Judge approves Mueller request for immunity for witnesses in Manafort trial

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: The Hill

A federal judge on Monday approved special counsel Robert Mueller's request to grant immunity to five witnesses so they can testify against former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis said that he would unseal documents containing the identities of the witnesses, according to Talking Points Memo.

Mueller's team submitted the request for immunity last week, and asked that the identities of the potential witnesses not be revealed because they had not yet been publicly linked to the case.

Manafort is facing multiple charges related to alleged financial crime from work before he joined the Trump campaign. He has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is being held in a Virginia jail ahead of his July 24 trial.

DEVELOPING


Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/398369-judge-approves-mueller-request-for-immunity-for-witnesses-in-manafort

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UPDATE:

Ellis ordered the special counsel on Monday to make public a list of about 30 witnesses.

[sandensea]

1. Mueller's Marvellous Memory Booster.

[pecosbob]

13. I always remember the line from the goofy movie 'Yellowbeard'

"It must have been that shark what jogged my memory."

[sandensea]

15. The thought of Ft. Leavenworth does wonders for some people's absent-mindedness.

I tell you, as many miscreants begging Mueller for immunity as we're seeing, you'd think he was giving out flu shots.

[LiberalArkie]

17. Or immunity might scare the crap out of people who will have to testify against the Russians.

[kedrys]

16. I'm 100% down with giving drumpf et al a little shark treatment. n/t

[onecaliberal]

2. Awesome

[dalton99a]

3. Immunized witnesses will be identified.

[Kablooie]

4. Since Manafort is unlikely to prevail in his case and is looking at life imprisonment...

and since he refuses to flip it indicates to me that he fully expects a pardon once he is sentenced, or even before.

The only other possibility that I can see is that the Russian mafia is more threatening to him than life in prison.

[LudwigPastorius]

14. There's still time for Manafort to make a deal.

...and, that will be more likely the tighter Mueller closes the vise on his balls.

[matt819]

19. Two comments

I wonder whether the identity of these witnesses will suggest that they might also be available as witnesses for a state trial somewhere, putting the issue of a pardon aside for the moment?

I've read that the presidential pardon gives a president pretty much free rein to pardon as he pleases. But I wonder if there are moves pending that would put the brakes on that if the pardon is promised prior to trial.

[Kablooie]

27. Probably no move to limit pardons would be made until after an objectionable pardon was executed.

So any changes wouldn't affect the original one.

[Hortensis]

32. 12 immune witnesses are probably very bad news

for more people than just Manifort himself. Expect tshere's usually more than one way to make cases.

As for the Russian Mafia, or just some ruthless oligarch he's crossed, that seems a reasonable explanation in itself. It's called a kleptocracy for a reason -- they're all extremely big-time criminals.

[pecosbob]

5. So they are releasing the identities?

even though the special prosecutor requested that this not be done? Stand by for the character assassination maelstrom to begin...this should be good, since they'll undoubtedly all be Republicans...I'll get popcorn.

Usually the judge will issue some sort of explanation, I believe?

[Mrs. Overall]

6. That confused me as well. Do any DUers understand the details of why identities will be released?

[safeinOhio]

10. My guess...

it'll be a public trial..

[janx]

18. CNN puts it differently:

US District Judge T.S. Ellis is also ordering the government to tell Manafort's team the nearly 30 witnesses they are going to use in the trial.

In addition, Ellis is expected to rule Monday on Manafort's request to delay the trial, slated to start this week

https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/23/politics/manafort-witnesses-immunity/index.html

[Stallion]

20. We Have Public Trials in the United States

a Defendant has a right to face witnesses against him and the jury gets to decide the credibility of every witness

[Mrs. Overall]

21. I think the confusing part is Mueller's request to not identify the witnesses.

[lagomorph777]

26. I think it's a timed embargo.

Mueller knows the identities will have to be revealed at a certain point in time.

[Achilleaze]

7. The naming of the republican skuzzbucket traitors shall now commence

10...9...8...7...

[Gothmog]

8. This trial will be fun to watch

[Mrs. Overall]

9. UPDATE: Ellis ordered the special counsel on Monday to make public a list of about 30 witnesses.

[mr_lebowski]

11. Not sure that necessarily means that the 5 must be among them (nt)

[Wwcd]

12. Hope TAD's not on it. He deserves to be indicted with his buddy Paul

Mueller has already read the "Dear TAD" Emails from Paul.

Shit is about to hit & good fking riddance to those two Russian scabs.

[Roland99]

22. I'd be avoiding anything above ground floor and not drinking tea!

[SunSeeker]

23. And door knobs...and perfume bottles...

[ScratchCat]

24. Its believed these witnesses are simply

people at the financial institutions who "turned a blind eye" to transfers that they were supposed to report. Because they technically violated federal banking laws, they would be admitting to crimes and are in need of immunity. This isn't going to be a bunch of secret witnesses with (R)'s next to their names. Given that this is their only connection, they didn't want to name these people with the implication they were materially "involved". They may not even need them.

[H2O Man]

25. Beauty!

Recommended.

[FakeNoose]

28. And here we go!

[kimbutgar]

30. Everytime I see that Joker I get uncomfortable.

Couldn’t watch that Batman movie. Heath’s Joker freaked me out looking at him.

[bitterross]

29. That should scare the crap out of somebody. /nt

[Delmette2.0]

31. Will the trial be broadcast?

Hopefully on CSPAN. Does anyone know?