Updated: Special counsel urges judge to deny Paul Manafort's request to lift home arrest

[herding cats]

Special counsel urges judge to deny Paul Manafort's request to lift home arrest, says he recently ghostwrote draft op-ed with a Russian tied to intelligence services - court filing

Link to tweet

I saw they asked for some time last week, apparently this is why.

Manafort isn't going to be leaving his house soon I predict.

(Reuters) - The special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Monday accused President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, of working with a Russian colleague to draft an opinion piece about his work for Ukraine.

In court filings, a prosecutor working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team said Manafort's request to lift his house arrest should be denied because, had it been published, the draft opinion piece would have violated a court order not to publicly discuss the case.

http://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKBN1DY2QX

Link to Mueller's full briefing: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4321216/Manafort-Doj-Bail-20171204.pdf

From the above link:

As the Court is aware, at the first appearance before this Court with Manafort present, the Court admonished all of the parties not to try the case in the press. See Nov. 2, 2017 Tr. 6-8 (Court explains that “this is a criminal trial, . . . not a public relations campaign”). At that time, Manafort had through counsel made statements to the press after his initial appearance. The Court also gave the parties an opportunity to object to a proposed court Order prohibiting such out-of-court statements in order to protect the fairness of the upcoming trial. Id. at 7-8. No party objected, and on November 8, 2017, the Court entered an unopposed Order pursuant to LCrR 57.7 that barred the parties and counsel, among others, from making statements that could interfere with the fair trial to which the government and the defense are entitled. See ECF#38 at 1-2 (ordering the parties to “refrain from making statements to the media or in public settings that pose a substantial likelihood of material prejudice to this case”).

[blitzen]

1. dumbass Manafort still doesn't realize he has been under surveillance? n/t

[herding cats]

5. Apparently not!

I'm honestly shocked that he was this stupid.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Plus, when he's gone, it's doubtful he'll either return or he can be forced to return.

And his sworn testimony is needed to explain what happened with Russia and Trump.

He's too valuable to allow him to go out of pocket.

[gratuitous]

3. Good call by the special counsel

If Manafort isn't under surveillance 24-7 (and I think the home arrest ankle bracelet is insufficient, he should be in custody), he will be on a flight out of the country as soon as he can pack a bag.

[herding cats]

8. I think they gave him some rope to see what he would do with it.

Apparently he decided to fashion it into a noose?

[yodermon]

4. I believe the appropriate response is, LOCK HIM UP!!

Some excerpts from the filing (it's simultaneously bad and hilarious)

Link to tweet

[herding cats]

6. Thanks for that.

I updated the OP with the link to the briefing I found in that thread!

[monmouth4]

7. Another guy who thinks he's above it all...nt

[ecstatic]

9. I cannot wait for all of them to get locked up. So sick of

their arrogance and treason.

[Thunderbeast]

10. I have to believe

that his contacts were all about false passports and a Gulfstream disappearing into the dark of night. $12Million bond is peanuts to Vladamir. Manafort would no longer need the properies while rotting in jail anyway. After prosecution, the houses should be forfeited as ill-gotten gains.

He is trying to leave. Put him in jail!

[BigmanPigman]

11. Looks like there's another fucking moron!

[herding cats]

12. Yep. His little scheme just cost him any chance of bail.

He's an idiot for thinking he'd get away with this.