The judge has warned that he doesn't want the trial to become about politics, and rejected Manafort's request to ask jurors if they voted in 2016. Zehnle did not name the presidents that Manafort worked for, however, although he also hinted at Manafort's Republican leanings. There was one hint at Trump's connection to Manafort on Tuesday - during opening arguments, Manafort's lawyer Tom Zehnle told the jury that Manafort was a "talented political consultant and a good man" who had worked for multiple presidents. A loss would give significant fuel to Mueller's critics. A jury verdict for Mueller's office would undercut Trump and his allies' challenges to the legitimacy of the investigation. It's the first case brought by Mueller's office to go before a jury the rest of the cases out of the special counsel's office resolved via plea deals or are still pending. The case isn't about whether Russia interfered with the election, or whether Trump attempted to obstruct Mueller's investigation.īut the trial also has everything to do with Trump. There are no charges related to the time Manafort spent as Trump's campaign manager in 2016. On its face, the case against Manafort in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia has nothing to do with Trump: Manafort is charged with filing false income tax returns, failing to report foreign bank accounts to US authorities, and bank fraud. He did not return a call from Seven Days.The jury weighing the criminal charges against Paul Manafort did not hear two names during the first day of trial Tuesday: President Donald Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller. Since the emails' contents have not been released, it's unclear why Devine was exchanging Ukraine-related communications long after his supposed departure and less than six months before he joined the Sanders campaign in late 2014.ĭevine is a prinicipal in the Washington, D.C., political consulting firm Devine Mulvey Longabaugh, which operates domestically and internationally. (Gates and Kilimnik have also been indicted by Mueller Gates has reached a plea agreement and is cooperating with the investigation.) Five of the emails included in the exhibit list were sent in 2014 - after Yanukovych's ouster - by Devine to Manafort associates Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik. Manafort, et al re Job Well Done."Īccording to the New York Times, Devine severed ties with Yanukovych in 2012 after the Ukrainian leader jailed a political opponent. Manafort re Election Night Speech" and "2010.02.15 Email T. The exhibit list includes the names of senders and recipients and subject lines. The contents of the documents were not disclosed. The office of special prosecutor Robert Mueller released a list of more than 500 potential exhibits Thursday the list includes 16 emails, email chains, memos and invoices involving Devine, Manafort and others in the years 2006, 2010. Manafort faces trial in federal court starting July 24 on bank fraud and tax-related charges. Yanukovych fled to Russia he is wanted in Ukraine on charges of high treason. Yanukovych won in 2010, but he was forced from power in 2014 after concerns about his pro-Russian policies sparked a popular uprising. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2016 campaign for president, got an unwelcome reminder of his political past Thursday: His name appears on numerous exhibits in the prosecution of Paul Manafort, the former chair of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.ĭevine worked with Manafort on the 20 campaigns of Viktor Yanukovych for president of Ukraine. Tad Devine, who served as senior adviser to Sen.
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