Manafort "does not wish to attend any hearings in his case held in advance of the Sept. 17 trial"

[Miles Archer]

Manafort's attorneys told U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson Sunday night that their client does not wish to attend any hearings in his case held in advance of the trial, scheduled to take place in Washington beginning Sept. 17 on an indictment obtained by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Manafort's defense did not specify any reason for the request he be excused from the hearings. A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment.

***

In June, Manafort asked to be excused from pretrial hearings in that case, citing a desire to avoid the nearly two-hour trip to the Washington area from the jail he was being held at in Warsaw, Virginia — a drive of about 100 miles in a jail van.

In addition to avoiding the road travel, skipping the hearings spares Manafort the need to appear in court wearing a prison jumpsuit. Judges allow defendants who are in custody to appear in ordinary clothes during a jury trial, but typically defendants attending pretrial hearings — where no jury is present — appear in court in jail-issued garments.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/27/manafort-passes-up-chance-to-attend-court-hearings-798871

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. Building grounds for appeal now.

Weak sauce.

[Ms. Toad]

2. It's his choice.

Choosing not to go would not provide grounds for appeal.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

3. I think he'd try anything myself. It may not be grounds now, or ever, but added to the

cavalcade of what could possibly be coming, it may be grounds for dismissing his atty at the Nth hour etc. lots of things a defendant can use shenanigans like this for.

[Jarqui]

4. An Ostrich jumpsuit would be a heck of a fashion statement

[CanonRay]

5. He doesn't want to miss the oatmeal at the lockup.