Attorneys for ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort suggested during closing arguments Wednesday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team had improperly ensnared their client in the ongoing Russia probe, prompting a last-minute recess in the case after prosecutors cried foul.
The drama unfolded as closing arguments wrapped up after nearly four hours. Jury deliberations are now set to begin at 9:30 a.m. EST on Thursday. A unanimous verdict from the 12 jurors is required to convict Manafort on each of the 18 counts against him.
Manafort attorney Richard Westling on Wednesday told jurors that banks had not reported any problems with Manafort to regulators “until the special counsel came and asked questions,” and accused prosecutors of “stacking” charges against Manafort. And another defense attorney, Kevin Downing, said several times the prosecution should have been handled by an IRS audit, rather than a high-profile federal prosecution by the special counsel’s office.
Prosecutors said both arguments violated a pretrial agreement not to discuss the larger political context of the case. Later in the day, during jury instructions that lasted well over an hour, Judge T.S. Ellis told jurors to ignore the defense team’s suggestion that the Mueller prosecution was politically motivated.
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“The government was so desperate to convict Mr. Manafort, they made a deal with Rick Gates,” Downing told jurors, adding that Gates “showed himself to be the liar he is” and that “to the very end, he lied to you.” – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Mueller’s prosecutors rested their case Monday, day 10 of the bank fraud and tax evasion trial against Paul Manafort playing out in an Alexandria, VA courtroom.
Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces 305 years in prison if convicted on all 18 counts.
In contrast, 5 Muslims who set up a terrorist training camp in New Mexico were released on bond by a judge.
Muslim Siraj Ibn Wahhaj was arrested earlier this month at a terrorist compound in New Mexico.
Wahhaj was training children to commit mass shootings at US schools.
Siraj ibn Wahhaj is the son of a Brooklyn imam who was named as a possible co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. – READ MORE
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