Paul Manafort’s trial is set to begin. Here’s what to expect.
The rise and fall of Paul Manafort’s career and lifestyle has been extreme. One day you are sporting a $21,000 watch and an insatiable greed, and the next day you are jailed in solitary confinement, so the other inmates won’t kill you. It isn’t clear where Manafort’s permanent abode will be, but it is looking more likely that he will spend the rest of his life incarcerated, as he faces up to 300 years of prison.
Manafort’s summer trial starts next Wednesday in Alexandria, VA. This trial will focus on financial charges including bank and tax fraud. But it is not the only trial on Manafort’s dance card. There is another criminal trial scheduled in Washington D.C. for September 17th, and it will focus on allegations of Manafort lobbying for a foreign government. So Manafort gets two coming out parties, one in summer and another in the fall.
Jury Selection or voir dire will be the first stage of Manafort’s upcoming trial. Likely, political polarization will be the main focus of both attorneys as they choose whom to strike from the jury pool. The prosecution will want to choose moderates who can rise above party affiliation to objectively hear the evidence, while the defense will want to pick those who are staunchly loyal to the Republican Party and conservative values.
There is some connection to Donald Trump involving Manafort’s finances, such as the “pay for play” scheme between Manafort and a banking executive. Manafort wanted $16 million dollars in loans and the executive reportedly wanted a position on Trump’s staff. However, the focus of the trial will likely be on Manafort himself. Once Manafort is sentenced, perhaps Mueller will try to leverage that anticipated win to obtain more information about Trump’s activities.
