Now that Paul Manafort has agreed to cooperate with the Feds, journo Yashar Ali warned The Resistance not to get their hopes up as prosecutors might be using the former Trump campaign chair to go after other targets, such as lobbyist Tony Podesta and law firm Skadden Arps:
Do not assume this is about Trump. This could involve any number of parties from Podesta to Skadden… https://t.co/5ZbiRcmYul
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) September 14, 2018
And a source told NPR that the cooperation agreement “does not include matters involving the Trump campaign”:
2. Per @npr, Manafort’s cooperation agreement Dodd not include matters I involving the Trump campaign. https://t.co/ywRt7eEzdP
— Yashar Ali ? (@yashar) September 14, 2018
But it’s important to note that the agreement does not have the exclusion in writing:
BUT– an important fact– the plea agreement states that Manafort will cooperate "in any and all matter as to which the government deems the cooperation relevant" including "testifying fully, completely" to grand jury in DC https://t.co/YErET0wvbV
— Carrie Johnson (@johnson_carrie) September 14, 2018
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti adds that even if Manafort is being used to go after someone other than Trump, he’d still be required to tell Mueller everything he knows about Trump:
8/ That said, today’s cooperation deal does not necessarily mean that Manafort is getting the deal to flip on Trump. He may be getting the deal because of information he provided about someone else. But the deal does mean that he has to tell Mueller all he knows about Trump. /end
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) September 14, 2018
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With that said, however, the latest reporting is that former Obama White House counsel Greg Craig and his firm Skadden Arps could soon face criminal charges:
NEW: SDNY is weighing criminal charges against former Obama WH counsel & former Skadden partner Greg Craig as part of FARA probe. SDNY is also considering action (potentially a deferred prosecution agreement) against Skadden Arps itself. W/ @evanperez https://t.co/On79soUYcQ
— erica orden (@eorden) September 14, 2018
This would fit with Manafort’s agreement, FWIW:
New York federal prosecutors are considering charges against former White House Counsel Gregory Craig and are investigating Craig's law firm, Skadden Arps, a large, prestigious firm. Manafort hired them and he is required to cooperate against them.https://t.co/JZjmnPIDPx
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) September 14, 2018
And this:
MORE BAD NEWS FOR PODESTA, MERCURY & SKADDEN: As part of MANAFORT’s plea deal, he agrees to testify before all grand juries in DC and "elsewhere.” The inquiries into @PodestaGroup, Mercury & @SkaddenArps are being run out of the Southern District of New York.
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) September 14, 2018
Oh, man … imagine The Resistance if Manafort doesn’t bring down Trump but instead starts nuking Dems?
BAD FOR GREG CRAIG: His white shoe law firm @SKADDEN_ARPS accepted $4M from MANAFORT through overseas accounts to write whitewash report on YANOKOVYCH while privately expressing doubts about the report & also secretly working more broadly for Yanukovych's pro-Russian regime. pic.twitter.com/j6puIgZwdY
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) September 14, 2018
Get. The. Popcorn.
***
Related:
It's happening? Paul Manafort enters into plea deal, agrees to cooperate with the DOJ https://t.co/nhM6QYFRSe
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) September 14, 2018
ICYMI==> Kathy Griffin's topless Manafort-Cohen celebration gets the photoshop treatment and IT'S HILARIOUS https://t.co/ZYuwgtqyvU
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 24, 2018
SHOCKA: Media who claimed they were 'only investigating' going full MEAN GIRLS on known Manafort juror https://t.co/ZfVliu9dOI
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 23, 2018
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