With the 24/7 coverage of the continuing hurricane disaster in Texas (and perhaps soon, Louisiana) and the condemnation of Der Trumpenführer's pardon of white supremacist Joe Arpaio, Russiagate has fallen somewhat off the media radar. That may change as Politico reports that special prosecutor Robert Mueller is now working with New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and targeting Trump advisory and former Trump campaign member Paul Manafort. As has been noted a number of times in prior posts, Manafort has ties to Kremlin cronies and is speculated to have possibly engaged in money laundering - something many believed Trump himself engaged in for Russian financiers and oligarchs. Added to these suspicions is, of course, the new information that Trump was seeking assistance from Vladimir Putin for a Trump Tower in Moscow during the presidential campaign. While the strategy behind the Mueller/Schneiderman collaboration is still unclear, some conjecture that state prosecutions - which could not be halted by a presidential pardon - could prove to be the key in securing Manafort's cooperation in exposing the Trump campaign's collusion with Russia. Here are highlights from Politico:
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team is working with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on its investigation into Paul Manafort and his financial transactions, according to several people familiar with the matter.The cooperation is the latest indication that the federal probe into President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman is intensifying. It also could potentially provide Mueller with additional leverage to get Manafort to cooperate in the larger investigation into Trump’s campaign, as Trump does not have pardon power over state crimes.
The two teams have shared evidence and talked frequently in recent weeks about a potential case, these people said. One of the people familiar with progress on the case said both Mueller’s and Schneiderman’s teams have collected evidence on financial crimes, including potential money laundering. . . . . A spokesman for Manafort didn’t return phone calls seeking comment.
People close to Manafort say the team has pressured him by approaching family members and former business partners. A number of other firms and people who have worked with him have received subpoenas.
State and federal prosecutors believe the prospect of a presidential pardon could affect whether Manafort decides to cooperate investigators in the federal Trump investigation, said one of the people familiar with the matter. While Trump has not signaled any public intention to pardon Manafort or anyone else involved in the Russia investigations, the president has privately discussed his pardon powers with his advisers.
Mueller’s team has been looking into Manafort’s lobbying work and financial transactions, including real estate deals in New York.
The attorney general won a $25 million settlement last November after a lengthy investigation into fraudulent practices at Trump University. The president said he settled just to have the matter behind him, though his previous mantra was to never settle cases.
The New York prosecutor’s office also is looking into some of Trump’s business transactions and could potentially share those records with Mueller’s team, one of these people said.
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