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You are here: Home / Politics / America / Breaking News: Paul Manafort Indicted by Manhattan Grand Jury on 16 Counts

Breaking News: Paul Manafort Indicted by Manhattan Grand Jury on 16 Counts

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Paul Manafort has just been indicted by a grand jury in the City of New York!

Here’s the indictment from the City of New York. None of these charges are subject to a presidential pardon! And the prison Manafort would serve his time in if convicted of these charges in the City of New York is not Club Fed! I would also expect that similar cases will be brought against Manafort in DC. And this could also be the case for others like LTG (ret) Flynn, Roger Stone, etc.

One final item, despite what Manafort’s attorney just said that there was no collusion, Judge Jackson made clear today in court, as a finding of fact, during the sentencing that Manafort did indeed conspire with Russian intelligence during the 2016 campaign on behalf of the President. And that Manafort lied about it.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

147Comments

  3. 3.

    trollhattan

    “You can collude, you can run, you can get your lyin’ ass pardoned, but you can’t hide.”

    Kinda convenient, Trump basing his criminal enterprise in New York and not, say, Oklahoma. Wonder if he’s rethinking all that now?

  4. 4.

    Baud

    DC is irrelevant because of its non-state status. I think Prez can pardon for DC, and double jeopardy might attach as well.

  11. 11.

    Alain the site fixer

    I moved ads around as per John, sorry if the accidental video ad being up top for a few moments caused any issues, I dragged the wrong ad up and once I did, the cache took a bit to reflect that change and the same time to reflect my almost-instant correction.

    Cheers to the investigators and good guys working hard in New York. I expect this caught Trump by surprise and I’d like to think he is freaking out, seeing this hint of his own fate. No matter how powerful he is, he cannot stop states, or other countries for that matter, from doing what they want – they have agency. Some of his associates are falling and there are so many crimes he’s committed in Trump Tower (for decades!) that he’s royally fucked.

    Ok, back to work for me.

  13. 13.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: DC is not irrelevant, the DC AG is equivalent to a city/county prosecutor. And these state and municipal prosectors are coordinating to make sure they don’t all charge the same thing and create double jeopardy problems.

  14. 14.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: It was. I don’t know if it is now past the statute of limitations. But if you think either Jr or Ivanka stopped committing white collar crimes in the meantime, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

  16. 16.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: I am curious if he is doing so. I don’t know that he is, have not seen anything that indicating that he is. But given no one likes bad press, it wouldn’t surprise me if he doesn’t have a team taking a look.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    @Adam L Silverman: DC has this weird relationship between the local prosecutors and the US Attorneys for DC. I’m not sure how they would normally handle something like this, much less how they will do so in this corrupt administration.

  20. 20.

    Baud

    @Adam L Silverman: I think the scandal with Vance broke before there was a chance for a viable challenger to develop in the election. I hope he’s feeling the heat to get himself right before the next time he has to face the voters.

  23. 23.

    dr. bloor

    @JPL: Given that the wear and tear of one year in the NYS system equals about five years at a Club Fed, we’re functionally talking a few centuries, I’d guess.

  26. 26.

    Adam L Silverman

    @dr. bloor: The last thing Manafort wants is to be subject to the New York penal system. Right now his attorney is most likely on the phone with Emmitt Flood begging him to make sure the President doesn’t pardon Manafort. Because as soon as it looks like he’ll not be subject to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Vance is going to demand he be held pre trial as both a flight risk and because he has a Federal court documented history of witness tampering and intimidation. And in order to keep him safe in the New York prison system, he’ll have to be held in solitary. And this won’t be the suite of two rooms with a private shower and toilet and one room for a work space that he had in Federal pretrial detention.

  28. 28.

    tokyokie

    @Mike in DC:

    Better start squealing, Paulie Ostrich Jacket. No pardon will save you from this.

    Or as I like to put it, sing, or Sing Sing.

  29. 29.

    Adam L Silverman

    What did Amir Khalid know and when did he know it?

  32. 32.

    Anonymous At Work

    Weren’t there charges that could be brought in Illinois and California as well? Or am I thinking of Cohen? Hard to keep track of the pending legal charges for Trump’s senior campaign staff…

  33. 33.

    LAO

    @JPL: Based on my super quick review of the indictment, the most serious crime he’s charged with is a B felony. A non-violent B Felony has a sentencing range of 1-3 years. This, of course doesn’t address whether a court could impose consecutive rather than concurrent sentences on multiple charges.

  36. 36.

    rikyrah

    White House weighs a deal to rescue Trump’s emergency declaration
    03/13/19 11:20 AM
    By Steve Benen

    With bipartisan support, the House passed a measure a couple of weeks ago to block Donald Trump’s emergency declaration, in which he granted himself the power to redirect funds to border barriers, in defiance of Congress and public will. Over the next day or two, the Republican-led Senate will vote on the same bill.

    On the surface, the outcome seemed obvious. Several GOP senators have already stated publicly that they will vote for the measure, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) conceded to reporters last week that it will pass. Though proponents of the bill only need four Republican votes, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested last week the total could be as high as 10.

    A lot can happen in a week, though.

    ………………

    Although four Republican senators have already announced they will vote to nullify the president’s emergency declaration, one of them — Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) — publicly indicated Tuesday after a private meeting with Vice President Pence that he could change his position if the administration and senators strike a deal on revising the National Emergencies Act. That would be enough to kill the resolution in the Senate, provided no other GOP senators oppose Trump’s declaration or alter their position.

    The basic contours of the deal are as follows: if enough Senate Republicans agree to defeat the pending resolution, the White House will agree to changes to the National Emergencies Act – the law that Trump appears to have abused through his emergency declaration, and the law that empowers Congress to block the presidential effort.

    Though the details of the changes aren’t yet available, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is reportedly taking the lead on revising the National Emergencies Act so as to limit presidential power going forward.

    And if that doesn’t sound to you like an especially good deal, your instincts are sound.

    For one thing, we have no idea if Trump would agree to limit his own power. There have been other instances in which Pence has tried to negotiate on behalf of the White House, only to have the president reject the terms his own vice president offered lawmakers.

    For another, even if Republicans agreed to change the National Emergencies Act, it wouldn’t be retroactive. In other words, Trump’s recent gambit would be unaffected by the proposed “fix,” leaving GOP senators opposed to his policy with nothing but tepid assurances about the future.

    Complicating matters, if Senate Republicans and the White House struck a deal to amend the National Emergencies Act, those changes would still have to be approved by the Democratic-led House – and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who is not a party to this week’s negotiations, announced this morning that her chamber will not approve the Republicans’ solution.

    “The House will not take up this legislation to give President Trump a pass,” Pelosi said in a written statement.

  40. 40.

    cwmoss

    @Adam L Silverman: I’m not an expert (although IAAL), but I think there are some fairly subtle double jeopardy issues where a federal pardon might preclude some state prosecutions. I expect we’ll see some commentary about this in the coming days from folks more knowledgeable than me.

  42. 42.

    Baud

    @dr. bloor:

    He’s going to love Clinton in February.

    I didn’t know even she had a private dungeon next to her private server, but I like the idea of locking the whole Trump cartel up in it.

  44. 44.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    Cyrus Vance gets a chance to redeem himself.

    Sorry, but that’s on a par with “James Comey gets a chance to redeem himself.”

    Well, except that Comey (probably) wasn’t bribed to help Shitgibbon. Wait … did I say “bribed”? I guess I should have said “looked the other way in exchange for getting a big campaign donation from Shitgibbon,” which is TOTALLY OK and on the up-and-up.

  45. 45.

    Anonymous At Work

    @Adam L Silverman: Also, Manafort owes $6 million in restitution and the Feds have seized his assets, so he’ll have to pay it back by selling things at market-rate (not at vory-rates). If I were a vengeful Russian oligarch needing to prove I was ruthless, or be killed, I’d put out a contract on Manafort.

  48. 48.

    Aaron

    I was going to say that poetic justice is funny, but this is not poetic justice. It is actual justice. And also kinda poetic.
    Also agreeing with Adam in comment 26: if he is pardoned, NYAG will argue he is a flight risk, has intimidated and tampered with witnesses and needs to be held ‘no bail’.
    Also: ha ha!
    /imagine gif of nelson muntz pointing here.

  50. 50.

    raven

    @cwmoss: Supreme Court justices defend ‘double jeopardy’ exception that allows federal and state prosecutions

    Overturning convictions?

    That view has plenty of proponents who argue that the double jeopardy clause prevents abuse by prosecutors. They say it helps in obtaining plea bargains because defendants cannot hope for a second trial.

    What’s more, nearly half the states already have bars against double jeopardy. That’s important for Mueller’s prosecution of Manafort, because the special counsel would have to cite different illegal conduct to bring state charges on top of federal charges.

    The government’s position, ironically, would help Mueller in the event of a Trump pardon. Clearing Manafort of federal tax charges would leave open the possibility of trying him on state tax charges.

  52. 52.

    David Anderson

    IANAL but the thing that leaped out at me was 8 counts of falsifying business records — now who else has been falsifying business records — why JUNIOR as Executive #2 to pay off Cohen for paying off Stormy. The hush money payments were being laundered as legal payments through the Trump Organization….

  53. 53.

    Amir Khalid

    @cwmoss:
    That’s from Indonesia, not here, and they export it all to the west for sale to gullible coffee snobs.

  54. 54.

    Anonymous At Work

    @David Anderson: IAL (but not practicing). MY amateur take is that Mueller will seek Trump-family indictments before wrapping and that Jr., Jared, and Ivanka are on the chopping block. Eric and Tiff do not seem to be. Melania, ironically, might be with the NYAG over her company’s (companies’?) role in the inauguration.
    After that, and a very brief window for any of them to roll on Donnie, Mueller will wrap.
    But right now, I suspect Mueller is folding the lies and obstructions into the known evidence and process maps, preparing for a new round.

  59. 59.

    Wayne Marks

    @raven: Nope. Not Attica. More likely Dannemora. Its much harder for Trump flunkies to get to. Plus, even if he broke out (nearly impossible) and made it to the Canadian border, everyone on the planet could recognize the schnook. He’s toast.

  61. 61.

    Mike in NC

    So, a pretty good Wednesday so far. Warming up here; 74 on Thursday and 77 on Friday. It could only be more pleasant if more indictments drop. Chickens are coming home to roost for the Trump Crime Cabal.

  62. 62.

    kindness

    How long before Trump claims he should be able to over-rule state courts now?

    3 – 2 – 1 ….

  65. 65.

    Adam L Silverman

    @cwmoss: @raven:

  66. 66.

    ruemara

    I want them to get the judge that gave my dumb kid brother several years for possession for his dumbass self allowing his friend to put an empty gun in his trunk. If he hadn’t had a clean record & parents with the resources to pony up a hefty bail, he wouldn’t have gotten the reduction to just probation. No crime committed, in fact, it came out because he had to call the cops for his worthless ex-gf’s ex threatening him, but, he also stupidly allowed them to search his car for no particular reason.

  68. 68.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Adam L Silverman:

    If all they have is Don Jr and Kushner on lying to Congress or feds, it’s hard to make a state charge out of perjury or federal obstruction,

    but bribing your way into collage is an entirely different matter…

  71. 71.

    terraformer

    I’m no fan of Manafort, but I’d love, absolutely LOVE to see a post like this one, wherein “Paul Manafort” is replaced with “Donald J. Trump.” Now that would be a cause for celebration.

  72. 72.

    Kay

    This should just be the start of the “crackdown on white collar crime”.
    It would be popular! It’s not Left/Right either, within the Democratic Party. Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren agree!
    Come on Democrats- this is a beautiful issue for you. It’s even better because the whole Trump Administration are criminals!

    Donald Trump will be out there defending white collar criminals with his ancient, corrupt gargoyle-looking lawyers and liberals can be the law ‘n order sticklers.

  73. 73.

    WaterGirl

    @ruemara: I’m sorry, rue. These things are maddening to all of us, but I imagine it’s rage-inducing for anyone who has had to live with inequities like this — on the side without the privilege. Hugs.

  75. 75.

    SFAW

    @Baud:

    I hear you. But the immediate concern is getting him to prosecute now.

    I don’t disagree.

    As I am with Comey, I’m appreciative when I see/hear him do something to try to mete out appropriate punishment for the Traitor-in-Chief, but redemption is not on the table.

    If Vance had just made an “error in judgment” because he just had a brainfart, that’s one thing. But doing it to get some $$$ from Deadbeat Dickless Donnie — well, that’s somewhat different.

  76. 76.

    Kay

    @ryanjreilly
    Follow Follow @ryanjreilly
    More
    Manafort says he is his wife’s “primary caregiver” and notes that he’ll be 70 in a few weeks. “Please let me and my wife be together,” he says.

    My favorite part of white collar crime sentencing is the plea for their families. Go to any county or city court and look at the families. They literally rip infants away from their mothers, to imprison the mother on a misdemeanor.

    These people believe their families are better than your family. Literally worth more.

  78. 78.

    WaterGirl

    @Kay: How much did he care about his wife when he was making her sleep with other men?

    Or do I have the wrong piece of shit in Trump’s orbit? So hard to keep all the sordid details straight.

  80. 80.

    AThornton

    So what? He’s got enough money and contacts to walk.

    He’ll get 6 months suspended and 30 hours of community service as a first time offender.

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    @debit: Thanks for the confirmation. I clearly understated the situation.

    I wonder if his kids got to speak at his sentencing hearing. No love lost there, as I recall. Imagine finding out that your dad did that to your mom.

  86. 86.

    JPL

    @rikyrah: It’s time to take him down now then. I’m still pissed that Obama called him a deep thinker or something like that.

  89. 89.

    debit

    @WaterGirl: It’s even worse. She had a head injury from a horse back accident and suffered enough damage to make her ability to actually consent highly questionable. I hope he suffers and dies in prison.

  90. 90.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Kay: @WaterGirl: @debit: I don’t think he really cares all that much about his wife. The behavior described below, which is sourced to his daughters’ text message conversations with each other, occurred after Manafort’s wife suffered her head injury and resulting neurological issues.
    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/women-who-stray/201807/the-politics-cuckolding

    And last week, allegations of cuckolding erupted from the top echelon of modern Republican politics. According to documents released, it is alleged that Republican Paul Manafort, currently in jail facing charges related to Mueller’s Russian investigation, used to enjoy sharing his wife with numerous men. Wikileaks had apparently held a large trove of texts within the Manafort family, and these materials were recently made generally public. According to this information, Manafort was described as making his wife be with other men, a practice she apparently complied with to make him happy, but found “disgusting.” Like many men involved in cuckolding, Manafort would allegedly wait till the other men, usually black males, had sex with his wife and left, before he had sex with her. According to the materials, this sexual interest ultimately contributed to Manafort’s divorce, because he “needed” these sexual activities to be happy, which his daughters referred to as an “addiction.”

  91. 91.

    rikyrah

    OK,

    This was funny as phuck.

    Leo’s ever-growing age-gap: Incredible graph shows that 44-year-old DiCaprio has still NEVER dated a woman over the age of 25
    A groundbreaking graph shows that Leonardo DiCaprio hasn’t dated a woman over the age of 25

    By DAILYMAIL.COM REPORTER
    PUBLISHED: 17:16 EDT, 12 March 2019 | UPDATED: 06:22 EDT, 13 March 2019

    Lenoardi DiCaprio has long been one of Hollywood’s most eligible and enviable bachelors.

    But it seems he has a penchant for younger women, according to data analysis of his ex-girlfriends and former flames.

    One Reddit user carefully studied DiCaprio, 44, and his long list of lovers and concluded that he refuses to date woman over the age of 25, barely more than half of the Oscar-winner’s age.

  92. 92.

    rikyrah

    Well well well

    CNN: An attorney who said he was speaking with President Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani reassured Michael Cohen in an April 2018 email that Cohen could “sleep well tonight” because he had “friends in high places.” https://t.co/Fm3LsB9v5f via @GloriaBorger @jeremyherb

    — Evan Rosenfeld (@Evan_Rosenfeld) March 13, 2019

  93. 93.

    Kay

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Gross. He shouldn’t be her “sole caretaker” then, either. If she’s somehow impaired he’ll exploit that.

    They should hire a decent human being to take care of her.

  99. 99.

    Immanentize

    @LAO: I’m OK. Down in Texas with the Immp for spring break. I wanted to hear what you were thinking on so many occasions. That said, taking a break is a really excellent thing.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @Martin: Thanks for that. I had no idea who any of those women were.

    Good for her. Living well is the best revenge.

  108. 108.

    West of the Rockies

    In case it hasn’t been said yet about today’s legal proceedings for Sweet Paulie Pureheart… Whomp-whomp.

  109. 109.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    A groundbreaking graph shows that Leonardo DiCaprio hasn’t dated a woman over the age of 25

    Slow news day.

  110. 110.

    Mike in DC

    @Immanentize: Michael Douglas is 25 years older than his wife, and married her when he was 55 and she was 30. And THAT was considered ridiculous. Leo is going to be a walking punchine on late night shows and award shows if he keeps this up.

  111. 111.

    patrick II

    Did jeopardy attack when 10 of the charges against manafort resulted in a hung jury? If not, may he be tried for those in New York state when the crimes were committed in york?

  113. 113.

    Mandalay

    @Kay:

    This should just be the start of the “crackdown on white collar crime”. It would be popular!

    The problem is that those in charge of the problem don’t see a problem, or if they do, they have a vested interest in not addressing it.

    It’s like asking members of Congress to stop taking needless and absurd “fact finding missions” overseas that are obviously junkets. Cracking down on that would be popular with the public as well, but I’m not holding my breath for Congress to address it, or white collar crime.

  114. 114.

    PJ

    @Mike in DC: @Immanentize: @Martin: @rikyrah: You might want to take what you read about celebrities with a large grain of salt, particularly when it’s coming from the celebrities or their publicists or the journalists and paparazzi that depend on them for their livings.

  115. 115.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Martin: Trump still wants Brady to marry Ivanka.
    https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-jokes-jared-kushner-size-compared-to-tom-brady-2019-3

    President Donald Trump reportedly joked that his White House senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner was “half the size of Tom Brady’s forearm,” according to a report from The New York Times report citing an upcoming White House tell-all book by journalist Vicky Ward.

    Trump reportedly made the remark to New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, a close friend of the president. Trump is also golf partners with Brady, the star Patriots quarterback, who has described the president has “a good friend.”

    Trump has mused about having Brady as a son-in-law instead of Kushner, who married his daughter Ivanka in 2009. According to Ivana, Trump’s first wife, the former real-estate mogul attempted to coax Ivanka to date the football star.

    “At one point, Donald wanted her to date Tom Brady, the quarterback,” Ivana said in her book, “Raising Trump.” “He said, ‘You have to meet him!’ But Ivanka wasn’t into it.”

    According to Ward’s book, “Kushner Inc: Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump,” Trump reportedly approved of Kushner, but wondered why Ivanka converted to Judaism for their marriage. Ivanka won over the Kushners and received their blessing with her dedication to convert to Judaism, The Times reported.

  116. 116.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rikyrah: Given that Ryan’s agenda is corporatism, which is a type of fascism, and the President’s is the most extreme form of fascism, racialized fascism, this is not surprising.

  117. 117.

    Aleta

    One ruling that relates to the Judge’s sentencing below the guidelines (not the only thing)

    Andrew Prokop @awprokop



    ABJ rules that she has reviewed her determination that Manafort lied re: Kilimnik, in light of the recent new information, and it doesn’t change her finding.

 This was about the August 2, 2016 meeting between Manafort and Kilimnik, re: sharing of polling data. After ABJ ruled Manafort lied on that, Rick Gates provided the special counsel with certain new information.
    *
    But she says the new info doesn’t change her finding

    *
    
SCO’s Weissmann arguing that Manafort shouldn’t get credit for accepting responsibility, despite his guilty plea, because the court has repeatedly found he “engaged in deceitful conduct”

    * 

    However, ABJ rules in Manafort’s favor. She says that acceptance of responsibility is mainly about the underlying offenses themselves, which he admitted.
    *
    Two-level reduction in the guidelines for Manafort.

    *
    
ABJ points out: “Acceptance of responsibility for the purposes of the guidelines is not the same as acceptance of responsibility in a more existential and personal sense”

    More here.

  119. 119.

    Tim C.

    @trollhattan: One of the interesting geographic features of the Republican party is that while it’s voters might mostly be rural bumpkin bigots, it’s elites seem to be from places those bumpkins hate….

  120. 120.

    Brachiator

    @Mike in DC:

    Michael Douglas is 25 years older than his wife, and married her when he was 55 and she was 30. And THAT was considered ridiculous. Leo is going to be a walking punchine on late night shows and award shows if he keeps this up.

    I rather liked this comment about another celebrity pairing.

    Bethenny Frankel is sounding off about Pete Davidson‘s relationships.

    In two [naughty] tweets on Sunday, Frankel responded to Davidson’s short-lived engagement to pop singer Ariana Grande last summer and his rumored new romance with actress Kate Beckinsale.

    “So Pete Davidson was engaged to the sexy & talented @ArianaGrande and is now dating the beyond stunning @KateBeckinsale?” Frankel wrote. “So I guess it’s clear that he shoots diamonds out of his p*nis?”

    Responding to a fan who then wondered how women “keep falling” for the comedian, Frankel responded, “He is probably nice & funny & sensitive which women like. Cute and sweet. And the diamond D doesn’t hurt I reckon.”

    The Saturday Night Live comedian, 25, has been linked with Beckinsale, 45, ever since the two were spotted hitting it off at a Golden Globes party in early January.

    ETA: Got moderated. Trying the revised standard version of comments.

  122. 122.

    chopper

    trump always has an option of commuting his sentence to time served, which would keep the conviction and end any possible double jeopardy issues. and keep manafort’s 5th amendment rights as well.

    of course, the NY DA brought up mortgage fraud related charges which avoid that.

  123. 123.

    Aleta

    @Immanentize: When I saw him in This Boy’s Life w/ Ellen Barkin (her teen son) I thought wow, what incredible talent. I liked him the best then, and expected more, though he’s still good.

  124. 124.

    Barbara

    Just a little update on Brexit . . .

    So… the main vote is now on whether UK can EVER leave the EU without a deal (because of earlier Spelman vote) – govt is now said to be trying to force its own MP s to vote against its own motion – frankly things so chaotic this could implode by mistake

    I wish I could say that I fully understand what is going on but it sounds kind of crazy. Because, whether they say it or not, if there is no deal and March 29 rolls around without further action the UK will leave and there will be no deal.

  125. 125.

    R-Jud

    @Barbara: Here’s how I see it:
    Tonight the HoC was to vote on a motion proposed by Theresa May’s people ruling out a no-deal Brexit under certain specified circumstances. A few amendments were tabled. One is called the Spelman Amendment. The HoC already approved the Spelman Amendment in January as part of the Withdrawal Agreement. Spelman basically says that the UK cannot leave the EU without an agreement in place.

    The Withdrawal Agreement went down in flames, twice. So ahead of today’s vote, the Spelman Amendment was proposed again as part of this new no-deal Brexit prevention bill.

    The HoC voted to approve Spelman. They also just voted to approve the no-deal Brexit motion. So I *think* this means the HoC has just said if there’s no withdrawal agreement in place, we don’t Brexit. This will infuriate various factions within the Tory party for various reasons. It is also probably not binding in law, as it’s a motion, not a bill.

    May is on my TV now talking about another vote tomorrow on an Article 50 extension. That has to be agreed to by the rest of the EU, which isn’t guaranteed.

    What tonight’s vote means in principle is that Parliament agrees we cannot crash out in a fortnight. What this means in actual practice, I have no idea. Time to drink some (French) wine.

  126. 126.

    rikyrah

    @Immanentize:

    @LAO: I’m OK. Down in Texas with the Immp for spring break. I wanted to hear what you were thinking on so many occasions. That said, taking a break is a really excellent thing.

    Hope that you and Little Imma are having a great trip :)

  127. 127.

    WaterGirl

    @Adam L Silverman: Sadly, if Trump wants Ivanka to marry Brady, I suspect that means that Trump sees himself in Brady. “If I can’t have her anymore, then the newer me can.”

  128. 128.

    rikyrah

    @Mike in DC:

    @Immanentize: Michael Douglas is 25 years older than his wife, and married her when he was 55 and she was 30.

    Even then, Douglas had a long first marriage. Leo’s never been married.

  129. 129.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: I laugh (in a good way) every time I see you call him that. If we fast forward 10 years or so, are you still going to be calling the Immp “Little Imma” when he’s nearly 30? :-)

  131. 131.

    rikyrah

    @WaterGirl:

    @rikyrah: I laugh (in a good way) every time I see you call him that. If we fast forward 10 years or so, are you still going to be calling the Immp “Little Imma”? :-)

    Probably :)

  133. 133.

    Miss Bianca

    @Kay: And given that Manafort’s idea of “caregiving” to his wife seems to include forcing her to have sex with strangers for his delectation, I hope the judge was *super* unimpressed by that particular argument.

    @WaterGirl: Jinx!

  134. 134.

    Ruckus

    @dr. bloor:
    Once met a man who had served 30 yrs in a NYS prison. He didn’t seem at all willing to get in any way, out of any possible line. It was obvious that those 30 yrs had taken a lot/most of the life out of him

  135. 135.

    Gin & Tonic

    @R-Jud:

    That has to be agreed to by the rest of the EU, which isn’t guaranteed.

    Isn’t Farage busy trying to ratfuck that?

  139. 139.

    Brachiator

    @R-Jud:

    What tonight’s vote means in principle is that Parliament agrees we cannot crash out in a fortnight. What this means in actual practice, I have no idea. Time to drink some (French) wine.

    Thanks for the summary.

    It amazes me that there is this flurry of confusing actions as they get closer to the deadline.

  143. 143.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl:

    (I notice that you didn’t say you thought I was wrong.)

    How could you be when he said he had sex in common with his daughter? Oh god! ?

  144. 144.

    Brachiator

    @Ruckus:

    Once met a man who had served 30 yrs in a NYS prison. He didn’t seem at all willing to get in any way, out of any possible line. It was obvious that those 30 yrs had taken a lot/most of the life out of him

    I once noticed the same defeat in a man who had been married for 30 years.

    It’s a joke…

  145. 145.

    Ruckus

    @Brachiator:
    Not as much of a joke as you may have intended. Granddad was pretty old fashioned in his relationship concepts and he was born in 1890. Bet he went his entire life thinking grandma bought his BS. But she didn’t buy it for a minute, she just let him think that.

  146. 146.

    Procopius

    @Anonymous At Work: Judge Jackson, in addition to the jail time, also imposed a restitution order, I think for $24 million. On top of that, the Special Counsel has just imposed (I didn’t know he had the authority to do that) a restitution order for another $34 million. I think Mr. Manafort is going to have a hard life even if he survives prison. His daughters no longer have to worry about “blood money” supporting their comfortable life styles.

  147. 147.

    Procopius

    @Kay: I agree with you, but the Republicans (with plenty of support from Democrats) have gutted the IRS to the point where they don’t have the resources any more to prosecute tax evasion, and the Justice Department has never replaced the investigators and prosecutors they diverted to “anti-terrorist” activities in 2002. Also, unless Bernie wins the Presidency (which I don’t think the Centrists will allow), I don’t see any Democrat, especially Harris the Cop, rebuilding the machinery to threaten their biggest donors.

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