Do you recall Judge T.S. Elliot?
He was asked by Manafort’s legal team to review the mandate of the Special Prosecutor, and whether that mandate was broad enough to cover the various charges against Manafort. In the hearing over this matter, the judge questioned the whether the scope of Mueller’s mandate was wide enough to cover the charges against Manafort. He also questioned Mueller’s motives, and whether or not he intended to even pursue a case against Manafort, as his real concern may have been to just get Manafort to turn on Trump.
Well, DUH! Here are some thoughts on the judge’s musings…
Yesterday, Ellis rendered his judgement and found that Mueller’s was within his authority to pursue charges against Manafort. He included some choice warnings about possible over-reach by prosecutors in his ruling that Trump and Giuliani are sure to pounce on, but in the main this is a severe setback for Manafort and Trump.
The prosecution of Manafort will now go ahead. Absent another stall tactic by his lawyers, it is time for Manafort to start negotiating with Mueller.
No comments:
Post a Comment