Waching daily Jul 29 2018

BREAKING Mueller Gets Horrible "FBI" News

A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller must identify unnamed

individuals in an indictment against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Last week, Mueller indicted Manafort and his former aide, Konstantin Kilimnik, on a series

of charges related to lobbying work they did on behalf of Ukraine, The Hill reported.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Mueller's team to turn over the

names of several individuals and organizations referred to but not named in the indictment

by Friday.

The Washington, D.C., judge's ruling came in response to a motion filed by Manafort's

lawyers seeking more information about the superseding indictment, which included new

charges against their client.

Mueller's prosecutors opposed the motion, but Jackson wrote that it will help Manafort

prepare for a complex case, which is set to go to trial on September 17.

"While the government may be correct that the law does not necessarily require the Court

to order the requested disclosure, the Court has broad discretion to resolve a motion for

a bill of particulars after weighing the parties' interests, and here, defendant is obliged

to prepare for a complex trial with a voluminous record within a relatively short period of

time, and he should not have to be surprised at a later point by the addition of a new

name or allegation," Jackson wrote.

Politico reported that once the list is turned over, the government's case on the lobbying

issue will essentially be locked in "since prosecutors will be likely be unable to present

evidence about businesses or people not on it."

Last week, Mueller accused Manafort of witnesses-tampering.

The arraignment for those charges has been set for Friday at the U.S. District Court

in Washington, D.C.

CNBC reported that federal prosecutors will seek to have Manafort's $10 million bail

revoked or revised, which means the 68-year-old could be sent to jail to await his trial.

He is currently on house arrest and required to wear two GPS tracking bracelets.

Manafort's lawyers called the latest indictment "heavy-handed gamesmanship by the Special

Counsel" based on "the thinnest of evidence."

The attorneys contended that messages Manafort sent to two journalists could not have constituted

witness tampering because "he is not aware of who the Special Counsel may call as witnesses."

His lawyers also argued that his right to a fair trial "may have been irreparably

damaged by the Special Counsel's latest, very public and very specious" court filing.

In addition to facing charges in the District of Columbia, Mueller's prosecutors have

also charged Manafort in the Eastern District Court of Virginia.

The judge in that case, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, upbraided federal prosecutors

last month, suggesting they lied about the scope of the Russia investigation, and the

true purpose of the criminal case, which is to bring down President Donald Trump.

"You don't really care about Mr. Manafort," Ellis said.

"You really care about what information Mr. Manafort can give you to lead you to Mr.

Trump and an impeachment, or whatever."

The judge stated the 18-count indictment in the case, stemming from alleged both bank

fraud and tax offenses against Manafort dating back to 2005 and 2007, seem to have nothing

to do with the Russia collusion investigation.

Clearly, Ellis contended, the charges are meant to assert leverage over Manafort in

order to get him to "sing."