August 8, 2018

How is this a "witch hunt"?

Manafort recommended banker who gave him loans for Army secretary
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/07/politics/manafort-calk-army-secretary/index.html

Paul Manafort recommended a banker who allegedly loaned him money under false pretenses be nominated as President Donald Trump's Army secretary, Rick Gates testified Tuesday.

Gates, who was working on Trump's transition team, testified that Manafort had suggested Stephen Calk as a candidate for Army secretary two weeks after Trump was elected.

Manafort was Trump's campaign chairman in summer 2016 but resigned before the election. Gates, Manafort's longtime business partner and Trump's deputy campaign chairman, was working on the transition team and the inauguration.

"We need to discuss Steve Calk for Sec of Army," Manafort wrote to Gates on Nov. 24, 2016, in an email prosecutors showed the jury. He signed the email as "P."

Manafort emailed Gates again two days before Christmas in 2016. He told Gates he had attached contact information for various people he wanted to go to Trump's inauguration. That list included Calk and his son.

Here's a link from that article which further substantiates the article:
https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2018-04-12.EEC%20Lynch%20to%20CEO%20Steve%20Calk%20re.%20loans%20to%20Paul%20Manafort.pdf


Beyond ample evidence of hiding foreign bank accounts, tax evasion and fraud obtaining bank loans in this particular criminal case against Manafort, how does the above square with 'nothing to see here - this is just a witch hunt of someone trying to sell a position as secretary of the army in exchange for a $16 million bank loan'?

This 'witch hunt' claim reminds me of the 'death panels' claim.

Why is an ex-campaign chair able to make such a proposal during the Trump transition?

I think Trump and Sarah Sanders ought to be hammered with questions on this - to demand an answer why having a court look at this conduct is a 'witch hunt'.

Trump declined giving Rod Blagojevich clemency ....