“I think the whole Manafort trial is very sad, when you look at what’s going on there. I think it’s a very sad day for our country,” Donald Trump’s statement. He went on to say, “He happens to be a very good person. And I think it’s very sad what they’ve done to Paul Manafort.”
Paul Manafort is accused of more than lying. He is on trial for tax evasion, which is stealing from the federal government. Millions of Americans each year, obey the law and report their income and assets. Paul Manafort did not. He cheated the government for years. He is also charged with bank fraud. He made fraudulent claims when applying for loans. A short list of the charges against Manafort is provided at the bottom of the page.
The “they” refers to Special Counsel Mueller’s team. The “they” works within the US Department of Justice with many FBI agents. Lady justice wears a blindfold, because justice is applied equally, regardless of other characteristics such as race, political views, or wealth. If convicted, this is a clear demonstration that the Mueller team is not conducting a witch hunt. Manafort may be found innocent on some of the charges because the charges were not proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
It’s would be a sad day for the country, when people who are ripping off our country are not convicted. They are ripping off every honest tax payer. It would be an extremely sad and troubling day, if Trump decides to pardon Manafort.
Catching criminals and convicting them in a fair trial, makes our country great. In other countries, you can buy your way our of a conviction. The “they” (DOJ and FBI) are doing their jobs. I would feel just the same, if a Democrat or Republican was on trial.
But, you can bet Trump would be jumping for joy if the person being charged had any connection to Hillary Clinton.
Stay tuned,
Dave
Links:
Charges:
The “counts” are usually because Manafort is accused of the same violation over multiple years.
Subscribing to false income tax returns
Number of counts: 5
Maximum prison sentence per count: 3 years
In an indictment unveiled in February against Manafort and his former business partner, Rick Gates, the special counsel laid out what it described as a years-long “tax scheme” intended to lower Manafort’s tax bills by hiding his income from U.S. authorities.
Manafort worked for years in the 2000s as a consultant for former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych’s pro-Russian Party of Regions. The tens of millions of dollars he earned for this work were put in foreign accounts, and Manafort used that money to fund a lavish lifestyle primarily through international wire transfers, Mueller alleges.
Manafort is accused of failing to report this income on his income tax returns, and falsely claiming he had no authority over those foreign accounts.
Failing to file foreign bank account reports
Number of counts: 4
Maximum prison sentence per count: 5 years
From 2011 to 2014, Manafort allegedly failed to file foreign bank account reports, known as FBARs, with the Treasury Department to disclose his control over his overseas accounts.
Bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy
Number of counts: 4 counts of bank fraud; 5 counts of bank fraud conspiracy
Maximum prison sentence per count: 30 years
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