I do believe Paul Manafort is in deep trouble

[jmowreader]

You know that second sentencing hearing he's going to face this week? Take a guess who the judge is.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/paul-manafort-sentence-could-become-a-longer-one-for-trump-campaign-chief.html

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Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Amy Berman "Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes in this motherfucking administration!" Jackson is about to open some fuckin' windows on Ostrich Skin Boy over there.

[catbyte]

1. Isn't the most she could sentence him to is 10 years to run consecutively?

At least that would take him into his low-80's, I guess.

[manor321]

2. Yes

[Mr. Ected]

4. Can she exceed the maximum recommended sentence

Like Judge Ellis exceeded the minimum sentencing guidelines by a long shot?

[localroger]

17. No, sentencing recommendations aren't statutory

I suspect Ellis would have let Manafort go with a suspended sentence if the law had let him. Sentencing guidelines are a different thing from statutory penalties. Judges have a lot of leeway to stack penalties consecutively or run them concurrently especially when there are a lot of charges with relatively small statutory sentences per charge, but they can't deviate from the statutory requirements at all. Ellis basically gave Manafort the minimum possible considering the guilty verdicts stacked against him.

[IluvPitties]

3. Throw the Book at that gangster!

[C_U_L8R]

5. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger

[aeromanKC]

6. But wait, there's more!!

Don't forget about the State charges. (Non pardonable)

[jaysunb]

7. It won't matter what she does. Trump will pardon him before the week is over. n/t

[jmowreader]

8. I don't think so

Accepting a pardon erases Fifth Amendment protections. If Robert Mueller were to bring a pardoned Trump Administration official in and start questioning him, the official would have to answer. Trump knows this and doesn't want to deal with it.

[2naSalit]

9. Exactly!

But agentorange might not be able to control himself. In that case, Manafort does have to cooperate or he can go back to prison and stay there until Congress (the House) decides to let him out I'm thinking he'll die in prison one way or the other.

[Mr. Sparkle]

15. 100% he is going to be pardoned. Its already been agreed.

The reason Manafort wont talk is a pardon has already been put in place. One of the most telling reasons is the way all of trumps surrogates have come out and said how great a guy he is and how badly he has been treated unlike Cohen who has completely been thrown under the bus. He is going to pardon him under the guise of been very ill.

[BamaRefugee]

20. The official wouldn't actually have to answer. He could refuse, and get sentenced to prison again,

at which point The Orange Anal Wart would pardon him again.
Rinse and repeat.

[quakerboy]

23. That makes two assumptions

1) that they havnt agreed on a pardon for two days after the mueller report has returned and the investigation ended.
2) that Mueller is on our side. The man is still a righty. I will believe he aint crooked when the evidence proves beyond a reasonable doubt. So far, as far as I can tell, all he has produced is a few fall guys and a lot of "The Orange doth protest too much, methinks".

[paleotn]

10. You think 45 is that generous?

I don't. There's nothing in it for him initially and he shows little interest in strategic thinking. I doubt he's pardon his own spawn, unless he would quickly benefit from it.

[littlemissmartypants]

18. Kicked and recommended. nt

[Chellee]

25. Another little wrinkle to bolster your supposition,

per TRMS we were reminded again that Manafort was skimming money from the Trump inaugural fund, maybe more than we knew about. Per Fire and Fury and Chris Christies' book, we know how he feels about people who "are stealing my fucking money!!" Trump thinks that the inaugural money was "his" money. Reminding him that Manafort was stealing from him might make him change his mind about a pardon. He's so petty and vindictive, and incapable of seeing the big picture. Manafort could be toast.

[Botany]

11. 10 years with the other 4 years that Manafort has now is a life sentence

.. besides he has other time coming too.

[enough]

12. I think it's best not to emphasize or celerbretize judges in this political climate.

This isn’t about judges being on one team or the other, being badass, etc.

[Honeycombe8]

13. When did she say that? You got a link?

Hard to believe a judge spoke that way. I actually find that disturbing and not a good sign, if she said that. Judges are supposed to be neutral, applying the law in a carefully considered, judicious way.

[jmowreader]

14. That was me and not her

But after all the shit Trump has put her through in the last couple of years, she's not likely to be lenient.

[Honeycombe8]

16. You'd be surprised at how non-partisan judges can be.

Most (not all) work to keep their passions out of their judgments. They are appliers of the law and try to be dispassionate. They're not like you and me.

Even if she's ticked at Trump, that would have no bearing on the Manafort sentencing. He's not Trump.

[littlemissmartypants]

19. Hell, yeah. nt

[watoos]

21. Manafort will be pardoned, book it.

[garybeck]

22. Yep

[George II]

24. There are dozens of crimes being investigated in NY and NJ and who knows where else....

Federal pardon or not, his life of living large are over.

Plus, he's already forfeited tens of millions of dollars. If he ever gets out he'll be living in the poor house.