August 21, 2018Gronda Morin

This Is The Day For Court Developments In The Michael Cohen And The Paul Manafort Cases

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On August 21, 2018, jury members in the recent federal court trial being held in Alexandria, VA., on behalf of the republican President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, based on 18 counts of tax evasion and bank fraud criminal charges, advised the presiding Judge T.S. Ellis III that they had reached a conviction on 8 of the charges but not all. For example, they determined that he was guilty of 5 counts of tax fraud for the years of 2010 -2016; two counts of bank fraud; and one count of failing to report on monies in a foreign bank account.

Judge T.S. Ellis III polled the jurists to determine if it was feasible that they could come to an agreement on the remaining charges before he declared a mistrial on those remaining counts.

It is safe to predict that Mr. Manafort is facing several years of jail time.

The presiding Judge Ellis has already ruled that he would not reveal the names of the citizens who served on this jury out of his concern for their welfare as he has admitted to being the recipient of death threats. 

Sentencing is scheduled for the 12th of September 2018.

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JUDGE ELLIS

As per the 8/21/18 CNN report by Katelyn Polantz, Dan Berman, Marshall Cohen and Liz Stark, “President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been found guilty on eight counts of financial crimes, a major victory for special counsel Robert Mueller.”

“But jurors were unable to reach a verdict on 10 charges, and Judge T.S. Ellis declared a mistrial on those counts.”
“Manafort was found guilty of five tax fraud charges, one charge of hiding foreign bank accounts and two counts of bank fraud.”
“He was charged with 18 counts of tax evasion, bank fraud and hiding foreign bank accounts in the first case Mueller brought to trial as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.”
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COHEN/ TRUMP/ MANAFORT
“Mr. Manafort lied to keep more money when he had it, and he lied to get more money when he didn’t,” prosecutor Greg Andres told jurors during closing arguments. “This is a case about lies.”
“Manafort, 69, has been in jail since June after his bail was revoked following new charges of witness tampering against him.”
“He still faces a second set of criminal charges in a Washington, DC, federal court, of failure to register his foreign lobbying and of money laundering conspiracy related to the same Ukrainian political work that was central to the Virginia case.”
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Then the republican President Donald Trump’s former long-term personal attorney/ fixer/ consigliere Michael Cohen headed to the New York City’s federal court’s to enter his plea deal, some of which may not be fully revealed. 
What we know so far, is that Michael Cohen has pled guilty to 8 counts including tax fraud and campaign finance violations. The counts 7, 8 have to do with the payoff of hush monies to paramours of President Trump which Michael Cohen admitted in court, the president did indeed reimburse him.
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As per a 8/21/18 VOX report by Dara Lind, “Publicly, Trump has tried to distance himself from his former allies. He now says he barely knew or worked with Paul Manafort, who ran Trump’s campaign from late March to mid-August of 2016 and choreographed his march to the Republican presidential nomination. And even Michael Cohen, who once said he’d “take a bullet” for Trump, stands accused by the president of violating attorney-client privilege by taping their conversations — and of lying to investigators to get out of an “unrelated jam.”

“For a tip as to how he got into this predicament, the president might want to turn to the Twitter feed of noted American management expert Donald Trump, who tweeted this in 2014:”

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“But Trump’s own 2014 tweet demonstrates why it’s so hard to believe that Trump simply kept unwittingly hiring people engaged in ongoing criminal activity.”

“This is especially true given the charges against Cohen, who has now pled guilty to “willful cause of unlawful corporate (campaign) contribution” in the summer and fall of 2016, as well as an “excessive” campaign contribution on October 27, 2016. October 27 is the day that a $130,000 payment from Cohen to Stephanie Clifford (Stormy Daniels) was finalized — a payment that Trump has claimed was totally independent of him and unrelated to the campaign’s coffers.”

“On (8/21/18), Cohen pled guilty in federal court to violating campaign law “in coordination with and at the direction of a federal candidate for office.”

“Assuming that Michael Cohen didn’t just lie while accepting a set of criminal charges that could put him in prison for years, we now have proof that Trump was right in 2014. President Donald Trump determined the team he assembled. He set the example, and became a magnet for the right — or, perhaps, criminally wrong — people.”

18 comments

  4. HA! The dirty laundry has FINALLY been exposed for all to see! No matter how much tRumpsky denies and intones “Fake News,” only his loyalists will believe him. The rest of us are quietly celebrating and waiting for the next shoe to drop.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I am at a loss as to how people can fail to believe and dispute what their own eyes have seen and read, and the many lies their own ears have heard. Trump and Giuliani lie in plain sight, even though we can see actual video footage of previous statements, and we can also read his Twitter thread. I think most of Trump’s supporters know he’s lying, but don’t care (his constituents), and I think Republicans in Congress who refuse to speak out against him or take action are cowards who are more concerned with angering Trump and his voting supporters than holding him responsible for his corruption.

      Liked by 2 people

      • Dear The Warner,

        Kim of “By Hook or By Book” blog was just commenting that Senator Lindsey was saying that what happened today, was no big deal. I recall what he was like when he was piling on President Bill Clinton for his shenanigans with Monica Lewinsky and he was definitely singing a different tune then.

        The republicans in the US Congress who continue to cover for this president are guilty of “dereliction of duty” by not honoring their oath of office.

        Hugs, Gronda

        Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Nan,

      The president and his sycophants can yell “witch-hunt and “fake news” all they want, but this time reality bites. The president is being done in by a Ms. Stormy Daniels and a Ms. Karen McDougal and then Mr. Michael Cohen finished the job.

      His day is coming. Remember that song in “Chicago,” “He had it coming.” I’ve been humming that song all day long, today.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 3 people

  5. But there’s more, there’s more!

    (a) The libel case brought by three Russian oligarchs against Christopher Steele for what he said about them in his dossier has been thrown out of court.

    (b) GOP rep Duncan D Hunter and his wife have been “indicted by a federal grand jury on several charges including wire fraud, violating campaign finance laws, and conspiracy.”

    (c) Larry Kudlow has been caught partying with white supremacist Peter Brimelow just a day after speechwriter Darren Beattie was fired from the White House for associating with that very same Peter Brimelow.

    All this, and Andy Borowitz’s column saying Cohen decided to plead guilty only after Rudy Giuliani had offered to be his lawyer seems suddenly oddly plausible . . .

    Liked by 5 people

    • Dear Realthog,

      Welcome!

      It’s definitely been a bad week for President Trump. I did not know that the Russians case against Christopher Steele was thrown out of court. That is added good news.

      President Trump has this way of attracting the ne’er-do-wells of this universe. Today it was Rep. Duncan, but last week it was Rep. Chris Collins of NY. You would have thought that Larry Kudlow would have known better than to celebrate his birthday party with the likes of Peter Brimelow.

      Andy Borowitz’s, New Yorker column is always a treat.

      Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Horty,

      Today was the tip of the iceberg which is about to crack. Can you believe that the GOP in the US Congress are still trying to cover for the President Trump?

      Which planet are they on? Many of these same guys who are covering for this president were singing a very different tune when they were wagging their fingers at President Bill Clinton.

      Thanks a million times over for all of your support and for this reblog.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 1 person

      • You are most welcome!! It was an excellent post. I sure hop it doesn’t stop there … however, I’m cautiously optimistic. Dare I hope?
        Not trusting the GOP Congress!! Still concerned … I really want that unworthy ‘man’ out of the Oval!! Hugs … ❤

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Gronda, yesterday it got very real for Trump and his staff and sycophants. Two convictions with eight counts each, when added to the earlier guilty pleas, show very clearly that this is not a witch hunt.

    Even Rudy was comically off base when he said Cohen’s guilty plea did not allegate the President. Au contraire, Rudy. Cohen said under oath that the candidate directed him to commit a crime. That is pretty much an allegation. One, the man and his team have denied ever occurred. Under oath and with the tape of him saying it, it reveals the President is lying. And, if he is lying about this,……

    Keith

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Keith,

      Rudy Giuliani is going to lose his ability to be effective on behalf of the president as he can’t keep track of his own lies. He is already not a credible mouthpiece for the president for most Americans. So, I have to believe that the Rudy show is strictly for the benefit of President Trump and his die-hard supporters.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Like

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