"Oh, Manafort."
A thread.
It has been a really long year.
Today, we saw the corners in which our players stand.
A thread.
It has been a really long year.
Today, we saw the corners in which our players stand.
Prosecutors say Manafort knew what he was doing when he failed to supply requisite info on his tax forms. That's a hard argument to beat. esp. when omissions are repeated yr after yr. He algdly lied to accountants and associates & he algdly lied to Gates.
SPC says they kept them in the dark to keep the gravy train running and as Asonye said of the bogus loans PM wrote to himself and the doctored $ records, it was "Garbage in, garbage out."
I kept a tally today when Zehnle gave closing stmts. How many times did he say Rick Gates? By my count no less than 6. Gates: The "embezzler" and a man "not to be trusted."
To which, one would think a jurist may say, OK. So, what makes Manafort a man to be trusted then?
To which, one would think a jurist may say, OK. So, what makes Manafort a man to be trusted then?
That's the rub for the defense today. Manafort was a mover and shaker. A man who shaped how Washington does business. A globe trotting kingmaker. But when he was caught up by the call of biz, and left Gates to operation, he was apparently outfoxed.
Defense attys said it today, it was a small operation that was bringing in tens of millions. Manafort was so busy strategizing in Ukraine how could he know his friend and partner was defrauding him?
I hope to see Gates testify soon. The body language in that room ought to be very interesting. Which, p.s. is actually something Zehnle told jurors today - look for fidgeting. Observe and use your real world experience when you listen to testimony.
I thought: Careful what you wish for.
