Yesterday we learned that Trump campaign manager and Russian stooge Paul Manafort had decided to plead guilty to charges for which he was about to be tried. This morning, we learn that Manafort has agreed to cooperate and possibly be a witness for Robert Mueller’s special investigation of Russian government involvement in US elections and related things.
I’m not sure how much Manafort’s cooperation will actually help the special council’s investigation. I would guess that there isn’t much he can add to what must be a huge iceberg of evidence already gathered.
But there is a more important outcome here, and it is social and political. The absurd position held by Trump supporters, both in the Trump inner cantos and in the deplorable swamps, that there is nothing to see here has lost yet another crutch. Not only is Manafort guilty, but he has something to say to Mueller. About something.
Flashback. August 19, 2016. Newt Gingrich: "Nobody should underestimate how much Paul Manafort did to really help get this campaign to where it is right now." pic.twitter.com/OlTOpC1B1l
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 14, 2018
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You’re assuming he is flipping on Trump. Manafort was working for John Podesta’s brother Tony, who was not given immunity in the Manafort trial, and a number of pro Russian ‘oligarchs’.
In the Greek’s plea deal against Trump, no sentence deal was made until after his co-operation, but here the total sentence of no more than ten years has already been agreed to.
The judge made clear that he faces the potential for an increased sentence and monetary fines if he doesn’t fully cooperate to the extent spelled out in the agreement.
And the ten years maximum sentence only applies to this case. Sentencing in the earlier Virginia case is separate and is not part of this plea agreement. However, his pleading guilty to the ten hung charges from the Virginia case means that sentencing will be based on his being convicted of 18 crimes there.
Politico reports the other charges in Virginia are dropped, and the sentences in the two cases run concurrently.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/14/manafort-plea-deal-questions-823883
We don’t actually know who he us flipping on.
I think people are too focused on Trump to see the problem with Mueller’s investigation.
He repeatedly has used the non-crime ‘conspiracy against the US’. Basically if you do something that makes it harder for government regulators or law enforcement agencies to determine whether you’ve broken the law, then you have committed fraud against the US, or conspiracy to commit fraud, or the new term conspiracy against the US. Read the indictment against the Russians on Facebook. This is not the definition of fraud, but Mueller is creating precedent to add this to the prosecutor toolbox, along with asset forfeiture and Patriot Act and so many more.