Manafort case judge warns Mueller team they 'can't prove conspiracy' without star witnessFox News, Aug 2, 2018, Alex Pappas
The federal judge in the trial of ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team on Thursday they cannot prove a key part of their case unless prosecutors call Manafort’s former business partner to the stand.
U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III issued the warning after prosecutors suggested Wednesday that Rick Gates – who is cooperating with prosecutors and had been considered a potential star witness – might not be called to the stand after all.
Referencing Gates, Ellis told prosecutors in court they “can’t prove conspiracy without him.â€
“Not necessarily,†Mueller prosecutor Greg Andres responded, before saying they still have “every intention†to call Gates to the stand.
Ellis, a 78-year-old Reagan-appointed judge known for colorful comments, also quipped that his “wife wasn’t fooled†by the prosecution’s comments on Wednesday leaving open the option of not calling Gates — suggesting he did not believe the prosecution was being serious about the possibility.
During opening arguments this week, the defense team made it clear they intend to blame Gates, who handled some day-to-day business operations for Manafort, for many of the alleged reporting deficiencies Manafort is charged with.
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