The Swamp

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 8:45 am

Johnnie wrote: ↑Wed Sep 12, 2018 12:48 pm A Series Of Suspicious Money Transfers Followed The Trump Tower Meeting

Follow the money, man.

I hope that's just the scraps the media can dig up, because no way a jury can convict on just that.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Thu Sep 13, 2018 10:22 am Yeah, finding out that it was really only one person that kept the Manafort jury from convicting him on all counts made me feel a lot better.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:30 am Manafort is cooperating

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:30 am Manafort is cooperating

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 1. Manafort is pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy against the United States.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 2. Each of those two counts carries a five year maximum sentence, so the maximum sentence for these guilty pleas is 10 years.

Manafort agrees that under the Sentencing Guidelines, the recommended sentencing range would be above 10 years -- specifically 210-262 months.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 3. Manafort agrees not to challenge that calculation, even though no sentence above 10 years could be imposed in DC.

The Government agrees to recommend that the the sentence for the DC case and the Virginia convictions run concurrently.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 4. The recommendation for concurrent time is not binding on either the DC or Virginia court.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 5. Manafort agrees to cooperate with Special Counsel's Office (aka "the Government") and "other law enforcement authorities identified by the Government in any and all matter as to which the Government deems the cooperation relevant."

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 6. That means that Special Counsel Mueller can require Manafort to cooperate with state law enforcement authorities in New York or Virginia.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 7. Because POTUS"s pardon power does not reach convictions under state law, that means that Manafort could be required to cooperate in prosecutions of individuals that POTUS could not pardon.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 8. That creates an avenue for potential prosecution of the others (Jared Kushner, Donald Jr.) who attended the 2016 Trump Tower Meeting with the Russians that would be outside of the pardon power.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 9. The plea agreement enumerates six broad categories of cooperation that Manafort is required to provide.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 10. One of the things that Manafort is required to provide is "to participate in undercover activities pursuant to the specific instructions of law enforcement agents or the Government."

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 11. The "undercover" requirement is certainly an artifact of standard language in the template for cooperating plea agreements. No one could be so foolish as to fall for Manafort as an undercover source at this point.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 12. Sentencing Leverage By Special Counsel Mueller. Manafort will not be sentenced until after his cooperation is completed. That process may take years.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 13. Until the cooperation is complete, the additional charges in Virginia where the jury was hung will remain pending. After the cooperation is complete, they will be dismissed if Special Counsel Mueller is satisfied with the cooperation.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 14. If the Government is not satisfied with Manafort's cooperation, it can rip up the entire agreement.

Manafort agreed to the forfeiture of $45 million in assets, including his apartment in Trump Tower. This more than covers the cost of the Special Counsel's investigation.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 15. In language that appears to cover the possibility of later pardon, the plea agreement specifically provides that the forfeitures "will survive him notwithstanding the abatement of any underlying criminal conviction.

Mitchell Epner (@MitchellEpner): 16. Manafort agrees to drop his challenge to the Virginia convictions and not to appeal anything about the sentencing in the DC case. /end

Johnnie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:24 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote: ↑Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:27 pm Fact: The poison at Jonestown wasn't Kool-Aid but Fla-vor-Aid, the cheap competitor. I've thought before that if I were the marketing head for Kool-Aid, I'd put a big banner at the top of their web site saying "JONESTOWN WASN'T US, click here for details."

rass wrote: ↑Tue Sep 18, 2018 1:22 pm I'm sure that was Nintendo's joke in the first place, but the Kool-Aid man is never not funny so that gets a pass.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:48 pm

Johnnie wrote: ↑Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:24 pm

At some point the intelligence community is going to fight back.

rass wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:05 pm Welp, things are gonna get real...

Joe K wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:36 pm

rass wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:05 pm Welp, things are gonna get real...

I’m very curious about who the sources are for that story and what their motives were for going to the press. Because the odds of Trump firing Rosenstein and/or trying to shut down the Mueller investigation just went up a lot.

A_B wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:14 pm It's a flanking maneuver, no?

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:01 pm I'm not really questioning the validity or veracity of the sources (I can't speak for Joe). I just don't really understand the motivation. I'mg kind of mentally checked out on a Fri afternoon, so my Spidey senses aren't really activated, I just don't see why people would put this out there like this.

brian wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 5:11 pm Again, Rosenstein is ALREADY fired. It's just a question of whether Trump does it now or on November 7. At least if he does it before November 7, the voters will be able to take that into account.

Joe K wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:36 pm

rass wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 1:05 pm Welp, things are gonna get real...

I’m very curious about who the sources are for that story and what their motives were for going to the press. Because the odds of Trump firing Rosenstein and/or trying to shut down the Mueller investigation just went up a lot.

brian wrote: ↑Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:41 pm This is a really good piece.

What the American right wants, what it’s after, isn’t some abstract pluralist success, like the smooth functioning of government and/or the material improvement of American life. It wants, only and entirely, to defeat its opponents. Those aren’t quite the same thing. The Republican party would not choose the former if it could be accomplished without the latter.