Prosecutors use emails to build case against key Trump ally
Prosecutors cracked open a trove of emails and other communications at a federal trial on Thursday that they say shows how the former chair of Donald Trumpโs inaugural committee worked behind the scenes in 2016 to get the future president to embrace the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
news.yahoo.comFormer Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort says an inmate named 'Ralph' invited him to the 'Italian table' in prison and became his 'mentor'
Manafort ate his meals with "real characters" in prison, he wrote in his memoir. Were they Goodfellas? He didn't say that, exactly. But they were "all nice people."
news.yahoo.comTrump aide Manafort removed from plane for revoked passport
Former Trump adviser Paul Manafort was removed from a plane at Miami International Airport before it took off for Dubai because he carried a revoked passport, officials said Wednesday. Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta confirmed that Manafort was removed from the Emirates Airline flight without incident Sunday night but directed further questions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. A lawyer who has represented Manafort did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment Wednesday.
news.yahoo.comJustice Department inspector general tells lawmakers he will examine the Trump administration's treatment of Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, but stops short of promising full investigations
Inspector General Michael Horowitz said he would look into the cases as part of a broader review of "home confinement" policies during the pandemic.
news.yahoo.comLawyers deny spy suspect discussed fleeing to evade arrest
Lawyers for a Maryland woman charged along with her husband in a scheme to sell Navy submarine secrets to a foreign government are pushing back on prosecutorsโ arguments that she was motivated to leave the United States because she was afraid of getting caught.
Chicago banker convicted in loans-for-Trump job scheme
A Manhattan jury on Tuesday convicted a Chicago banker of criminal charges for enabling Paul Manafort to get $16 million in loans before the former campaign manager for ex-President Donald Trump helped him get an interview for a job in the Trump administration. The jury returned its verdict in federal court, convicting Stephen Calk of financial institution bribery and conspiracy charges. Calkโs lawyers had maintained their client did nothing illegal in the weeks after Trump won the presidential election in November 2016.
news.yahoo.comDeadlocked FEC reportedly declines to investigate Donald Trump Jr.'s Trump Tower meeting with Russians
The Federal Election Commission deadlocked 3-3 against opening an investigation into whether Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort illegally solicited foreign assistance during a Trump Tower meeting with Russian envoys in June 2016, Axios reports. The vote split along party lines, with the three Democratic commissioners voting to approve an investigation of campaign finance violations and the three Republican commissioners voting against it, reportedly on the technical grounds that the five-year statute of limitations expires in a few months. The tie means the FEC will drop the matter. The Trump campaign's motive for taking the meeting was to get proffered dirt on 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The FEC is working through a backlog of 2016 complaints, though little enforcement action is expected from any of the cases. All but one of the outstanding complaints have to do with former President Donald Trump's campaign. The deadlocked FEC also recently rejected an investigation into Trump's hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels right before the 2016 election. The FEC declined to comment on the Trump Tower case, but Democracy 21, one of the groups that filed the complaint, told Axios it had been notified of the case's closure. "There was nothing surprising about the notification," said Democracy 21's Fred Wertheimer. "Everyone in the system knows that the FEC will not enforce the law because the Republican commissioners do not want to enforce the law." More stories from theweek.comThe doom-loop of a falling fertility rateThe real reason Liz Cheney lost her jobDemocrats are fiddling while Republicans prepare to burn down Rome
news.yahoo.com15-Year-Old Boy, 52-Year-Old Woman Fall Victims in Separate Anti-Asian Incidents in NYC
A teen boy and a middle-aged woman were reportedly targeted in separate anti-Asian incidents in New York City over the weekend. The cases, which both occurred on Saturday, are now under investigation by the New York Police Department's Hate Crime Task Force, according to the New York Post.
news.yahoo.comNew York Assembly hires top law firm for Cuomo investigation
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks before getting vaccinated at a church in the Harlem section of New York, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, Pool)ALBANY, N.Y. โ New Yorkโs Assembly has hired a top Manhattan law firm to assist in its impeachment investigation of Gov. The Manhattan firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, which has more than 900 attorneys and offices around the world, will lead the probe, said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Lavine. โSince Thursday, Chairman Lavine led a vigorous search for a top-flight firm to assist with the investigation. AdAttorney General Letitia James is also investigating claims that the governor sexually harassed or inappropriately touched female aides.
Putin pushed Biden misinformation to Trump allies and media in 2020 election, U.S. says
Derkach, who has ties to Russian intelligence, is known to have met with Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, who for months promoted discredited allegations against Biden, now president, and his son Hunter Biden. Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, authorized intelligence assets to promote misinformation during the 2020 election cycle about Joe Biden through U.S. media and people close to then-President Donald Trump to try to boost Trump's reelection chances, a U.S. intelligence report said. The intelligence report points directly at Putin, saying that the Russian leader and "other senior Russian officials were aware of and probably directed Russia's influence operations against the 2020 Presidential election." House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Tuesday, "The Intelligence Community Assessment released today underscores what we all knew already โ that Russia interfered to support former President Trump, hurt President Biden, and undermine confidence in our electoral process." "Individuals close to the former president were targeted by agents of Russian intelligence including Andriy Derkach and Konstantin Kilimnik, who laundered misinformation into our political system, with the intent of denigrating now-President Biden and damaging his candidacy."
cnbc.comPaul Manafort can't be prosecuted in NY after Trump pardon, double jeopardy ruling stands
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is escorted into court for his arraignment in New York Supreme Court, June 27, 2019. The New York Court of Appeals last week refused to hear an appeal of lower-court rulings that had barred Manafort's prosecution by the Manhattan district attorney's office on the grounds of double jeopardy. The decision by the state's highest court comes less than two months after then-President Trump pardoned Manafort for his federal convictions. Vance's office is currently considering whether to prosecute another 2016 Trump campaign chief, Steven Bannon, who himself recently was pardoned by Trump while facing federal fraud charges in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. Because Bannon was not even tried yet in that case, much less convicted, the issue of double jeopardy is not expected to preclude him being prosecuted by Vance.
cnbc.comTrump pardons ex-strategist Steve Bannon, dozens of others
Trump is expected to pardon Bannon, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, as part of a flurry of last-minute clemency action that appears to be still in flux in the last hours of his presidency. Trump did not pardon himself, despite speculation that he would, in the face of potential federal investigations. Another was Ken Kurson, a friend of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner who was charged last October with cyberstalking during a heated divorce. Bannon was charged in August with duping thousands of donors who believed their money would be used to fulfill Trumpโs chief campaign promise to build a wall along the southern border. โSteve Bannon is getting a pardon from Trump after defrauding Trumpโs own supporters into paying for a wall that Trump promised Mexico would pay for,โ Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said on Twitter.
Trump wishes Biden luck without naming him in farewell video
President Trump is seen on a network monitor after his pre-recorded farewell speech was released, inside the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. โThis week we inaugurate a new administration and pray for its success in keeping America safe and prosperous," Trump said in the video โfarewell address," released by the White House Tuesday afternoon. Trump spent much of the address trumpeting what he sees as his top achievements, including efforts to normalize relations in the Middle East, the development of coronavirus vaccinations and the creation of a new Space Force. Trump is set to leave Washington early Wednesday morning and has been planning a grand farewell event at nearby Joint Base Andrews. That threw an already paralyzed White House into even further chaos.
Lingering questions about how Trump will finish out his term
A U.S. Secret Service guard stands post at the North Portico of the White House, after the U.S. House impeached President Donald Trump in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Trump did not make a concession phone call or invite Biden to the White House after his victory. But last week the White House invited Biden to spend the night of Jan. 19 at Blair House. Officials do not expect Trump to invite Biden to the White House for the traditional pre-inauguration tea on Wednesday, but they said it is still a remote possibility. With Trump skipping the event, White House officials say Trump has not decided yet how and when he will leave the White House for his residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
After pardon, Blackwater guard defiant: โI acted correctlyโ
In this Dec. 31, 2020, file photo pardoned Blackwater contractor Evan Liberty poses for a photo in Washington. The Blackwater contractors meet none of that criteria. They were convicted in the killings of unarmed Iraqi women and children and have long been defiant in their assertions of innocence. โI feel like I acted correctly,โ he said of his conduct in 2007. He says he's grateful to his supporters and to Trump for what he calls a โsecond chance at life."
Trump's pardons reward close ties and "absolute loyalty"
Paul Manafort, once a pivotal player in President Trump's 2016 campaign, was one of the 26 new pardons issued by the president Wednesday. Political operative Roger Stone and Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, also received pardons. The president's controversial new pardons have been met with pushback from some Republicans, including Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse who called the pardons "rotten to the core." Doing everything they can to not say what they knew about Donald Trump," Garrett said. Garrett said the rift between Republicans and President Trump could have bigger implications when it comes to the future of the Republican Party.
cbsnews.comMangino column: Trumpโs pardons reveal extraordinary abuse of power
President Donald Trump, in an attempt to shield himself from potential prosecution, just pardoned Paul Manafort and Roger Stone. Stone was convicted last year of making false statements, obstruction and witness tampering as revealed in the Mueller investigation. Paul Rosenzweig, a prosecutor during the Clinton Whitewater investigation, wrote in The Atlantic that during the Constitutional Convention the presidentโs pardon power was hotly contested. Mason worried that the president โought not to have the power of pardoning, because he may frequently pardon crimes which were advised by himself. That leaves the only limits on his power, public scorn and his legacy - neither of which Trump seems to care anything about.
monroenews.comTrump grants more pardons, including for Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
President Trump announced 26 new pardons Wednesday, including for allies Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, as well as Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner. Mr. Trump had already commuted the sentence of Stone, a longtime friend, in July. Stone was convicted of seven felony counts stemming from Mueller's investigation, including lying to investigators and witness tampering. Mr. Trump pardoned other allies and former Republican members of Congress earlier this week. But Mr. Trump cannot protect his allies from state prosecution, which could be around the corner.
cbsnews.comTrump grants more pardons, including for Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
President Trump announced 26 new pardons Wednesday, including for allies Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, as well as Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner. Mr. Trump had already commuted the sentence of Stone, a longtime friend, in July. Stone was convicted of seven felony counts stemming from Mueller's investigation, including lying to investigators and witness tampering. Mr. Trump pardoned other allies and former Republican members of Congress earlier this week. But Mr. Trump cannot protect his allies from state prosecution, which could be around the corner.
cbsnews.comTrump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone of charges in Robert Mueller Russia probe
Trump pardons Paul Manafort, Roger Stone of charges in Robert Mueller Russia probe President Trump announced controversial new pardons for key 2016 campaign figures Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, charged by special counsel Robert Mueller in the Russia probe. They're the latest in the president's trend of showing clemency to those in his inner circle. Paula Reid reports from West Palm Beach, Florida.
cbsnews.comEye Opener: Trump pardons former advisers convicted in Russia probe
Eye Opener: Trump pardons former advisers convicted in Russia probe President Trump announced another round of pardons and commutations on Wednesday, with former advisers Paul Manafort and Roger Stone both on the list. Also, American airports are buzzing with travelers despite warnings from health officials. All that and all that matters in today's Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds.
cbsnews.comNew round of Trump clemency benefits Manafort, other allies
FILE - In this Thursday, June 27, 2019 file photo, Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York. President Trump's former campaign manager is to be arraigned on state mortgage fraud charges. Manafort, who led Trump's campaign during a pivotal period in 2016 before being ousted over his ties to Ukraine, was among the first people charged as part of Muellerโs investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Though the charges against Manafort did not concern the central thrust of Mueller's mandate โ whether the Trump campaign and Russia colluded to tip the election โ he was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the investigation. Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.
A look at the 29 people Trump pardoned or gave commutations
Trump commuted his sentence in July just days before he was scheduled to report to federal prison. The president commuted her sentence; the White House said the commutation was supported by several former U.S. attorneys general. A White House news release praised the men as โmodel prisoners,โ who had earned support and praise from other inmates. She was in the White House when Trump signed the overhaul measure, known as the First Step Act, into law. Black was a co-defendant in the case and was also convicted; Trump previously pardoned him.
Trump grants pardons to Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
Trump grants pardons to Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner President Trump announced 26 new pardons Wednesday, including for allies Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, as well as Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner. Mr. Trump granted 15 pardons the day before. CBSN's Lana Zak reports.
cbsnews.comTrump grants more pardons, including for Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
President Trump announced 26 new pardons Wednesday, including for allies Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, as well as Jared Kushner's father, Charles Kushner. Mr. Trump had already commuted the sentence of Stone, a longtime friend, in July. Stone was convicted of seven felony counts stemming from Mueller's investigation, including lying to investigators and witness tampering. Mr. Trump pardoned other allies and former Republican members of Congress earlier this week. But Mr. Trump cannot protect his allies from state prosecution, which could be around the corner.
cbsnews.comTrump pardons former campaign chairman Paul Manafort
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump on Wednesday pardoned former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, in the latest wave of clemency to benefit longtime associates and supporters. Manafort, who led Trumpโs campaign during a pivotal 2016 period before being ousted over his ties to Ukraine, had been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for financial crimes related to his work in Ukraine. He was among the first people charged as part of Muellerโs investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Though the charges against Manafort did not concern the central thrust of Muellerโs mandate โ whether the Trump campaign and Russia colluded to tip the election โ he was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the investigation.
Trump issues 26 more pardons, including Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Charles Kushner
WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump issued 26 pardons on Wednesday night, including ones to son-in-law Jared Kushner's father, and to his 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort and Republican political operative Roger Stone. "This is rotten to the core," Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said of the latest pardons, which were announced after Trump departed the White House for his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. "Words cannot fully convey how grateful we are," the long-time Republican operative wrote. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close Trump ally, had said in March 2019 that "pardoning Manafort would be seen as a political disaster for the president." Earlier this year, Trump commuted his longtime friend Stone's more than three-year sentence less than a week before the Republican operative was due to report to prison.
cnbc.comNew round of Trump clemency benefits Manafort, other allies
FILE - In this Thursday, June 27, 2019 file photo, Paul Manafort arrives in court in New York. President Trump's former campaign manager is to be arraigned on state mortgage fraud charges. Manafort, who led Trump's campaign during a pivotal period in 2016 before being ousted over his ties to Ukraine, was among the first people charged as part of Muellerโs investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Though the charges against Manafort did not concern the central thrust of Mueller's mandate โ whether the Trump campaign and Russia colluded to tip the election โ he was nonetheless a pivotal figure in the investigation. Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009.
Trump expected to flex pardon powers on way out door
WASHINGTON โ Advocates and lawyers anticipate a flurry of clemency action from President Donald Trump in the coming weeks that could test the limits of presidential pardon power. No, Mr. President, that would be a gross abuse of the presidential pardon authority,โ Schumer said. Trump then featured Johnson's story in a Super Bowl ad and pardoned her during this year's Republican National Convention. He has participated in several meetings at the White House during Trump's term as officials brainstormed potential changes to the formal clemency process. โFor those people that should be free," he said, Trump's friends-and-family approach to pardons is "a deep and real tragedy."
Appeals court says Manhattan DA can't prosecute former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort due to double jeopardy rule
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is escorted into court for his arraignment in New York Supreme Court, June 27, 2019. A New York state court appeals panel ruled Thursday that Paul Manafort, the disgraced former chief of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, cannot be prosecuted on state criminal charges related to the same conduct that led to his federal criminal convictions. The ruling upheld a decision last December by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Maxwell Wiley, which said that the rule of double jeopardy barred Manafort from being prosecuted for mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.'s office. "As the Appellate Division held, the People's arguments 'fall far short' of triggering an exception to double jeopardy that would justify this prosecution." The longtime Republican operative was charged with state crimes in an indictment obtained by Vance right after being sentenced on the federal charges in 2019.
cnbc.comCourt won't revive state fraud charges against Manafort
NEW YORK โ A New York court on Thursday upheld a decision dismissing state mortgage fraud charges against Paul Manafort on double jeopardy grounds, affirming a lower court judge's finding that they mirrored the federal charges that landed President Donald Trumpโs former campaign chairman behind bars. A four-judge panel in the state's intermediate appeals court ruled that Manhattan prosecutors failed to show that the state charges they brought against Manafort last year warranted an exception to state double jeopardy protections. Manhattan Judge Maxwell Wiley had reached the same conclusion in December, explaining at the time that "the law of double jeopardy in New York state provides a very narrow window for prosecution." Manafort was convicted in federal court on charges alleging he misled the U.S. government about lucrative foreign lobbying work, hid millions of dollars from tax authorities and encouraged witnesses to lie on his behalf. Manafort was convicted of eight counts of tax and bank fraud, and a jury was hung on 10 other counts.
How a probe of Trump-Russia ties turned into a GOP rally cry
Yet in the 2020 campaign, Democrats are largely ignoring the Russia probe. While some of the revelations from the steady drip of newly declassified documents are serious, they do not undercut the reasons the Russia probe was launched or its principal findings. Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr has appointed a prosecutor to investigate the origins of the Russia probe. Meanwhile, attacking the Russia probe is a core part of Trump's campaign. Those attacks on the Russia probe may not win over many undecided voters.
Bank shares slide on report of rampant money laundering
Shares of Deutsche Bank dropped 8.3%. Deutsche Bank has been under scrutiny for years. Deutsche Bank neither admitted nor denied the allegations in the settlement. The London bank HSBC, Europe's largest acknowledged in 2012 that it had laundered at least $881 million for Latin American drug cartels. However, according to the report, HSBC continued to manage money for shady clients, including suspected Russian money launderers and a Ponzi scheme under investigation in multiple countries.
Appeals court keeps Flynn case alive, won't order dismissal
FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2019 file photo, Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, leaves the federal court following a status conference in Washington. The arrest of President Donald Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon adds to a growing list of Trump associates ensnared in legal trouble. They include the president's former campaign chair, Paul Manafort, whom Bannon replaced, his longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)WASHINGTON A federal appeals court won't order the dismissal of the Michael Flynn prosecution, ruling Monday that a judge is entitled to scrutinize the Justice Department's request to dismiss its case against the former Trump administration national security adviser. In May, the Justice Department moved to dismiss the prosecution even though Flynn himself had pleaded guilty and admitted lying to the FBI during the Russia investigation.
Pandemic raises fears for pregnant U.S. inmates
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Guadalupe Velazquez has a college degree, owns a flooring company and is pregnant with a baby girl due next month. A nearby halfway house run by the same company has reported a COVID-19 case, and Velazquezs pregnant roommate was transferred from a Texas prison where another pregnant woman died of COVID-19. Im proud of this, McLearen said, referring to the number of pregnant inmates moved out of prisons. If Paul Manafort is vulnerable, then so is every pregnant woman, said Kevin Ring, who leads the non-profit organization Families Against Mandatory Minimums. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said pregnant women have a higher risk of severe illness when infected with viruses that are similar to COVID-19.Congress has given federal prison authorities more discretion to send inmates home during the pandemic.
feeds.reuters.comPandemic raises fears for pregnant U.S. inmates
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Guadalupe Velazquez has a college degree, owns a flooring company and is pregnant with a baby girl due next month. A nearby halfway house run by the same company has reported a COVID-19 case, and Velazquezs pregnant roommate was transferred from a Texas prison where another pregnant woman died of COVID-19. Im proud of this, McLearen said, referring to the number of pregnant inmates moved out of prisons. If Paul Manafort is vulnerable, then so is every pregnant woman, said Kevin Ring, who leads the non-profit organization Families Against Mandatory Minimums. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said pregnant women have a higher risk of severe illness when infected with viruses that are similar to COVID-19.Congress has given federal prison authorities more discretion to send inmates home during the pandemic.
feeds.reuters.comFormer Trump campaign aide Manafort released to home confinement: ABC News
FILE PHOTO: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, exits the courtroom after his arraignment in New York Supreme Court in New York, U.S., June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo MunozWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trumps former campaign manager Paul Manafort has been released to serve his prison term at home due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing two sources familiar with the matter. Representatives for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lawyers for the 71-year-old had told the bureau in an April letter that he has high blood pressure, liver disease and respiratory ailments. A number of other high-profile federal inmates have also requested to be released from prison amid the outbreak, which has sickened hundreds of inmates and staff, and led to a number of deaths amid the close quarters.
feeds.reuters.comEx-Trump campaign boss Paul Manafort released as coronavirus spreads in prisons
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort exits the courtroom after his arraignment in New York Supreme Court in New York, June 27, 2019. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his 7-year sentence in home confinement amid fears about the spread of the coronavirus, NBC News reported Wednesday. Manafort was released from a federal correctional institution in Loretto, Pennsylvania, early Wednesday morning, a source familiar with the case told NBC. Manafort was slated to be released from prison in November 2024, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. He was hospitalized in December after experiencing a medical issue in the federal prison in Pennsylvania.
cnbc.comPaul Manafort's lawyers ask to transfer him to home confinement over COVID-19 concerns
Lawyers for ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort are asking for his immediate transfer to home confinement, in light of the threat they say COVID-19 poses to his health. He has been serving a seven-year sentence at a federal prison in Loretto, Pennsylvania, for bank fraud and tax evasion. Barr instructed the Bureau of Prisons to increase the use of home confinement among older inmates with underlying conditions as a means to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the country's prison system. They noted that he was hospitalized for several days in December for a heart condition, and in February, he became ill with influenza and bronchitis. These are facilities where inmates have already died of COVID-19.
cbsnews.comEx-U.S. Treasury employee pleads guilty to leaks linked to Russia probe
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former U.S. Treasury Department employee on Monday pleaded guilty to leaking confidential documents relating to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and others to a reporter from digital media company BuzzFeed. Edwards lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, told reporters after the hearing that his client believed she had good reason for disclosing the reports. As part of her plea agreement, she has given up the right to appeal any sentence of six months or less. Prosecutors said beginning in October 2017, Edwards disclosed suspicious activity reports connected to Manafort, his longtime associate Rick Gates, the Russian embassy and others. Manafort was convicted in Virginia of financial fraud in August 2018 and is now serving a 7-1/2-year prison sentence.
feeds.reuters.comEx-Treasury official pleads guilty to SARS leaks about former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, Russians
A former U.S. Treasury official pleaded guilty Monday to illegally leaking highly confidential documents about suspicious financial transactions of ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort and others to reporters at BuzzFeed News. The official, Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, leaked so-called suspicious activity reports, or SARS, starting in October 2017 about Manafort, his business associate and fellow Trump campaign official Rick Gates, Russian agent Maria Butina, the Russian Embassy in Washington and a suspected Russian money laundering entity. Edwards, 41, continued leaking the sensitive documents for the next year. A criminal complaint filed against Edwards in October 2018 says she had "hundreds of electronic communications" with a reporter, "many via an encrypted application." After Edwards began leaking the documents, the journalist wrote articles which mentioned the details of those reports, the complaint said.
cnbc.comNew York fraud charges against Paul Manafort, ex-Trump campaign chairman, dismissed by judge
New York Judge Maxwell Wiley dismissed state charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort Wednesday on double-jeopardy grounds. Manafort had been scheduled to appear in criminal court Wednesday on charges of mortgage fraud and other financial crimes filed in New York state court by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. The Manhattan district attorney's office plans to appeal the decision. The ex-Trump campaign chairman is already serving a 7-year sentence after being convicted on federal charges of bank fraud, tax evasion, conspiring against the U.S. and conspiring to obstruct justice. The indictment was filed in the New York State Supreme Court in March.
cbsnews.comJudge dismisses New York state criminal charges against ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort on double jeopardy grounds
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is escorted into court for his arraignment in New York Supreme Court, June 27, 2019. A judge on Wednesday dismissed New York state criminal charges filed against former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort on double jeopardy grounds thwarting an effort to ensure Manafort remains behind bars even if President Donald Trump ends up pardoning him for federal crimes that he was convicted of previously. Manafort's lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that the state charges were barred by double jeopardy which prevents a defendant from being prosecuted twice for the same crime because they related to mortgage applications that were the subject of Manafort's federal trial last year. Blanche said, "We have said since the day this indictment was made public that it was politically motivated and violated New York's statutory double jeopardy law." "We thank Judge Wiley for his careful consideration of our motion and his thoughtful opinion dismissing the charges against Mr. Manafort," Blanche said.
cnbc.comEx-Trump aide Manafort in hospital due to cardiac incident: lawyer
FILE PHOTO: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, exits the courtroom after his arraignment in New York Supreme Court in New York, U.S., June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz(Reuters) - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was convicted of numerous federal crimes last year, is in a hospital after suffering a cardiac incident in prison, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Of course, his family and friends are extremely concerned about his health and still do not have a full understanding of his medical condition or well-being, Blanche said. Blanche is representing Manafort against criminal charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney separately from his federal case. Manafort worked for President Donald Trumps White House campaign for five months until August 2016, including a stint as chairman.
feeds.reuters.comRick Gates, ex-Trump official who aided Mueller probe, sentenced to 45 days in jail
Washington Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign official and onetime business partner of Paul Manafort, was sentenced to 45 days in jail on counts of conspiracy and lying to federal investigators. Gates, 47, appeared in federal court in Washington to learn his sentence Tuesday. Rick Gates arrives at federal court in Washington for his sentencing on Tuesday, December 17, 2019. Jose Luis Magana / APGates was Manafort's right-hand man and became his deputy when Manafort was named chairman of the Trump campaign in 2016. In the case of former Trump adviser Roger Stone, Gates testified he overheard a phone call between Stone and then-candidate Trump talking about Wikileaks in July 2016.
cbsnews.comPaul Manafort hospitalized after medical issue in prison, ex-Trump campaign chief to miss NY court hearing
Paul Manafort arrives in court, Thursday, June 27, 2019 in New York. President Trump's former campaign manager is to be arraigned on state mortgage fraud charges. Former Trump presidential campaign chief Paul Manafort was hospitalized after experiencing a medical issue in the federal prison in Pennsylvania where he is serving a 7-year sentence, and will not appear at a scheduled hearing Wednesday in New York state criminal court, his lawyer said Tuesday. However, that hearing in Manhattan is still scheduled to take place. At the hearing, a judge is expected to rule on Manafort's motion to dismiss state charges of mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records.
cnbc.comEx-Trump campaign deputy chairman Rick Gates sentenced to 45 'intermittent' days in jail, 3 years' probation after Mueller cooperation
Rick Gates, former campaign aide to U.S. President Donald Trump, departs federal court after being sentenced to 45 days in jail and three years probation, in Washington, DC, December 17, 2019. Rick Gates, the former deputy campaign chairman and inaugural official for President Donald Trump, was sentenced Tuesday to 45 days in jail to be served intermittently and three years of probation, winning leniency for his "extraordinary" cooperation with federal prosecutors against other Trump associates. Gates will be allowed to serve his jail term on weekends or on a scheduled to be determined later. "Mr. Gates received pressure from Mr. Manafort not to plead, and Mr. Manafort assured that there would be a defense fund if Mr. Gates decided not to plead," assistant U.S. Attorney Molly Gaston told Jackson. Prosecutors last week told Jackson in a court filing that they supported his request for only probation, given his "extraordinary assistance" to them.
cnbc.comPaul Manafort pushed Ukraine hack theory in 2016, according to new Mueller documents
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pushed the idea that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee servers, Manafort's deputy told investigators during the special counsel's Russia probe. The documents included summaries of interviews with other figures from the Mueller probe, including Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Gates also said that another point, Trump told him that more leaks were coming, though the heavily redacted documents do not indicate how Trump knew that. The RNC would put out press releases to amplify the emails' release, Gates told the FBI. Manafort, meanwhile, was trying to advise the Trump campaign even after severing ties with the campaign, causing alarm among some of the candidate's most senior advisers.
cnbc.comEx-Trump aide Manafort not shielded by earlier conviction for similar crimes: N.Y. prosecutors
FILE PHOTO: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, exits the courtroom after his arraignment in New York Supreme Court in New York, U.S., June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File PhotoManaforts lawyers had sought to dismiss the state charges in September, arguing that they subjected him to illegal double jeopardy, or prosecution of a person twice for the same offense. Notably, the District Attorney does not contest that the New York case arises out of the same transaction as the conduct for which Mr. Manafort was previously prosecuted by the Special Counsel. The charges center on mortgage applications to three banks involving properties in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Hamptons and California. Manafort is currently serving a 7-1/2-year sentence following his conviction in the Virginia case and another federal case in Washington related to his lobbying work for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
feeds.reuters.comGreg Craig found not guilty on foreign lobbying charge
(The Mueller team initially had handed the Craig case to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, before the US attorney in Washington took it on.) Spokespeople for the Justice Department and District of Columbia US Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case was a high-profile one for a Justice Department unit that is cracking down on unregistered foreign lobbying. Craig was charged with making a false statement to the Justice Department in describing and hiding that effort. But Craig and his defense lawyers maintained that he would not have thrown away his sterling reputation in Washington by lying to the Justice Department.
Rick Gates back in court to testify against former WH counsel
(CNN) - Top Mueller cooperator and star trial witness Rick Gates had it easier his second time around. Manafort and Gates, who in the summer of 2016 directed Donald Trump's presidential campaign, were two of the highest-profile defendants in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Though Gates has finished helping prosecutors in the Craig case, he could be called to testify again in November against former Trump adviser Roger Stone. That question had been unresolved at the Manafort trial when Gates testified there. Gates' last two yearsGates laughed quickly when asked about the extent of his cooperation with federal prosecutors.
Timeline: Big moments in Mueller investigation of Russian meddling in 2016 U.S. election
- Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos pleads guilty to a charge of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian officials. Aug. 31 - Samuel Patten, an American business partner of Kilimnik, pleads guilty to unregistered lobbying for pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine. Sept. 14 - Manafort pleads guilty to two conspiracy counts and signs a cooperation agreement with Muellers prosecutors. The publisher admits that the payment was aimed at influencing the 2016 election, contradicting Trumps statements. March 24 - Barr releases a summary of the principal conclusions of Muellers report and wrote that the investigation did not establish that members of Trumps election campaign conspired with Russia.
feeds.reuters.comHere's everyone who was charged in the Mueller probe
Gates pleaded guilty on one count of false statements and one count of conspiracy against the U.S. George PapadopoulosFormer Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos Facebook photoThe former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser was charged with making false statements to the FBI, to which he pleaded guilty in 2017. Michael FlynnGettyPresident Trump's former national security adviser was charged with making false statements to the FBI and Department of Justice to which he pleaded guilty to in 2017. Michael CohenGettyPresident Trump's former personal attorney and fixer pleaded guilty in November after being charged with making false statements to Congress. Richard PinedoPinedo, who was caught selling Americans' bank information online, pleaded guilty in February to one count of identity fraud.
cbsnews.comManafort pleads not guilty in NY to fraud charges
The former chairman of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, Manafort is charged by state prosecutors with 16 felony counts, including residential mortgage fraud and falsifying business records. He is currently serving a seven-and-a-half year prison sentence for federal tax fraud, bank fraud and foreign lobbying violations. Manafort will remain in federal custody while the New York state case against him proceeds, a prosecutor from the Manhattan district attorney's office said Thursday. The state charges relate to mortgages Manafort received on properties in the New York area between 2015 and 2017, a time when his foreign lobbying business was drying up. Manafort's lawyer, Todd Blanche, has said he will fight the charges, saying they amount to double jeopardy.
Manafort to be arraigned Thursday in NYC
(CNN) - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will be arraigned Thursday afternoon in New York City on state fraud charges, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN. Manafort is currently in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, a federal prison. The state charges involve some of the same bank loans that led to his conviction by the federal jury last summer. If convicted in New York state, Manafort would be out of reach of a federal pardon. The President's pardon power applies only to federal crimes, such as the ones Manafort is currently in prison for.
Former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort pleads not guilty to New York state criminal charges
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty Thursday afternoon to mortgage fraud and other criminal charges filed by New York state authorities, as his lawyer vowed to challenge the case on grounds of double jeopardy. The New York state charges were announced minutes after he was sentenced for the second of two federal cases in March. A 16-count indictment accuses him with three counts of residential mortgage fraud, a single count of attempted residential mortgage fraud, three counts of conspiracy, eight counts of falsifying business records, and one count of a scheme to defraud. "No one is beyond the law in New York," Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. Vance said in a statement issued in March. That ruling could harm Manafort's challenge to his New York state case.
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