John Dean: Manafort Judge’s conduct has been “UNAMERICAN!”
Wait for it: If Manafort walks free, #TheResistance party line will be that the Russians got to the judge and jury.
Federal Judge T.S. Ellis denied a mainstream media coalition request to release the names and home addresses of the jurors in the Paul Manafort trial in the Eastern District of Virginia.
The request by the media was made, to much fanfare and publicity, on the first day of jury deliberations.
The jury is not sequestered, and while instructed not to read media about the case, it would be hard for them not to hear of the attempt. They certainly already understand that they are targets, as the Judge specifically commented in court in denying the media request that the jurors are scared.
Politico, one of the media entities seeking juror names and home addresses, reported:
Paul Manafort’s trial will stretch into a fourth week, as jurors headed home Friday without reaching a verdict for the second straight day and the judge overseeing the case alluded to “threats” the jury may be receiving.
“I had no idea this case would incite this emotion,” U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III said in an open court hearing, responding to a motion from seven news organizations, including POLITICO, seeking access to sealed materials related to the trial that would have publicly identified the jurors.
Ellis denied the motion, telling the courtroom that jurors were “scared” and “afraid.” As a result, Ellis said, he didn’t “feel right” releasing the names of the 12-person jury.
Why would the jurors be scared if there names and home addresses are released, particularly if they return a Not Guilty verdict? Perhaps they have seen the videos of Trump administration officials harassed in restaurants, businesses protested and boycotted for expressing pro-Trump sentiment, and street attacks by Antifa. While a Not Guilty verdict for Manafort would not in fact be a “pro-Trump” gesture, there is little doubt it would be perceived that way by the anti-Trump resistance.
The Judge himself said he has been the subject of threats, requiring U.S. Marshal protection. We don’t know from whom the threats came, but we do know that the hostility of #TheResistance to the Judge is palpable. His comments about the case during the trial have led to accusations of bias.
It’s not just the Judge’s conduct during the trial. These comments in open court by Judge Ellis earlier in the case upset many:
“You don’t really care about Mr. Manafort’s bank fraud,” Judge T.S. Ellis III said during a morning hearing. “You really care about getting information Mr. Manafort can give you that would reflect on Mr. Trump and lead to his prosecution or impeachment.”
* * *
Even though the investigation was really done by the Justice Department, handed to you, and then you’re now using it, as I indicated before, as a means of persuading Mr. Manafort to provide information.
It’s vernacular by the way. I’ve been here a long time. The vernacular is to sing. That’s what prosecutors use, but what you’ve got to be careful of is they may not just sing. They may also compose. I can see a few veteran defense counsel here, and they have spent a good deal of time in this courtroom trying to persuade a jury that there wasn’t singing, there was composing going on.
John Dean, famous for turning against Nixon during Watergate , is a widely quoted member of the anti-Trump resistance.
Dean tweeted not only his hostility to Judge Ellis, but an implicit justification for the threats against the Judge, calling the Judge “UNAMERICAN”:
Little wonder Judge Ellis is being protected. His anti-prosecution bias has been appalling. If Manafort walks it will be b/c of Ellis, and he is jeopardizing the entire special counsel investigation— not to mention the well being of the USA. UNAMERICAN!
Dean’s tweet, retweeted over 8000 times as of this writing, cannot be viewed in isolation.
There is a palpable anger among #TheResistance that Judge Ellis’s conduct may have sabotaged the prosecution. CNN legal commenter and New Yorker writer Jeffrey Toobin has called Judge Ellis a “nasty old crank”:
The Kathy Griffin has accused Judge Ellis of being senile:
Rachel Maddow has made a point of mocking Judge Ellis repeatedly:
[Sorry, can’t get MSNBC clip to load properly – click the link above to view]
Michael Bromwich, a former federal prosecutor, questioned “Judge Ellis’s motives” in a widely shared tweet:
I think it unlikely that Manafort will walk away without being convicted of something, but the mere prospect that that might happen has opened another window into the unraveling of #TheResistance mind.
Wait for it: If Manafort walks free, #TheResistance party line will be that the Russians got to the judge and jury.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Dean is a worm.
G. Gordon Liddy called him a liar and perjurer (and a weasel IIRC). Dean sued and after years the suit was dismissed by the Judge in the case.
Fear and loathing in the leftist hive.
Professor I believe you erred when referring to the Judge as T.S. Elliot in the first sentence. I believe his last name is Ellis.
Not surprised that the resistance is upset that they may not get the slam dunk conviction of Manafort, even though this is unrelated to his time as the head of the Trump campaign. The resistance seems to imagine that everyone feels the same way that they do and that those feelings when shared by a large group of people means they are all correct in whatever they think. If you do not feel or support their viewpoint, then you are a nazi deserving of physical violence upon you and your family.
Yes, facepalm, I knew it was only a matter of time before I made that typo.
I haven’t been a prosecutor for almost ten years, but I still cannot write the word, “office,” without having to go back and erase the final, mistaken, “r.”
Ellis was one of the judges that developed the CIPA procedure to del with classified evidence.
John Dean? Friggin’ John Dean? Talk about turning over rocks and seeing what scurry’s out!
In a bank fraud/tax evasion case the judge’s actions are thought to be unAmerican. Really?
I bet Dean could be found guilty of violating many laws related and unrelated to anything Russia if enough resources were put forth 😉
While a Not Guilty verdict for Manafort would not in fact be a “pro-Trump” gesture, there is little doubt it would be perceived that way by the anti-Trump resistance.
Well, yeah, the sun rising in the east is probably perceived as a “pro-Trump” gesture by the moronic members of The Resistance™.
So the prosecution puts a rogue’s gallery of liars and scoundrels on the stand to point the finger at Manafort in a blatantly politically motivated prosecution, blaming him for things they actually did and didn’t question. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the jury found them less than believable. Does anyone really care what the weasel Dean thinks? Wouldn’t surprise me if Manafort walks in the VA trial, but he will definitely be convicted on most counts in the DC trial given the biases of the judge and the makeup of the jury pool. If Manafort has a hung jury or is found innocent in VA, expect the loons on the left to go bat-sh*t crazy….. protests, rioting, and lots of hand-wringing in the MSM…… it will be like election night in 2016.
Edit
Why would the judge and jury be scared if THEIR names..
First sentence first paragraph. T.S. Elliott?
can’t find the facepalm emoji
????
https://emojipedia.org/face-palm/
if it was not so obvious that the MULER spec pros was intent upon someone compose against DJT –
this trial would NEVER have gone to trial and a deal with financial penalties would have occurred.
something which is common.
the Muller witch hunt is a sham and shame.
Thank you. I always wondered where people found all those, but not enough to search for a source.
I’m kinda fond of the gif that is a stick figure banging its head on a desk top.
Emoji? Words work just as well. I’m old fashioned that way.
You aren’t alone, though I occasionally use : – ).
So, this guy tweets, “Am I the only one who thinks the jury and the judge in the Paul Manafort trial have been tainted?” Well since I don’t Tweet, or whatever it’s called, I simply respond, ” Nope, Ricky, unfortunately you are not the only one. There are plenty of other unhinged ones out there just like you!”
Actually since the Jury has not made any statements and all we know about he knows about them is speculation on MSNBC and CNN it gives away the store that he thnks anyone that doesn’t jumpo ut of the jury box and declare Manafort Guilty is “tainted” because they are actually sitting there and listening to the case and not delivering the verdict like the MSM does in his world. Frigging Sad and shows his unhinged opinion of what makes a jury tainted scary to us normals.
So, all they have is . . . Judge Elliot is a poopey-head, just like President Trump. No big surprise there.
The good news is . . . if the Russians have been “tampering with” the judge and the jury, that means that Trump wasn’t doing it. Unless, I suppose, they try to claim that Vlad takes orders from Trump.
Long before Trump came onto the scene the Russians had already acted in a jury trial just like this one. They got to and tainted the OJ jury and judge! Every person in America knew OJ killed those two people but once the dastardly Russians “Tainted” the jury and judge, the game was over. Manefort will be lucky if he gets the same verdict that OJ got.
The left truly disgusts me. Immediately after Trump was elected they embarked on a campaign to pollute and discredit the Electoral College. Now they’ve “progressed” to open intimidation, aided by the “media” no less, of judges and juries. And they have the audacity to accuse others of being “unAmerican.”
Do they really want this to go hot? It seems they do, and I’m afraid they won’t like how things turn out if it does.
Do they really want this to go hot?
A great paradox of modern politics worldwide is that the Left is enamored of big government as the fix for all ills, but is not so attracted to basic, quotidian, day-to-day law and order. The Right puts little faith in the efficacy of big government, and actually considers it a serious burden on civilized society; but puts an almost religious faith in law and order as a concept and as a way of life.
Lefties know they can harass, threaten, intimidate, and assault the Right, verbally, legally, and physically, and the Right will be almost pathologically reluctant to respond in kind. Conservatives simply don’t think in those terms; they don’t like to revolt, they like to be left alone.
“…they like to be left alone.”
You are right. But somewhere there is a point where people collectively say “enough is enough.” It’s one of the things that fascinates me most about Revolutionary War history; the sequence of events and the thought processes that led so many to risk everything to throw off the tyranny. It’s easy to forget that the whole process took decades to evolve. Lately I’m beginning to wonder if we’re living through a similar moment in time.
How much abuse is enough?
Unintended Consequences is the forte of the Progressive Democratic Party and their use of ‘straw-man” counterpoints to turn outcomes of their policies and actions back on those who point out their failures to achieve unrealistic and what was predicted to be their detrimental outcomes.
Very good point.
There have been many cases where I felt justice was denied in courts to the benefit of the left. While I have felt frustration, I still wouldn’t blame the jury – even if it was a racially motivated decision based on the make up of the jury – and I feel there is no need to know the names of the jurors.
Why isn’t that kept private as a rule? Isn’t asking for their names an attempt at meddling with the jury? With how things are these days due to the hatred that the media is promoting and groups like the fascist Antifa latch on to anything they can attack, are jurors supposed to take it as anything but a veiled threat to their safety?
The left wants a civil war to come from this uncivil war being waged right now. The left has always been violent when they look to overthrow the government, and with the things being said and done in the name of socialism and anarchy it isn’t a far leap to make to have riots start becoming more frequent.
I believe Obama had wanted race riots to help push through his agendas. He stoked it, just like a good community agitator (which is what Community Organizers actually do). Hate rules the left and they are incapable of accepting reality. In their twisted thinking everything that came near Trump is corrupt, so if Trump gets impeached for some bogus charges (which is now what Herr Mueller is trying to do, having failed at finding anything concrete) they think it will null the election of 2016 and install Hillary as President. I’ve read some who truly believe that will come to pass.
This judge called it as it is, and the left, along with the deep state, are livid that they are being exposed. So, they deflect, and focus anger and hatred on any who thwart what they think is justice. In acting such, they just might cause a mistrial, as any verdict of guilt could cause Manafort’s lawyers to declare that the jurors were tampered with. I think there could be some truth to that, even if he were guilty.
Soon the radical left will experience ‘the burden of their base’. Their base is made up of non productive malcontents wanting and expecting nirvana. When they fail to get what they want over time that is when the real trouble will start. They do not call them useful idiots for no reason.
The parasite class is useful to the Left in the form of votes and as a perpetual victimization target of “hate and racism” which justifies un-constitutional means and laws. But if the Left ever truly comes into power, this parasite class will be eliminated via purges which would make Stalin go “dude?” Once their use has been fulfilled, bye bye. On a plus note, most of the low-level SJWs will meet a similar fate, so there’s that. 😉
Re: OldGoat36
With the recent federal decision in California, holding authorities responsible for the Fresno beatings of Trump supporters, if you’ve been watching the last week or so, the police on the west coast have been much more aggressive in policing against the fascist antifa.
So, they may not be able to make their wet dream reality.
Court decisions make a difference. Nice they chose to support law-abiding Americans for a change.
When “main stream media” actively pursues the names and addresses of a jury, still in session, there is only ONE motivation.
And some people still think we have a civil society !
Or rule of law.
There are two actions being attempted by the anti-Trump, liberal Progressives, in this case. One is designed to achieve their desired outcome by putting outside pressure on the jury to convict [jury tampering]. The second is to set up an excuse for an acquittal or hung jury. From Mueller’s standpoint, if Manafort is not convicted, his leverage against others is significantly reduced or disappears altogether.
As I pointed out before, this was a heavily overcharged case which hinged on the testimony of a toad witness. Most cases such as this would have resulted in a plea deal of payment of back taxes, penalties and no more than 3-5 years incarceration in a minimum security prison with release in 1.5 years. However, the prosecution was treating Manafort worse than Alphonse Capone, who was offered a 2.5 year sentence for tax evasion. The judge knew this and expressed his disdain of the prosecution initially. Nobody really cares if Manafort is convicted of 20 year old tax evasion. But, there should be a measure of proportionality in criminal indictments and that is totally lacking in this case.
I think there’s also a third purpose: to gin up outrage to increase Dem voter turnout for the midterms. Their lie only has to last until the day after.
IMHO a hung jury is much more likely than an acquittal.
Bucky, let’s hope so. It would be superior to a conviction.
(－‸ლ)
????
cannot find correct code for facepalm –
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons#Unicode_characters
Oh come on–if you want a “nasty old federal judge”, I give you the late Andrew Hauk of the Central District of California. He would have had the prosecutors scrotums (scrotii>) nailed to the courtroom floor for some of the stunts they’ve pulled.
As for John Dean and the rest of the baying liberal pack, here’s a little phrase from colloguqial German. “Leck mich am Arsch!”
Ellis is correct to be skeptical about this frolic and detour from the Spoecial Counsel’s brief.
Absolutely correct about Judge Hauk. I had a stunning experience before him in which I was adverse to the local US Attorney. The assistant US attorney was clearly abusing his authority and abusing my client; Judge Hauk was, appropriately, outraged. It turned into a bad couple of weeks for the US Attorney, the Assistant US Attorney, and for the two smug and smirking female IRS agents who laughed and giggled in Hauk’s courtroom about how my client was being abused.
Presumably he would have taken equal umbrage at similar outrageous behavior from defense attorneys. That is a good Judge. I can’t imagine any Special Agent even smirking in court (particularly when the Jury is present), much less laughing giggling. Totally unprofessional, but not surprising when the AUSA was even more unprofessional.
There are “nasty” judges sprinkled everywhere. It’s a bad day when you stumble into one’s courtroom.
Here’s an ‘unAmerican’ outcome: Manafort is acquitted of most charges and found guilty of a couple of minor ones.
Judge Ellis sentences him to … Time Served!
YeeeeeeHaaaaa
(says it all)
John Dean is as unhinged as Brennan on twitter.
Dean is a thoroughly ignorant thug.
If the new standard of the Left is the lynching of judges and juries and their families DURING trials if they do not rule as the Left wants; then I think that the violence will become two sided. They may not like that standard as much as they think they will.
We’re in the midst of a national divorce, and the Dems are our crazy ex.
Side bet that all of these people caterwauling about the judge probably have nothing to say about Bicycle Lock Thug getting off for his seven felony counts. Probation, no time served.
https://youtu.be/X352etLhpWc
3 year probation.
Remember what I asked what it would take to get us to mount up, and was chastened because the part was in custody awaiting Justice?
I was right.
3 years probation.
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/08/09/bay-area-professor-who-assaulted-7-conservatives-with-bike-lock-gets-probation/
Perp not part.
If you wre on three years probation, would you consider you’d “gotten off”?
Do you know what “probation” means?
Asking for a friend…
3…
2..
1.
There it is!!!
LOL
So, same question to you,
Is three years of probation “getting off”?
Another Hen attempt at a irrational thread-jack.
What the judge has done in this case is outside the judicial ethics rules. You can tell by his own comments on the record.
If you’re honest…
“Ragspierre” is perfectly fine with big government. Nary a disparaging word about Mueller and his crony hit team.
Telling.
Prog.
Maybe it was a mistake to abandon the British rule that jurors’ names are never published, and that it’s illegal for a juror ever to reveal what happened in the jury room.
I could go with that.
On the 3 juries upon which I served we decided as groups not to talk to the press (although the one that was a Murder Trial was the only one that the press probably would have had interest in).
“Our right to know supersedes your right to exist!” (quote attributed to Gary Burbank of WLW and parodying the Press) was not something that we agreed with!
LOL