Paul Manafort: Day 6 (Updated)

Rick Gates. Paul Manafort.

Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for President Trump is back in an Alexandria, Virginia courtroom today where his former business partner, also a former campaign Trump member, Rick Gates, will resume testimony.  

Gates who had been charged alongside Manafort, took a plea deal in February and is cooperating with prosecutors. Gates took the stand on Monday, and testified that he and Manafort did commit financial crimes including tax fraud and bank fraud. Gates also testified that he did, without Manafort’s knowledge, embezzled from not only Manafort, but other employers as well. 

After testimony had concluded as was reported @ The News Blender Judge T.S. Ellis and prosecutors exchanged heated words. 

Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. eastern time, The Washington Post, has a live blog feed, according to the linked article, prosecutors believe they will question Gates for another three hours, before he faces cross examination. 



Update 1 

Provided by The Washington Post 

Court is now in recess for lunch, before the lunch recess, prosecutor Greg Andres told Judge T.S. Ellis that he anticipated questioning Rick Gates for another hour after curt resumed. 

Gates resumed his testimony on Tuesday, he explained how the Ukrainian billionaires paid Manafort, he told the jurors about shell companies, he testified that Manafort’s money eventually dired up, he told the court about a Cypriot lawyer the pair used calling him, “Dr. K.”

Gates explained about how Manafort and he were interviewed by the FBI in 2014, and how, Gates didn’t believe at the time that either he or Manafort were under investigation at that time.

In earlier testimony the jurors were told about forged invoices during his testimony, Gates explained the “mystery invoices.” According to Gates testimony when Manafort moved his banking from Cyprus to the Grenadines, they had required more documentation, “They asked for invoices,” with the companies that Manafort was using’s name on it. Gates says at Manafort’s direction he would make a “modified invoices.”

Gates also said that Manafort directed Gates to lie to bookkeeper, Heather Washkuhn, who testified earlier, “The U.S. payments were reported to Ms. Washkuhn, the overseas ones were not. It was in essence diminishing the amount of money that would have been represented on the U.S. tax returns.”

After a mid morning break, Gates was back on the stand, and was questioned about hidden accounts. Gates told those inside the courtroom that, “he helped coordinate with accountants,” that prepared Manafort’s taxes. He told jurors that he and Manafort had discussed over the years if he should disclose his overseas accounts, Gates says that, because “Dr. K,” the lawyer had the “signatory authority,” over the accounts, that Manafort didn’t feel he had to disclose this information for taxes purposes. It was during this line of questions that jurors saw an exhibt that caused a stir among reporters inside the courtroom, President Trump’s name appeared on Yankee tickets, with the single word Trump next to them, Andres, didn’t ask Gates about it and since Manafort has an apartment in Trump Tower, it’s possible the name was just a direction as to where the tickets should be sent.  

This is a developing story the post will be updated as new information becomes available. 

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About Tiff 2521 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.