Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Alexandria anymore. Hello on this steamy morning from the DC federal courthouse, where there's a pretrial hearing in Paul Manafort's case. Jury selection is set to start Sept. 17 
Here's the pretrial statement both sides filed last week: assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4792… There are several pending motions, incl. the govt's motion to exclude selective prosecution args and Manafort's motion to exclude info about legal advice he got on FARA
And on a related note, check out this story from @aviswanatha, who reports that there were plea discussions to try to resolve Manafort's DC case, but they stalled wsj.com/articles/manaf…
Judge is taking a short break, here's what's happened so far:
- Prospective jurors in DC will not be asked if they voted in 2016 (Manafort's lawyers wanted that) but will be told they may hear about people involved in the Trump campaign, and asked if they have views on that
- Prospective jurors in DC will not be asked if they voted in 2016 (Manafort's lawyers wanted that) but will be told they may hear about people involved in the Trump campaign, and asked if they have views on that
- Prospective jurors will not only be asked about what they know about the case, but also, at the judge's suggestion, if they've personally posted about Manafort or the case on social media
- The judge will close the courtroom for jury questioning, finding it's needed given the high level of public/media interest in the case and the need to accommodate jurors and protect their privacy. In Virginia, they did it with the husher on, so we could watch, but not hear
Manafort's lawyers asked to push back the trial, scheduled to start 9/17, by a week, noting they just finished in EDVA a week ago. Govt objected. Judge compromised -- jury selection will start 9/17, but they won't get to openings and evidence until 9/24
Manafort's lawyers also told the judge they plan to file a motion this week asking to change the venue for trial, noting the judge's own stated concerns about pretrial publicity and the length of the trial potentially complicating jury selection
The judge said she'd consider whatever they file, but said the goal of the juror questionnaire is to try to get a fair jury. Judge asked where they'd want to go. Manafort's lawyer Richard Westling said they weren't sure, but wanted to make a record on the issue
What's next in Manafort's DC case? Venue change motion is due tomorrow. There's a hearing set for 9/5, when they'll discuss motions in limine (re: what evidence/arguments they can put on at trial), and then another one set for 9/12 when they'll discuss any exhibit issues
There was some noticeable tension from the defense side about the amount of time to prepare for the next trial. The judge noted that people (she didn't name names) were "very expressive" in the courtroom and warned that won't be okay once the jury is in
In case you're curious, the rules in the DC federal courthouse are very different from Alexandria. Phones and computers are allowed, there's wifi, and reporters can use devices inside the courthouse (not in the courtroom, but there will be a media room with a video feed)
