrupted them.
“Let’s get to the heart of the matter,†he scowled.
“Judge, we’ve been at the heart …†prosecutor Greg Andres interrupted.
“Just listen to me!†Ellis bellowed from the bench.
By the judge’s way of thinking, Manafort’s defense was not contesting the places where Gates had traveled, and thus there was no reason to show jurors pictures of Gates’s passport. By Andres’s telling, Gates’s travels were relevant to the case, and defense attorneys had not conceded to any sort of instruction that would tell jurors where Gates had gone.
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