'Even a blind person' can see Mueller using Manafort to 'target' Trump: judge

[Right_in_Virginia]

'Even a blind person' can see Mueller using Manafort to 'target' Trump: judge
Washington Times, Jun 28, 2018, Rowan Scarborough

A federal judge says “even a blind person” can see that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is prosecuting Paul Manafort as a way to acquire evidence against his “true target,” President Trump.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III made the comment in an opinion released this week that nonetheless sided with Mr. Mueller and against Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager. He rejected Mr. Manafort’s argument that the Mueller-brought tax-evasion indictment exceeded the special counsel’s authority and should be dismissed.

Judge Ellis, sitting in the Eastern District of Virginia, expressed dismay at the special counsel system and at Mr. Mueller in particular.

“Given the investigation’s focus on President Trump’s campaign, even a blind person can see that the true target of the Special Counsel’s investigation is President Trump, not defendant, and that defendant’s prosecution is part of that larger plan,” he wrote. “Specifically, the charges against defendant are intended to induce defendant to cooperate with the Special Counsel by providing evidence against the President or other members of the campaign. Although these kinds of high-pressure prosecutorial tactics are neither uncommon nor illegal, they are distasteful.”

In negotiations between Mr. Mueller and Trump attorneys over a possible interview, the prosecutor has said Mr. Trump isn’t a target––a specific Justice Department term that means the government has evidence the person committed a crime.


More: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/28/even-blind-person-can-see-mueller-using-manafort-t/

[edpc]

“Specifically, the charges against defendant are intended to induce defendant to cooperate with the Special Counsel by providing evidence against the President or other members of the campaign. Although these kinds of high-pressure prosecutorial tactics are neither uncommon nor illegal, they are distasteful.”


I know.  Remember how we all got so upset over the railroading of Jim and Susan McDougal to get Clinton?  Me neither.

[skeeter]

“Specifically, the charges against defendant are intended to induce defendant to cooperate with the Special Counsel by providing evidence against the President or other members of the campaign. Although these kinds of high-pressure prosecutorial tactics are neither uncommon nor illegal, they are distasteful.”


I know.  Remember how we all got so upset over the railroading of Jim and Susan McDougal to get Clinton?  Me neither.

Weren't the McDougals in trouble - and eventually convicted - because of their involvement in the Whitewater affair?

And wasn't the Waterwater affair central to Ken Starr's appointment as Independent Counsel?

[edpc]

Weren't the McDougals in trouble - and eventually convicted - because of their involvement in the Whitewater affair?

And wasn't the Waterwater affair central to Ken Starr's appointment as Independent Counsel?

Yes and whether people in the Trump campaign had any links or coordination with individuals connected to Russia was central to Rosenstein’s appointment of Mueller.  There’s no question Manafort had prior contacts and known evidence shows he was using his position as campaign manager to get back into that world.  Whether he has any information about the involvement of anyone else remains to be seen.  However, he’s the poster child for the original scope of the investigation.  The word ‘collusion’ never appears, as much as people want to make the probe about it.  See the link below.  As far as the ‘unrelated’ charges in Manafort’s indictment, they’re all related to work done and money received while he was involved with Ukrainian/Russian figures aligned with Moscow.  Ellis begrudgingly admitted the unredacted documentation and indictment demonstrated that fact.

But in a 31-page ruling, Ellis rejected Manafort's argument that Mueller had exceeded his authority by bringing charges unrelated to the presidential election. He said the May 2017 Justice Department order that appointed Mueller as special counsel specifically empowered him to pursue other crimes that arose out of the investigation, and that the case against Manafort clearly fell within that authority.

During their investigation, Mueller's team had simply "followed the money" from pro-Russian officials to Manafort to develop allegations that he was hiding the payments from the U.S. government and depositing the money in offshore accounts, Ellis wrote.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/judge-virginia-lets-case-against-manafort-move-forward-203451576--politics.html


Rosenstein appointment letter.....


https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/17/us/politics/document-Robert-Mueller-Special-Counsel-Russia.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0

[Bigun]

“Specifically, the charges against defendant are intended to induce defendant to cooperate with the Special Counsel by providing evidence against the President or other members of the campaign. Although these kinds of high-pressure prosecutorial tactics are neither uncommon nor illegal, they are distasteful.”


I know.  Remember how we all got so upset over the railroading of Jim and Susan McDougal to get Clinton?  Me neither.

Railroading???  SURELY you jest!

[edpc]

Railroading???  SURELY you jest!

Yes, I do.