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Nice try by Manafort-who has tried to argue that Mueller has exceeded his authority-but no. It turns out he received authority to investigate Manafort specifically back in August 2017. It’s also interesting in what he received authorization to investigate: collusion. Manafort has been investigating wether Manafort colluded with Russian government officials.
FN: Time has proven Manafort central to Russian collusion-Chapter A for much more.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told special counsel Robert Mueller in a classified August 2, 2017, memo that he should investigate allegations that President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was “colluding with Russian government officials” to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, prosecutors in the Russia probe revealed late Monday night.”
But but but-Trump said no collusion!
“Mueller was also empowered by Rosenstein to investigate Manafort’s payments from Ukrainian politicians, a cornerstone of the Trump adviser’s decades-long lobbying career that has resulted in several financial criminal charges so far.”
“The revelation of the August 2 memo comes amid a broader court filing from Mueller’s prosecutors that offers a full-throated defense of their investigative powers and indictments thus far. In the filing, the special counsel’s office argues that a federal judge should not throw out Manafort’s case. Manafort has sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that the charges against him are outside of Mueller’s authority.”
Clearly, Mueller has very broad authority.
FN: Though apparently he largely obeyed Trump’s ‘red line’ on his finances-I’m sure you or I could command a prosecutor not to investigate areas we decree are out of his scope!
Adam Schiff and Maxine Waters are investigating the finances that Mueller didn’t.
One other example that debunks the MSM claim that nothing new was learnt in Mueller’s hearing is that he testified that he had asked for his scope to be broadened and declined to say whether this was granted or not.
End FN
While many of the individuals and investigations Rosenstein names in the memo are redacted, the section about Manafort is not redacted:
Most of the investigations and individuals that Rosenstein named in that memo are now redacted — amounting to almost a full page of withheld information.
But one section isn’t redacted: The investigation Mueller could pursue against Manafort, with the Department of Justice’s backing.
“The special counsel’s office was able to investigate two avenues of alleged crimes Manafort committed — working with Russians to influence the election in violation of US law, and for crimes that arose from payments Manafort received from former Ukrainian politicians.”
The Ukrainian connections and payments form the basis of the federal criminal charges Manafort currently faces.
The investigation into Manafort’s alleged collusion with Russians has not resulted in publicly known charges.
Also importantly, Mueller’s prosecutors explain how they might connect Manafort’s pre 2016 campaign lobbying work on behalf of Russia and possible crimes during the 2016 election:
Mueller’s investigatory mission “would naturally cover ties that a former Trump campaign manager had to Russian-associated political operatives, Russian-backed politicians, and Russian oligarchs. It would also naturally look into any interactions they may have had before and during the campaign to plumb motives and opportunities to coordinate and to expose possible channels for surreptitious communications. And prosecutors would naturally follow the money trail from Manafort’s Ukrainian consulting activities.”
Manafort had claimed the special counsel’s office had no authority to bring the cases. “Each step the Special Counsel has taken against Mr. Manafort has been without lawful authority,” Manafort’s lawyers wrote in mid-March. The filing echoed an argument Manafort made in a related civil lawsuit against Mueller and the Justice Department, which also asks the court to throw out his charges. Arguments for that case are scheduled for this Wednesday, before the same judge overseeing the criminal case against Manafort.”
Looks like Manafort is going to have to find another tactic.
More broadly Manafort’s team is considering a strategy of putting the FBI on trial:
Some expect Manafort to take a slash-and-burn approach. “I think they’re going to try to throw any dirt possible,” said former federal prosecutor Randal Eliason. “If he’s going to trial, then I would expect it to be an all-out war, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to make those kinds of claims that the prosecution is tainted.”
“An aggressive claim of bias by Manafort is unlikely to derail the prosecution that now threatens him with the prospect of spending the rest of his life behind bars. It would also bring some risk: Lawyers warn that it could anger the judges presiding over his cases, who might see the strategy as a frivolous diversion that could drag the trials into a political morass.”
“But such moves could also draw public attention to alleged abuses by federal investigators, whom some congressional Republicans have accused of a brazen anti-Trump vendetta. That might draw the attention and sympathy of President Donald Trump, from whom Manafort may be hoping to win a pardon.”
Overall, it has seemed that Manafort has been pursuing a pardon strategy, which is arguably very risky. If you look at the history of Watergate. those who got the longest sentences are those who refused to cooperate; no one cooperated more than John Dean and he got a very light sentence.
Recently, we saw Manafort’s and Rick Gates’ Dutch lawyer friend, Alexander van der Zwaan get only 30 days after pleading out. Michael Flynn who is cooperating with Mueller also got generous charges-only one indictment for lying to the FBI.
FN: Flynn is now backpedalling on his cooperation and now faces an uncertain future.
Manafort went through a phase of feigning cooperation with Mueller but was still sending information to Trump’s legal team-and lied and dissembled to the Mueller team.
Manafort, on the other hand, faces up to 305 years in prison.
FN: So far he has 7 and a half years though he still faces state charges in NY. See Chapter A for more