Articles

Manafort’s ‘right-hand man’ Gates to testify in fraud trial

The most critical moment in the financial fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will likely arrive this week with the testimony of his “right-hand man” — the person defense attorneys blame for any crimes. Rick Gates has been a key cooperator for special counsel Robert Mueller’s team after he cut a plea deal earlier this year.

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Judge in Manafort trial brings short fuse and sharp wit

Lawyers who have appeared before Thomas Selby Ellis III, the judge hearing the Paul Manafort trial, said he likes to be seen as the smartest person in the courtroom, not a huge leap for a judge. With his Princeton-Harvard-Oxford education and experience spanning consequential cases in an era of war and terrorism Ellis is known to cut lawyers down to size, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so much.

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Archives: Kavanaugh documents not ready until end of October

The National Archives and Records Administration said Thursday it won’t be able to finish reviewing nearly 1 million documents regarding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time in the George W. Bush White House until the end of October, a potential roadblock in GOP hopes for confirmation before the November election.

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Mueller offers Trump team new proposal for interview

In negotiations over a possible interview by prosecutors, special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has offered the White House format changes, perhaps willing to limit some questions asked of President Donald Trump or accept some answers in writing, according to a person briefed on the proposal.

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Democrats ramp up fight for Kavanaugh documents

Senate Democrats intensified their fight Tuesday over documents related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s stint as staff secretary at the White House, pursuing a paper trail on his views of key issues that played out during the George W. Bush administration.

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Judge blocks release of 3D-printed gun plans

A federal judge in Seattle on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order to stop the release of blueprints to make untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed plastic guns. Eight Democratic attorneys general sued Monday to block a settlement with the government that would have allowed blueprints to be published online.

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Manafort accused of amassing secret income as trial opens

Paul Manafort orchestrated a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to evade U.S. tax and banking laws, leaving behind a trail of lies as he lived a lavish lifestyle, prosecutors said as they laid out their case against the former Trump campaign chairman.

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What does Mueller have? Manafort trial offers glimpse

The trial of President Donald Trump’s onetime campaign chairman will open this week with tales of lavish spending, secret shell companies and millions of dollars of Ukrainian money flowing through offshore bank accounts and into the political consultant’s pocket. What’s likely to be missing: answers about whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin during the 2016 presidential election, or really any mention of Russia at all.

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Trump recorded discussing paying for Playboy model’s story

Two months before the 2016 election, Donald Trump and his lawyer discussed plans to pay for a former Playboy model’s story of an alleged affair, according to a secretly recorded tape released amid an escalating feud between the president and his longtime personal attorney.

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Abortion experts say Kavanaugh can’t end Roe alone

As the U.S. Senate gears up for Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings and citizens continue discussing the potential impact the D.C. Circuit judge could have on the U.S. Supreme Court, one issue continually rises to the top of the dialogues: abortion rights and the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade.

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Quigley: Kavanaugh could be deciding vote on ACA

The successor to United States Supreme Court Justice Kennedy may determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act, according to Fran Quigley, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Health and Human Rights Clinic Director.

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Trump returns to ‘Witch Hunt’ tweets against Mueller probe

Capping a week of drama, backtracking and blistering statements from allies about his attitude toward Russian election interference, President Donald Trump on Monday returned to familiar rhetoric, referring to the special counsel’s Russia probe as a “hoax” and “Witch Hunt.”

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Democrats fault Kavanaugh comment on independent counsel law

Democrats opposing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination are seizing on remarks he made in 2016 saying he would like to put the “final nail” in a Supreme Court precedent upholding an independent counsel law as constitutional. Republicans are pushing back, saying Kavanaugh’s comment is being distorted.

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Dems see Kavanaugh as Obamacare threat, but law likely safe

The heated debate over how Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh would vote on the Affordable Care Act might not matter. As long as five past defenders of the health care law remain on the nation’s highest court, the odds tilt in favor of it being allowed to stand. Some Democrats are warning that President Donald Trump’s designee could spell doom for the statute, even as some conservatives are portraying Kavanaugh as sympathetic to former President Barack Obama’s landmark legislation.

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Mueller seeks immunity for 5 witnesses in Manafort case

The special counsel in the Russia investigation is seeking immunity for five potential witnesses in the upcoming trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. The five individuals have indicated they won’t testify or provide other information “on the basis of their privilege against self-incrimination,” special counsel Robert Mueller’s office told a federal judge in Virginia in a court filing Tuesday.

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