5773

He’ll definitely flee. What’s $11.65 million vs. spending the rest of your life in jail?

5774

Especially when Putin can offer a comfy retirement dacha somewhere.

5775

I would assume he forfeited his passport, though I guess there are other ways to get to Russia.

5776

You assume he only has one.

5777

Well, we know he had/has 3.

5778

I’m pretty sure Putin would be able to find a way to smuggle Manafort over.

5779

It sure would be interesting were he to show up at the Russian embassy asking for asylum…

5780

Why would he flee when Trump can just pardon him?

5781

State charges, I thought?

5782

We’ve actually discussed that - it appears that Mueller may not be charging Manafort with everything available at the moment, possibly to reserve those charges for a state’s attorney general, which would not be pardonable.

5783

Never been ‘directed’ … some major wiggle room there.

5784

Oh wait, RE the Manafort GPS tracker, travel restrictions and his passports, Buzzfeed has this:

US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson has expressed hesitation about lifting the GPS monitoring. Special counsel office lawyers have argued in court filings that Manafort and Gates pose serious flight risks, prompting Jackson at a hearing earlier this month to ask how Mueller’s team could support getting rid of GPS monitoring. Special counsel lawyer Greg Andres replied that because Manafort and Gates had surrendered their passports, GPS monitoring wouldn’t be necessary as long as they faced significant financial conditions.

So we’re waiting on the judge’s decision.

5785

I mean If you had the stomach to watch any of these hearings, it was abundantly clear this was the plan.

5786

If Congress wasn’t run by cowards and the corrupt, Trumps calls to Senators would be prime impeachment material right there. They’re the definition of obstruction of justice.

5787

It was just locker room talk. And besides, obviously he was just joking. Sorry if you’re offended.

5788

Flynn plea hearing at 1030!

5789

Same time as the tax vote. Hhmmmmmm…

5790

Woooo. Too bad I’ll have to read about it after the fact.

5791

Flynn is going to plead guilty to the single count, which seems like a sweetheart deal in exchange for cooperation.

5792

And I assume there is nothing to prevent more charges later, if they feel they need them.