There is serious reason for Trump to worry know Paul Manafort faces a maximum of 80 years in prison. Two of Trupms closest aides faced jail time, after court proceedings delivered a legal and political one-two punch to his embattled presidency. In New York, Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen, admitted eight counts, including making illegal campaign contributions.
usatoday.com: “As the president flew to West Virginia for a rally, a federal jury in Virginia found his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, guilty of bank and tax fraud. At almost the same time, longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen acknowledged violating campaign-finance laws and said that he did so at Trump’s direction.
With two former aides to the president facing jail time, observers said the outcome of the separate, high-profile prosecutions on Tuesday could represent a turning point in Trump’s presidency in which the months-long investigations into his former dealings begin to leave a mark.”
rollingstone.com: “The Only Thing Keeping Trump Out of Jail: In a sane world, Congress would immediately hold bipartisan hearings to explore the contours of the president’s conduct. They would prioritize this push for accountability and transparency over the dubious nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, because in a functioning democracy, it would be more important to first determine whether the president is a crook before giving him the opportunity to make another lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court. The nation would be riveted, Watergate-like, by public congressional hearings into Trump’s alleged crimes.”
QZ.COM: The jury could not decide on 10 more charges against Manafort, however.
Manafort and business partner Richard Gates were charged with multiple counts of criminal behavior last October, amid the federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election. Most of the charges against Manafort in this trial date from before his time as Trump’s campaign manager. A separate trial in Washington DC next month will address other issues.
The jury in Virginia found Manafort guilty of five counts of tax fraud, each of which could carry a three-year sentence, and two counts of bank fraud, each of which could each carry a maximum 30-year sentence. He also was convicted on one count of failing to file on his overseas bank accounts with the US Treasury Department, which could carry a five-year sentence. The combined maximum penalty for all counts would have him face 80 years in jail.”
Paul Manafort will face imprisonment whitout Trumps pardon
25 August 2018