Paul Manafort’s endgame gets desperate
The trial of Paul Manafort continued on Monday. The main witness was none other than Rick Gates. Gates did Manafort no favors with his testimony, which is damning to him and to Manafort. For example, when asked by Assistant United States Attorney Greg Andres, “Did you commit any crimes with Mr. Manafort?” Gates simply answered, “Yes.”
Gates also informed the courtroom that on many occasions, Manafort instructed him to send wire transfers and did not submit the required forms because Manafort instructed him not to do so. Gates admitted to embezzling funds and committing other crimes. The latter might be because if Gates were to hold back on direct, attorneys for Manafort would have a field day attacking the credibility of Gates. In addition, as part of his proffer and discussions with the federal government, he most likely was told that if he lied on the stand, not only would he be seriously impeached, but he would also lose any negotiating power he might have with his deal.
Between the testimony from Gates and Manafort’s accountant, who also testified recently, Manafort appears to be in a major bind. If he does not try to deal at this point, unless the jury is not paying attention or strays, Manafort is facing some serious legal exposure, and likely to spend the rest of his life in jail if convicted.
Whether he would consider cutting a deal with the government and turning on his long-time friend and business partner, Donald J. Trump, remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Manafort had a very bad day in court on Monday, and more is likely to come out in the days ahead of the prosecution’s case. Manafort might at some point consider turning on Trump and his family. The plot thickens.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.