Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I apologize that I'm relying so heavily on articles from the NY Times archives, but they are the easiest to access online.
Here's another article from August 2016 detailing Manafort's involvement in the Ukraine elections and the payments he received that is worth re-reading (or reading for the first time) if you're trying to figure out the Manafort story. Of particular relevance to the 32 indictments today is the mention of the offshore "shell companies" used to funnel money, as that is basically what a lot of the indictments today involved.
I wonder how much information the Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau has shared with Mueller in his investigation. It would be interesting to know if there is any overlap between the shell companies in today's indictments and the shell companies used by Yanukovych and his cronies. Hard to imagine that Mueller isn't all over that one already.
With everything coming out with the Mueller investigations, I think Congress should consider creating a permanent agency to uncover things like organized crime, public corruption, cybercrime, white-collar crime, etc.. They could call it something like, say, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Manafort's daughter wrote her sister after their father started officially working (without salary - maybe that's where Trump got the idea of "donating" his presidential salary) for the Trump campaign - said he and Trump were buddy-buddy and running up and down Trump Tower constantly to see each other ever since Manafort had purchased his apartment there.
That "no salary" was a loss leader to sucker the shopper into the store and then pull a "bait and switch" getting them to buy something they didn't plan on at higher price than they wanted to spend...
Manafort was in DEEP debt to the Ukranians/Russians---I am talking over 16 million dollars owed to the guy running the NG company that he took and then "lost"....
originally he was being sued for the "stolen" funds....
then the charge was pulled and a private settlement was supposedly being done---
just at the time he went to work for Trump...
(Manafort was the CM when DJT2 had the meeting w/the Russian attorney et al in TT).
Manafort becoming CM is no coincidence---that is timing, folks....
taking advantage of a golden opportunity...
Maybe that is the point when Putin realized he could actually put an actor INSIDE Trump's campaign and not just try to influence the election from the outside with troll farms and propaganda efforts---as good as they obviously were/are...since they are still churning out propaganda...
Consider that Manafort was the campaign manager when the plank in the GOP platform was changed to be softer toward Russian/Ukraine's political situation....
There is testimony from someone on the committee who is willing to specify that the change to modify the language DID come from the Trump people---maybe Manafort was paying off couple of million of what he owed by getting that changed to a more moderate POV...
I think the timing of Gates's reported plea deal is very suspicious because it was reportedly happening before the Dutch attorney's plea---
Maybe they discovered based on a full disclosure from him that GATES was withholding info about what he and Manafort had done---
Maybe they got some info about campaign malfeasance/collusion and knew that GATES had not made full disclosure which is what he would have had to do before being given a plea deal...
Once Mueller knew/had evidence that Gates was withholding info germain to any aspect of the investigation there is no way they are going to give him any kind of a plea deal...
Coming out with these charges show that Mueller has no problem becoming a modern-day Torquemada...
Gates may have "screwed the pooch" as they said in "Top Gun" and not be able to get a plea deal that avoids jail time at this point...and he can kiss his money goodby...
His family has gone from cush life to something lot more street level...
He never pulled the money Manafort did because he was the "go-for" guy and looks like neither one believed in living below the income stream...
You'd almost think that Trump looked favorably on those with extensive experience in promoting fraud, when he chose many of his cabinet members and advisers. These are the people who are now running our government. Does Trump want to turn it into something like Putin's Mob, that has taken over Russia?
I am reading that with heavy dose of sarcasm---is that correct???
You'd almost think that Trump looked favorably on those with extensive experience in promoting fraud, when he chose many of his cabinet members and advisers. These are the people who are now running our government. Does Trump want to turn it into something like Putin's Mob, that has taken over Russia?
We knew that Trump would have problems filling positions choosing campaign and cabinet members because he was an outsider but it does appear he purposely chose those with a shady background. There had to be better people out there than Flynn, Manfort and Gates, he had to know some of their background since they moved in similar circles to Trump. How could he not help but be aware of Manafort's participation in Ukraine.
Some key points from the article: Gates stayed on in the Trump campaign after Manafort was fired. After Trump was elected, he worked for a DC lobbying firm "formed to advance President Trump’s agenda" until he was indicted last Fall. Gates was Manafort's right hand man in Ukraine and was often the person who "flew to Moscow for meetings with associates of Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch. " His name is also on documents of the shell corporations Manafort set up in Cypress.
Since the plea bargain is expected to be in exchange for "cooperation" with the investigation, I wonder what information Gates may or may not have agreed to offer up in exchange for the plea bargain. Mueller sure has worked hard to get Gates to switch his plea, so it's a fair assumption that there must be *something* of value Mueller wants from Gates.
I also keep thinking back to Gates' original attorneys who told the judge a few weeks ago that they had to discuss "embarrassing" information that had come to light about Gates with the judge behind closed doors. Wonder what that was all about.
With Manafort approaching 70, there is now a tremendous amount of pressure for him to give up everything he knows, if does in fact have any useful information. If he refuses to cooperate with Mueller, Paul Manafort will literally die in jail.
Here's the big x-factor that I don't see discussed much on here but have seen on other forums: What does he fear more? It is well known that Manafort was and possibly still is involved with some very rich, very dangerous people in Russia and eastern Europe. If he were to "flip," and possibly expose powerful men of the underground world, I wonder how afraid of them Manafort might be. Would he rather spend the rest of his life in jail, in order to possibly keep his family safe? We've all seen the Hollywood movies about the Russian Mafia and how brutal they are. Who knows what they'd do to people he cares about if Manafort were to spill the beans about everything in order to avoid 70 years?
All speculation of course, but there's some interesting reading out there about Manafort and his ties to the Eastern European criminal organizations back in the 80s and early 90s.
With Manafort approaching 70, there is now a tremendous amount of pressure for him to give up everything he knows, if does in fact have any useful information. If he refuses to cooperate with Mueller, Paul Manafort will literally die in jail.
Here's the big x-factor that I don't see discussed much on here but have seen on other forums: What does he fear more? It is well known that Manafort was and possibly still is involved with some very rich, very dangerous people in Russia and eastern Europe. If he were to "flip," and possibly expose powerful men of the underground world, I wonder how afraid of them Manafort might be. Would he rather spend the rest of his life in jail, in order to possibly keep his family safe? We've all seen the Hollywood movies about the Russian Mafia and how brutal they are. Who knows what they'd do to people he cares about if Manafort were to spill the beans about everything in order to avoid 70 years?
All speculation of course, but there's some interesting reading out there about Manafort and his ties to the Eastern European criminal organizations back in the 80s and early 90s.
I'm sure he won't be drinking any tea from here on out.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
