He thought they wouldn’t know
Oopsie. You know how Manafort agreed to a plea deal in exchange for getting some charges dismissed? Well he went and lied to the prosecutors after signing the deal, which means they’re filing those charges again.
Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, repeatedly lied to federal investigators in breach of a plea agreement he signed two months ago, the special counsel’s office said in a court filing late on Monday.
Prosecutors working for the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, said Mr. Manafort’s “crimes and lies” about “a variety of subject matters relieve them of all promises they made to him in the plea agreement. But under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Manafort cannot withdraw his guilty plea.
Manafort’s lawyers said oh no he didn’t.
[A]fter at least a dozen sessions with him, federal prosecutors have not only decided Mr. Manafort does not deserve leniency, but also could seek to refile other charges that they had agreed to dismiss as part of the plea deal.
So much for making a deal.
Crooks to the very end, no matter how foolish it may be. Trump sure surrounds himself with the very bestest.
Interesting thread on this here: https://www.rawstory.com/2018/11/former-federal-prosecutor-explains-trump-committed-crime-promised-pardon-manafort-lied/
On a side note, when Trump tweeted a few days ago about the “chaos” in the Mueller investigation, everyone thought it was just a random bit of projection. But what if it was triggered by someone reporting back to Trump on Manafort’s behavior (note Mariotti’s observation that Manafort’s lawyers were keeping Trump’s lawyers in the loop)? Or perhaps a report from Trump’s stooge ahem sorry acting Attorney General?
Another suggestion about that that I’ve seen is that Whitaker is telling Trump what’s happening in the Mueller investigation.
@Ophelia Oh, I’m sure. But since I doubt the Mueller investigation really is a hot mess, the question is why is Trump painting it that way? Could just be the usual rubber-glue defense about the perennial “chaos in the White House” the media are so fond of in this administration (not without merit, admittedly). I was just speculating that maybe it wasn’t that, instead, it was a gleeful response to hearing that Manafort was leading them a merry dance (in Trump’s opinion).
I for one believe there is chaos in the Mueller investigation, just like there’s chaos when kids are let loose in a chocolate factory. “The choices are unlimited, which to go for first? That one, I want that one..no, hang on, that one looks better…..or, or, oh where to start?”
I’m glad to see the hammer brought down on Manafort, but unfortunately it probably means they got less out of him than expected to use against Trump.
Skeletor, maybe they got enough information of him feeding back details to Trump after his deal that they can now now confidently scrap the agreement.
AoS, I hope you’re right.