DragonI

Judge voids Paul Manafort plea deal, says he 'intentionally' lied to the FBI, special counsel and grand jury

Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, lied to special counsel Robert Mueller, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

www.cnn.com|Katelyn Polantz, CNN

1. Manafort was working with former Russian GRU Intelligence Officer  Konstantin Kilimnik while he was Trump’s Campaign Manager
2. Manafort continued working with the Russians while he was ‘co-operating’ with the Mueller investigation. Including former Russian intelligence officer Victor Boyarkin on behalf of Russian Oligarch Oleg Deripaska
3. Manafort was working with Trump’s lawyers including Rudy Giuliani while he was ‘co-operating’ with the Mueller investigation

Manafort is still bound by what he agreed to in the plea, so he will not be able to retract his guilty pleas. But the finding frees Mueller's office from its contractual obligations in the plea, like asking for a reduced sentence for him because of his cooperation.

Mueller spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment.

Manafort's lawyers have maintained that he did not intentionally lie.  😏

Jackson's ruling is another stunning turn in Mueller's efforts to uncover Russian interference in the 2016 election, as the first man the special counsel indicted then pursued as a potential cooperator for a year sees the end of any benefits he tried to gain through a guilty plea.

Manafort was convicted of various financial crimes in August, and then cut the deal to plead guilty to two charges of conspiracy and witness tampering in September.

In all, Jackson determined Manafort intentionally lied about $125,000 he received for the legal bills, about another unnamed Justice Department criminal investigation and about his interactions with his longtime Russian associate Konstantin Kilimnik while he was campaign chairman and later.

Jackson noted twice in her order that two of the topics Paul Manafort lied about, Kilimnik and payments he received for his legal bills were "material to the investigation."

Paul Manafort Flips: Former Trump Campaign Manager Cooperation Deal With Mueller Probe Includes "Any and All Matters"

This development "should make President Donald Trump very nervous indeed."

www.commondreams.org

1. Roger Stone who Manafort has known since college and worked for since Stone was 24 yrs old #RichardNixon
2. Manafort has known Donald J Trump since the 1980′s through Stone
3. Roger Stone recommended Trump hire Manafort
4. Cambridge Analytica: Jared Kushner and Manafort hired Cambridge. This was before Steve Bannon joined Trump. And before Robert Mercer and Rebekah Mercer began financing Trump’s campaign.
5. Russian Oligarchs - too many
6. Why he helped change the GOP platform to be PRO Russian
7. Jeff Sessions and Michael Flynn involvement with Russians
8. Trump Tower meeting with Russians - Manafort attended with Donald Trump Jr and Jared Kushner *** Hillary’s emals
9. Back channel to Russia and Putin
10. ...

According to reporting, Manafort has already provided information to federal investigators – part of the ongoing probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

It’s enormously important news for the Russia investigation. Many have long speculated that the special counsel’s main aim in charging Manafort with financial and lobbying crimes was to pressure him to "flip" — so he'd agree to provide information related to their true concern of whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to interfere with the election.

Now, it's happened. And that should make President Donald Trump very nervous indeed.

Rudy Giuliani admits Trump's lawyers have a confidential backchannel to Paul Manafort

Rudy Giuliani has admitted that President Donald Trump’s legal team has a backchannel to communicate with Paul Manafort, the convicted felon who also previously served as Trump’s campaign chairman in 2016.

www.rawstory.com

In an interview with Politico, Giuliani said that Trump’s legal team and Manafort’s have a joint defense agreement that allows them to share confidential information with one another.

“All during the investigation we have an open communication with them,” he said. “Defense lawyers talk to each other all the time where as long as our clients authorize it therefore we have a better idea of what’s going to happen. That’s very common.”

Giuliani confirmed he spoke with Manafort's lead defense lawyer Kevin Downing shortly before and after the verdicts were returned in the Virginia trial, but the former mayor wouldn’t say what he discusses with the Manafort team. “It’d all be attorney-client privilege, not just from our point of view but from theirs," he said.