What's happening in the Manafort trial? First, this morning, there was a long recess,

[pnwmom]

and a lot of time spent at a sidebar. Then the judge announced that they'd break till 1:45.

Since then, nothing. Has anyone seen anything about this?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2018/08/10/paul-manafort-trial-day-9-live-coverage/?utm_term=.ffe30a2b3853

11:33 a.m.: Manafort trial, with bench conferences and no witnesses, pauses for lunch

Paul Manafort’s trial will not resume until 1:45 p.m. Friday, though the reason for the delay is not precisely clear.

As the trial resumed around 9:45 a.m., Judge T.S. Ellis III summoned lawyers for both sides to his bench for a conference that was blanketed by white noise. The jurors were not yet in the courtroom. He then took a short break – about 10 minutes — and returned to the courtroom for another bench conference.

That conference was somewhat lengthier, and the judge summoned the court security officer to join the lawyers. The judge seemed to talk with the court security officer as the lawyers listened.

Ellis then declared another recess, though before he left court, he issued a strange warning to those gathered, “You cannot look and see what’s on counsels’ tables, without their permission of course.” He left to the side of the courtroom where the jurors usually gather, which is different from where he usually exits.

[oberliner]

1. The prosecution called Dennis Raico of Federal Savings Bank to the stand.

Manafort had recommended the bank's CEO, Stephen Calk, for a senior position in the Trump administration after the election. Raico was granted immunity for his testimony.

Link to tweet

[pnwmom]

2. Thanks!

[Nevilledog]

3. Looks and sounds to me like there's a problem with a juror/jurors.

It's the prosecution's table that is closest to the jury box. Most likely a juror told the security officer that they or another juror saw something on the prosecutor's table. This raises lots of issues.

[pnwmom]

6. That's an interesting thought. n/t

[bettyellen]

4. I'd seen somewhere prosecution objected to another comment the judge made?

I think it was when he implied it was a waste of time to talk about attempted fraud- and then the prosecutor pointed out that it’s one of the charges in the case?
If they didn’t get another correction from the judge perhaps they’ve got him to agree to rein it in?
Anyway I heard that was the last thing handled before the recess.

[canetoad]

5. I posted this in NBN

But it's moot now, and the thread locked because the trial has restarted.
----------------
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2130987
This would not be a surprise

To anyone who watched Rachel on Thursday.

The prosecution was expected to complete it's case on Friday, with the calling of two witnesses who have been given immunity; John Brennan and Dennis Raico. These two are supposedly connected to the Federal Savings Bank of Chicago, the bank that loaned Manafort millions.

The founder of this bank, Stephen Calk, worked on the Trump campaign as a financial adviser and he is the guy who believed that Manafort had cleared the way to his becoming Secretary of the Army.

The problem is that the judge made it perfectly clear that the Trump campaign was not to be brought up at this particular trial; the calling of these witnesses make the mention of Trump's campaign almost inevitable.

So please everyone, hold your horses. Stop indulging in conspiracies about the Judge, and wait to see how this plays out.

[Leghorn21]

7. Just in from Shimon:

Dennis Raicot says he acted as a go-between for his
bank's chairman Stephen Calk and Paul Manafort as the
bank rushed to approve loans while Calk sought role
with Trump. Manafort got his 1st loan for $9.5 million
on Nov. 16, 2016,. A second loan for $6.5 million on Jan. 4, 2017
2:29 PM - Aug 10, 2018

Link to tweet

I love the witnesses with IMMUNITY!
They got the BEST dirt!!!

[blaze]

8. And from WaPo

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-latest-judge-in-manafort-case-calls-extended-recess/2018/08/10/38ee5420-9cb0-11e8-a8d8-9b4c13286d6b_story.html?utm_term=.c310a469d377

"Paul Manafort’s financial fraud trial has resumed with the testimony of a bank executive who says he was pressured for political reasons to give the former Trump campaign chairman more than $16 million in loans.

The trial of the former Trump campaign chairman had been delayed for several hours Friday, and the judge offered no explanation for the recess ahead of banker Dennis Raico’s testimony.

Raico, who testified under an immunity agreement, is detailing for jurors how he grew uncomfortable by pressure from Federal Savings Bank chairman Stephen Calk to approve the loans. Prosecutors have said that Calk pushed through the loans for Manafort because he wanted a job in the Trump administration.

Raico told jurors that Calk specifically referenced being a candidate for secretary of the Treasury or Housing and Urban Development."

[Leghorn21]

9. Many thanks, blaze!!

Last I heard, another witness with immunity, James Brennan, was also scheduled to testify today, but this morning’s recesses and such may have knocked him off the stand - dammit

Thanks!

[pnwmom]

11. Thank you, blaze!

[Leghorn21]

13. Scroll down, if you like, for latest from ace reporter Brandi Buchman

It appears that STEVE CALK IS A SERIOUS IDIOT
Who actually SHOULD be in Red Don’s cabinet

[pnwmom]

10. Thanks, Leghorn21!

[Leghorn21]

12. You bet, mom! And here's Brandi Buchman's latest:

[blaze]

14. Dang, I wish we could watch this!

Did you read about the coffee shop next to the courthouse that's holding a lot of the reporter's electronics? I keep visualizing the periodic stampede!

[Squinch]

15. Calk must have felt pretty stupid the moment he realized he was had!

All those millions in bad loans from a small bank and all for nothing!