Judge Shuts Down Manafort's Unredacted Warrants Demand to Protect 'Confidential Sources'

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Law and Crime


by Matt Naham | 7:00 pm, May 29th, 2018

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was dealt another blow to his defense on Tuesday in the case against him in the D.C., as his motion to completely redact seven affidavits detailing applications for search warrants came up short. Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia gave two reasons for denying the motion: the affidavits in question were irrelevant; there was a need to protect “confidential sources.”

Berman Jackson said that a review of the search and seizure warrant affidavits themselves and a “consideration of the pleadings” from both sides led her to the conclusion that Manafort’s motion to compel should be denied.

The judge said that three of seven affidavits are already fully redacted, that the defense agrees there is “nothing left to be resolved” in two additional affidavits, and noted that the special counsel’s arguments on last two disputed affidavits fell into two “categories.”

Berman Jackson said information was being withheld because in those instances because “the names of confidential sources who had provided information to the government” were involved and because they contained “information relating to ongoing investigations that does not bear upon the allegations in either of the two cases now pending against Manafort.”

Read more: https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/judge-shuts-down-manaforts-unredacted-warrants-demand-to-protect-confidential-sources/

[saidsimplesimon]

1. Judi,

What if this monster in our WH appoints more crazy, lazy, incompetent judges before he can be stopped? That is his path.

[LiberalFighter]

2. There needs to be a way to remove bad judges.

Hopefully, it will rise to the level of impeachment. Or better yet, criminal prosecution of crimes.

[Judi Lynn]

4. He's pure destruction. Too bad his stupid supporters don't realize what he does to the human race

will also harm them, too, in the end.

I'll bet he hasn't appointed even one decent person since he stole the Presidency.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. Thanks, Judi Lynn..

Manafort is doing everything possible to delay his case and to protect Trump and himself. Makes one wonder who's paying his lawyer bills......

[Judi Lynn]

5. Probably someone nastier than any of us could imagine.

The power which propelled him into the White House has to be hideous.

We have to find a way to hope, if it's possible by now.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

12. Yes, and it's proving out that the darkest of global forces were...

behind Trump in the election, including in the USA. I fear that if we can't reverse the flow of big money and massive disinformation into our election process, we have darker days ahead.

I believe one of the key planks any any Democrat's platform (whether at state or federal level) must be eliminating the wealthy's undue influence in our politics.

[pnwmom]

6. Um, this article is confusing and I think it's because the reporter repeatedly said "redact"

when he should have said "unredact." Right?

For example:

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was dealt another blow to his defense on Tuesday in the case against him in the D.C., as his motion to completely redact seven affidavits detailing applications for search warrants came up short.

Redact means to hide or remove information from a text. Manafort wanted information Mueller had redacted to be unredacted. He didn't want Mueller to "completely redact."

[pnwmom]

7. Here's a US News piece that's better written.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-05-29/the-latest-court-filing-may-show-russia-probe-nearing-close

A judge says special counsel Robert Mueller is correct to withhold certain information being demanded by lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Mueller's lawyers had redacted information from two affidavits used to get search warrants in the Manafort investigation.

They said the information was withheld because it fell into two categories: names of confidential sources and details about ongoing investigations unrelated to the cases pending against Manafort, who is awaiting trial in Virginia and Washington.

Judge Amy Berman Jackson said in an order Tuesday that she had privately reviewed the two affidavits in question and agreed with Mueller's team that they didn't have to reveal the un-redacted information to Manafort's lawyers.

[FakeNoose]

8. Thanks! this really helps my understanding

We should assume that Mueller has all the original un-redacted indictments, am I right?

Manafort could easily talk to Mueller and make a deal in order to see the original indictments. He just has to give up something in return. The only person who could make that deal is Robert Mueller, not the judge or anybody else. It looks like Manafort is trying to get a freebie and the judge isn't playing along.

[pnwmom]

9. Yes, Mueller's team wrote the original (unredacted) documents. Then when they were told

to give them to Manafort's lawyers, they produced them -- with names and other info redacted (blacked out).

Manafort's team wanted to see the original, unredacted documents and the judge said no.

(But some analysts think Manafort is a very big fish and it's unlikely Mueller will make a deal with him. Unless, of course, there is a much bigger fish to pull in.)

[murielm99]

10. Thanks.

You explain that better than the article does.

[riversedge]

11. kick 🌊🌊🌊 #FlipItBlue #BlueWave2018 #VoteThemOUT