Thread by @awprokop

Here's a juicy bit from Judge Amy Berman Jackson, re: Manafort:

"The point of seeking cooperation from a person at the highest level of the campaign was to obtain accurate information about the acts of others, in particular, what transpired (redacted)"

cnn.com/2019/02/15/pol…

Note "the highest level of the campaign."

This is in the part of the transcript that's about the unknown "other Justice Department investigation."

It's possible this is the SDNY hush money investigation.

It seems to be about the Trump campaign trying to deal with a "problem."

ABJ notes that if Manafort actually couldn't remember stuff Mueller was asking him about, he could have... said that.

"I note generally that the allegations that Mr. Manafort lied are not based on times when he said, 'I don't remember'"

ABJ recaps how sweet Manafort's "solitary confinement" in his initial jail used to be

Judge Jackson is scathing on Manafort's false statements about the $125K payment (tied to a pro-Trump Super PAC & used for his legal bills)

Says he seemed "to be making a concerted effort to avoid saying what really took place" and that he advanced a "series of false narratives"

On one of the lie allegations where ABJ ruled in Manafort's favor — whether he lied about Kilimnik's knowledge of the obstruction conspiracy — she doesn't really seem to believe him. Just says the evidence isn't strong enough.

Re: Kilimnik, ABJ says Manafort demonstrated “a pattern.” He’d make concessions “in dribs and drabs,” but only after it was clear Mueller already knew the answer. He was “withholding facts if he can get away with it.”

Wonder what ABJ considered putting in her public minute order but couldn't because it's "still sealed."