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A A federal judge has dealt a blow to the credibility of special advocate Robert Mueller at Paul Manafort's sentencing hearing.
The special advocate's investigation into an alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government cost taxpayers more than $ 25 million, but did not provide any evidence that such collusion would have occurred.
Mueller's team has trapped many people for unrelated crimes, and Manafort, who briefly chaired the Trump campaign in 2016, is by far the most prominent victim of Mueller's witch hunt.
Judge TS Ellis, Senior Judge of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, gave the solicitor a look of desperate political pirates when he was conducting a frantic pursuit condemning Manafort on eight counts of bank and tax fraud related to its lobbying activities abroad.
In a decision that stunned the political world, Ellis rejected Mueller's "excessive" request for 19 to 24 years in prison and sentenced Manafort to only 47 months in prison, crediting the nine months already served.
Ellis, the former F-4 fighter pilot of the Navy, has published an overwhelming assessment of the harsh sentence demanded by the special advocate's office, almost accusing prosecutors of being afraid of his decision.
"To impose a sentence of 19 to 24 years on Mr. Manafort would clearly be a disparity. In the end, I do not think the range of guidelines is appropriate, "said Ellis. "I think what I've done is sufficiently punitive, and anyone who disagrees should spend a day in a federal penitentiary."
The reprimand reflected Ellis' reported malaise over Mueller's strategy of prosecuting unrelated crimes in order to pressure potential witnesses to exchange information about collusion, an approach that can create a perverse incentive to those who, referred to the investigation of the special advocate, make false statements. hope that they will be rewarded with lighter sentences.
Ellis has long been aware of these corrupt tactics and he shared his fears with Mueller's team almost a year ago.
"You do not really care about Mr. Manafort's banking fraud," Ellis told the prosecutor's special team at a preparatory hearing in 2018. "What you're really interested in is the information that Mr. Manafort could give you that could affect or lead to Mr. Trump's prosecution or indictment. … This vernacular language is "singing", what prosecutors use. You have to be careful, they can not only sing, they can compose. "
During the trial, Ellis also blamed Mueller for spending too much time cataloging the sumptuous lifestyle and expensive clothing of Manafort. He said, "The government does not want to sue anyone because it is wearing nice clothes, is not it? Let's move on."
Let's move on. Mueller's investigation found no evidence of collusion, but convictions were handed down for many procedural crimes directly related to the investigation itself – an example of incrimination by certain acts of "indecency". intimidation on the part of the government. Like Ellis in the case of Manafort, the judges generally gave the accused relatively mild treatment, such as the 14-day sentence imposed on George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign volunteer.
Ellis is clearly fed up, like any reasonable person, with Mueller's approach to the investigation. The judge's scathing criticism of the special counsel for the sentence handed down against Manafort should be a reminder that the whole sordid affair was flawed from the beginning.
Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) is a member of the Trump 2020 Advisory Board. She is a constitutional lawyer, radio presenter and author of The legal foundation of a moral constitution.
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