Byron York: Mueller reveals tenuous link between Manafort charges and Trump by Byron York

[mystery-ak]

Byron York: Mueller reveals tenuous link between Manafort charges and Trump
by Byron York
 | July 10, 2018 04:01 PM

It's often been observed that special counsel Robert Mueller, assigned to investigate alleged Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 presidential campaign, has yet to charge anyone with a crime involving Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 presidential campaign.

The biggest of Mueller's indictments, that of one-time Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, has no connection at all to collusion. And until a few days ago, it appeared to have no connection to Donald Trump, either.

Now, though, Mueller has revealed why he believes the Manafort prosecution is related to the 2016 Trump campaign. It's a small part, a very small part, of the overall charges against Manafort. And it has nothing to do with any actions by the candidate -- now the president -- himself.

Mueller's revelation came in an argument he is having with the Manafort defense over what subjects can and cannot be discussed in front of jurors in Manafort's upcoming trial. (Manafort is charged in both Virginia and the District of Columbia with various counts of bank fraud, tax evasion, and failure to register as a representative of foreign interests; the Virginia trial is scheduled to begin later this month.)

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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/byron-york-mueller-reveals-tenuous-link-between-manafort-charges-and-trump

[Frank Cannon]

Most of the 32 counts against Manafort in the Virginia case concern alleged crimes that took place long before there was a Trump campaign. Some go back as far as 2006. But four of the counts involve a pair of loans Manafort took out between April 2016 and January 2017. For a few months during that time period, Manafort worked for the Trump campaign.

The loans totaled $16 million and came from a financial institution Mueller refers to as Lender D. According to Mueller, Manafort lied to get the loans, overstating his income and understating his debts.

Mueller says that some workers at Lender D knew there was a problem with Manafort's application, but that one top executive there, a man who wanted a place in the Trump campaign, granted the loan anyway. From the Mueller filing:

Mueller is as stupid as a tree stump. This argument is total garbage. Next he will be arguing a Trump tie in because Manafarts grocery bagger wore a MAGA hat.

[Sanguine]

That's very, very weak. 

[Oceander]

That's very, very weak. 

Weak for what?

[XenaLee]

In other words.... and as we suspected... Mueller's got nothing.   Who then will have the nads to step up and say that and put an end to this sham, this insult to the very notion of "justice" and this colossal waste of time and taxpayer money?

[Oceander]

In other words.... and as we suspected... Mueller's got nothing.   Who then will have the nads to step up and say that and put an end to this sham, this insult to the very notion of "justice" and this colossal waste of time and taxpayer money?

He has a very dirty Manafort whose prosecution he has to complete. 

[skeeter]

In other words.... and as we suspected... Mueller's got nothing.   Who then will have the nads to step up and say that and put an end to this sham, this insult to the very notion of "justice" and this colossal waste of time and taxpayer money?

Can't wait to hear the judge's take on this. He already finds the Manafort prosecution 'distasteful' and has strongly implied he does not approve of Mueller's tactics.

[Free Vulcan]

If Mueller thinks he'll politically leverage what he's got with smoke and mirrors - and favorable media coverage - into making something stick to Trump, he's delusional.

Meuller is way beyond his pay grade when he steps into the political arena.

[Oceander]

If Mueller thinks he'll politically leverage what he's got with smoke and mirrors - and favorable media coverage - into making something stick to Trump, he's delusional.

Meuller is way beyond his pay grade when he steps into the political arena.

I seriously doubt Mueller has any intention of doing that.  Not with Manafort. 

[edpc]

Can't wait to hear the judge's take on this. He already finds the Manafort prosecution 'distasteful' and has strongly implied he does not approve of Mueller's tactics.

He's already made his ruling in late June and it wasn't favorable to Manafort.  You can find a link to the full 31 page document, here....

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/judge-rejects-challenge-676814

[Free Vulcan]

I seriously doubt Mueller has any intention of doing that.  Not with Manafort.

Mueller has a history of being shady and snaky. I put nothing past him.

[Oceander]

Mueller has a history of being shady and snaky. I put nothing past him.

Which just makes him a garden-variety, plain vanilla prosecutor.  Just like all the rest. 

[skeeter]

He's already made his ruling in late June and it wasn't favorable to Manafort.  You can find a link to the full 31 page document, here....

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/judge-rejects-challenge-676814

Yeah he allowed it to go forward. He wasn't exactly encouraging to Mueller though.