Russian Connection 4: Do Not Congratulate

[Howl]

Guess the discussion of Trump's European trip, climaxing (!) with Trump's one-on-one with Vlad, his fave man crush, can take place here.   Anyway, I was listening to Kay Bailey Hutchinson being interviewed on NPR last night.  She's a long-term Texas Republican politician, lawyer, commentator and now diplomat in her role as the NATO Ambassador.   I don't agree with her politics, but she's smart.  In her NPR interview, she was tactful in making important points (meaning she had to lie through her teeth about Trump's thinking) but unlike Trump, she's got a good grasp about what's going on and how Trump could endanger the world as we know it. 

She was sitting next to Trump when he was busy insulting Germany and generally making an ass out of himself this morning.   Kay Bailey Hutchinson practiced focusing on something in the distance, and John Kelly, who was next to her, looked bilious.  According to the WH, Kelly was upset because they were serving continental breakfast.  Of course, Trump went nuclear on Germany about a pipeline to bring Russian gas to Germany,  before anyone had even sipped on their orange juice.  Ari Melber noted that who wouldn't be upset when you just get pastries and cheese when you thought it was going to be a big buffet. 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

More on Pavel: "Paul Manafort to be moved from jail where prosecutors say he has ‘VIP’ treatment"

Spoiler

A federal judge in Alexandria has ordered Paul Manafort to be moved to the city jail, although Manafort has asked to stay in a Northern Neck facility where prosecutors say he is receiving special treatment.

Judge T.S. Ellis wrote in a filing published Wednesday that Manafort’s “access to counsel and his ability to prepare for trial trumps his personal comfort.”

Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager, had asked for his July 25 federal trial in Alexandria on bank and tax fraud charges to be delayed in large part because it was difficult to prepare while incarcerated 100 miles away. But on Tuesday, Manafort resisted being moved to Alexandria, arguing that while the city jail would be more convenient, he did not want to adjust to new circumstances so close to trial.

“It is surprising and confusing when counsel identifies a problem and then opposes the most logical solution to that problem,” Ellis wrote. “The dissonance between defendant’s motion to continue and motion opposing transfer to the Alexandria Detention Center cannot easily be explained or resolved.”

Prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday that Manafort has told people he is being treated like a “VIP” in the Northern Neck jail, where he has his own phone and computer, writes emails and does not have to wear a uniform.

Moreover, attorneys for Robert S. Mueller III’s special counsel probe say Manafort wants the trial delayed only for strategic reasons.

In a recent phone call they say he explained in vague terms why he wanted to go to trial first in D.C. federal court, where he faces related charges in a trial set for September.

“Think about how it’ll play elsewhere,” Manafort said, according to the court filing. “There is a strategy to it, even in failure, but there’s a hope in it.”

In recent phone calls, they say Manafort also has said he has “all my files like I would at home,” has “gone through all the discovery now,” and is being treated like a “VIP.”

Manafort speaks to his attorneys every day and often multiple times a day, they said. While the calls are limited to 15 minutes in length, there is no limit on how many calls he can make.

“Among the unique privileges Manafort enjoys at the jail are a private, self-contained living unit, which is larger than other inmates’ units, his own bathroom and shower facility, his own personal telephone, and his own workspace to prepare for trial,” the prosecutors wrote. “Manafort is also not required to wear a prison uniform.” He also has a personal laptop, they say, with an extension cord so he can use it in his unit and not just the workroom.

Manafort has even “developed a workaround” to send emails, which prisoners normally would not be allowed to do, according to prosecutors: “In order to exchange emails, he reads and composes emails on a second laptop that is shuttled in and out of the facility by his team. When the team takes the laptop from the jail, it re-connects to the Internet and Manafort’s emails are transmitted.”

Manafort’s lawyers replied in a filing that “while it is possible for Mr. Manafort to provide counsel with information he would like communicated, any communication is then sent by counsel in a manner that is consistent with the rules of the detention facility. “

Manafort filed a motion last week asking for his Virginia trial to be delayed until this fall, arguing it was impossible to fully prepare due to distance and with limited electronic and phone access.

In a separate D.C. court filing in which he also described his Northern Neck jailing, Manafort had said he is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day.

The D.C. filing came as Manafort appealed the ruling last month that sent him to jail after a federal judge ended his home detention and ordered him detained following Manafort’s indictment on attempted witness tampering while he had been awaiting trial.

Prosecutors said that at the time Manafort was jailed June 15 and at multiple times since, they have offered to help if there were any issues with the jail location or conditions. He has not reached out, they said in court filings.

In his order, Ellis directed the Alexandria jail to allow Manafort, “to the extent practically possible” to meet with his attorneys for eight hours a day until trial.

He noted that the Alexandria jail has housed many high-profile detainees, “including foreign and domestic terrorists, spies and traitors.”

Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said he was “aware that he’s been remanded to our custody and when he arrives he’ll go through the proper classification process. We’ll house him properly in order to meet everyone’s needs.”

Manafort also argued to have his Virginia trial continued on the grounds that he needed more time to review the many documents in the case, which centers on his work for a Russia-backed political party in Ukraine.

Prosecutors say the bulk of the documents handed over recently come from Manafort’s own bookkeeping service, and so are not unfamiliar to him.

They also recently provided Manafort with 8,290 documents from the computer of his former business partner, Richard Gates, who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the prosecution. “Review of that material can be accomplished well in advance of the July 25 trial date and does not warrant a months-long adjournment,” the government filings said.

Prosecutors noted that Manafort knew his refusal to let the Virginia bank and tax fraud charges be combined with his federal case in D.C. case would likely lead to this schedule. The District involves federal conspiracy and money-laundering charges and the witness tampering charge.

“Manafort can hardly now complain about the order of the trials,” the special counsel attorneys said.

Manafort has also argued that his trial should be moved from Alexandria to Roanoke, where jurors are more likely to support the president, his attorneys told the court.

Prosecutors have not yet responded to that motion, but in Wednesday’s filing they question why Manafort did not file a similar request in D.C., “a venue that presumably Manafort views as akin to the Alexandria venue he seeks to avoid.”

Ellis has not ruled on the Virginia continuance or the change of venue. He has scheduled a hearing on both issues for Tuesday at 1 p.m.

He will also hear argument Tuesday on a jury questionnaire, having reversed course and decided to issue one to potential jurors. The judge’s proposed questionnaire asks about experience with the Internal Revenue Service, opinion on business ties with Ukraine, and ability to “put to one side everything you have seen, read, heard, or know about this case.”

I doubt he'll have the "VIP" situation in the Alexandria detention center.

[Cartmann99]

3 hours ago, Howl said:

In her NPR interview, she was tactful in making important points (meaning she had to lie through her teeth about Trump's thinking) but unlike Trump, she's got a good grasp about what's going on and how Trump could endanger the world as we know it. 

I was reading her Twitter feed earlier this week, and I don't envy her trying to clean up Trump's messes. 

[onekidanddone]

3 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

More on Pavel: "Paul Manafort to be moved from jail where prosecutors say he has ‘VIP’ treatment"

  Reveal hidden contents

A federal judge in Alexandria has ordered Paul Manafort to be moved to the city jail, although Manafort has asked to stay in a Northern Neck facility where prosecutors say he is receiving special treatment.

Judge T.S. Ellis wrote in a filing published Wednesday that Manafort’s “access to counsel and his ability to prepare for trial trumps his personal comfort.”

Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager, had asked for his July 25 federal trial in Alexandria on bank and tax fraud charges to be delayed in large part because it was difficult to prepare while incarcerated 100 miles away. But on Tuesday, Manafort resisted being moved to Alexandria, arguing that while the city jail would be more convenient, he did not want to adjust to new circumstances so close to trial.

“It is surprising and confusing when counsel identifies a problem and then opposes the most logical solution to that problem,” Ellis wrote. “The dissonance between defendant’s motion to continue and motion opposing transfer to the Alexandria Detention Center cannot easily be explained or resolved.”

Prosecutors said in a court filing Wednesday that Manafort has told people he is being treated like a “VIP” in the Northern Neck jail, where he has his own phone and computer, writes emails and does not have to wear a uniform.

Moreover, attorneys for Robert S. Mueller III’s special counsel probe say Manafort wants the trial delayed only for strategic reasons.

In a recent phone call they say he explained in vague terms why he wanted to go to trial first in D.C. federal court, where he faces related charges in a trial set for September.

“Think about how it’ll play elsewhere,” Manafort said, according to the court filing. “There is a strategy to it, even in failure, but there’s a hope in it.”

In recent phone calls, they say Manafort also has said he has “all my files like I would at home,” has “gone through all the discovery now,” and is being treated like a “VIP.”

Manafort speaks to his attorneys every day and often multiple times a day, they said. While the calls are limited to 15 minutes in length, there is no limit on how many calls he can make.

“Among the unique privileges Manafort enjoys at the jail are a private, self-contained living unit, which is larger than other inmates’ units, his own bathroom and shower facility, his own personal telephone, and his own workspace to prepare for trial,” the prosecutors wrote. “Manafort is also not required to wear a prison uniform.” He also has a personal laptop, they say, with an extension cord so he can use it in his unit and not just the workroom.

Manafort has even “developed a workaround” to send emails, which prisoners normally would not be allowed to do, according to prosecutors: “In order to exchange emails, he reads and composes emails on a second laptop that is shuttled in and out of the facility by his team. When the team takes the laptop from the jail, it re-connects to the Internet and Manafort’s emails are transmitted.”

Manafort’s lawyers replied in a filing that “while it is possible for Mr. Manafort to provide counsel with information he would like communicated, any communication is then sent by counsel in a manner that is consistent with the rules of the detention facility. “

Manafort filed a motion last week asking for his Virginia trial to be delayed until this fall, arguing it was impossible to fully prepare due to distance and with limited electronic and phone access.

In a separate D.C. court filing in which he also described his Northern Neck jailing, Manafort had said he is kept in solitary confinement 23 hours a day.

The D.C. filing came as Manafort appealed the ruling last month that sent him to jail after a federal judge ended his home detention and ordered him detained following Manafort’s indictment on attempted witness tampering while he had been awaiting trial.

Prosecutors said that at the time Manafort was jailed June 15 and at multiple times since, they have offered to help if there were any issues with the jail location or conditions. He has not reached out, they said in court filings.

In his order, Ellis directed the Alexandria jail to allow Manafort, “to the extent practically possible” to meet with his attorneys for eight hours a day until trial.

He noted that the Alexandria jail has housed many high-profile detainees, “including foreign and domestic terrorists, spies and traitors.”

Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said he was “aware that he’s been remanded to our custody and when he arrives he’ll go through the proper classification process. We’ll house him properly in order to meet everyone’s needs.”

Manafort also argued to have his Virginia trial continued on the grounds that he needed more time to review the many documents in the case, which centers on his work for a Russia-backed political party in Ukraine.

Prosecutors say the bulk of the documents handed over recently come from Manafort’s own bookkeeping service, and so are not unfamiliar to him.

They also recently provided Manafort with 8,290 documents from the computer of his former business partner, Richard Gates, who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with the prosecution. “Review of that material can be accomplished well in advance of the July 25 trial date and does not warrant a months-long adjournment,” the government filings said.

Prosecutors noted that Manafort knew his refusal to let the Virginia bank and tax fraud charges be combined with his federal case in D.C. case would likely lead to this schedule. The District involves federal conspiracy and money-laundering charges and the witness tampering charge.

“Manafort can hardly now complain about the order of the trials,” the special counsel attorneys said.

Manafort has also argued that his trial should be moved from Alexandria to Roanoke, where jurors are more likely to support the president, his attorneys told the court.

Prosecutors have not yet responded to that motion, but in Wednesday’s filing they question why Manafort did not file a similar request in D.C., “a venue that presumably Manafort views as akin to the Alexandria venue he seeks to avoid.”

Ellis has not ruled on the Virginia continuance or the change of venue. He has scheduled a hearing on both issues for Tuesday at 1 p.m.

He will also hear argument Tuesday on a jury questionnaire, having reversed course and decided to issue one to potential jurors. The judge’s proposed questionnaire asks about experience with the Internal Revenue Service, opinion on business ties with Ukraine, and ability to “put to one side everything you have seen, read, heard, or know about this case.”

I doubt he'll have the "VIP" situation in the Alexandria detention center.

Put him in Baltimore’s super max or better yet OZ

[GreyhoundFan]

Fun with Pavel's mug shot:

Spoiler

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Prison jumpsuit and mystery meats: Inside Manafort’s new jail experience"

Spoiler

Paul Manafort could log on to a computer from his first jail cell, a unit he described to friends and family as a “VIP” setup with its own private shower and bathroom. He also didn’t have to wear a prison uniform.

That all changed Thursday with the longtime GOP operative’s transfer two hours north to a maximum-security detention center in Northern Virginia where the meals are known to be carbohydrate-heavy and the internet, except in rare cases, is nonexistent.

Because of his high-profile status, the former Donald Trump campaign chairman whose first criminal trial on bank and tax fraud charges starts later this month, is still expected to be segregated from the general prison population.

A city sheriff’s official said Manafort is unlikely to have a cellmate at the 31-year old Alexandria Detention Center, and apart from meetings with his attorneys and approved visitors, he will get only limited breaks during the day for recreation activities in a common area without other prisoners around.

As seen in the mug shot released Thursday by the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Manafort was issued the standard light green jumpsuit worn by all inmates, with the word ‘prisoner’ emblazoned on it.

That’s a stark contrast from his previous arrangement at a different jail in Warsaw, Virginia, where Manafort had been locked up since June 15 after a federal judge overseeing one of his cases revoked his release under house arrest, citing new witness tampering charges filed by special counsel Robert Mueller.

At the Northern Neck Regional Jail, Manafort had described to friends getting “VIP” treatment that included use of a private bathroom, access to a phone and laptop computer in his own private cell and a separate workspace he could use from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to court documents filed earlier this week by Mueller’s prosecutors.

The special counsel’s office also said jail officials had also “made extra accommodations” for Manafort to use the computer, including an extension cord that let him work in his cell.

But many of those perks were ripped away after U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III on Tuesday ordered Manafort moved to the prison in Alexandria that’s just a couple blocks from the courthouse where his trial is scheduled to start July 25.

Downplaying concerns raised by Manafort’s attorneys about his safety, Ellis vouched for the detention center by noting its staff are “very familiar with housing high-profile defendants including foreign and domestic terrorists, spies and traitors.”

Gene Rossi, a former federal prosecutor based in Alexandria who now serves as a defense attorney with a client housed at the same facility as Manafort, said the jail was more than capable of keeping the former Trump campaign leader out of harm’s way.

“He does not need to worry about his safety,” he said. “His fellow prisoners are probably from different cultures. They may treat him with respect. Maybe not. But they’re not going to take any action against him. He’s not an ax murderer. He’s not a child pornographer. He’s an alleged fraudster.”

“Is it camp? No, it’s a jail,” Rossi added. “They’re not going to get filet mignon every night.”

In a fresh blow to Manafort, a federal appeals court on Thursday turned down Manafort’s request for immediate release from jail in advance of his trials.

Manafort joins a long list of high-profile inmates to have been confined at the Alexandria jail, including convicted spy Robert Hanssen, Al Qaeda operative and Sept. 11 mastermind Zacarias Moussaoui, and former New York Times reporter Judith Miller.

The jail’s general population includes about 400 men and women serving less than one-year sentences, as well as people like Manafort who are preparing for their trials. Federal prisoners are kept at the city prison under an agreement with the U.S. Marshals Service.

For the general population, the facility is widely seen as clean and safe. There are televisions and a telephone in each unit’s common area, a barber on staff for haircuts, and prisoners can get help with anger management, drug addictions, English lessons and literacy.

Lawyer visits commonly take place in a small, windowless room with a small, round table in the middle. An intercom on the wall is used to signal to the guards when a meeting is finished and a prisoner is ready to go back to the cell. Inmates have access to a canteen for purchasing supplies. Prison officials are allowed to read inmate mail and record their phone calls to people besides lawyers. The calls are all made collect.

Inmates must approve visitors, who are restricted from coming during lockdowns, on Tuesday mornings and Saturday nights. A clear partition separates visitors and prisoners and they can communicate only through a telephone.

Mealtimes are on a strict schedule, too, with breakfast between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.; lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and dinner between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Special diets are allowed.

“It’s certainly not a place where you’d take someone on a date,” said Melinda Douglas, public defender for the city of Alexandria.

In her 2015 book “The Story: A Reporter’s Journey,” Miller recounted the 85 days she spent during the summer and fall of 2005 in the Alexandria Detention Center after refusing to cooperate with special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation into who in the George W. Bush administration leaked the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Upon her arrival, Miller, who would be mixed in with the general female population, was given a basic set of undergarments, a “paper-thin mat and matching pillow,” a blanket and a see-through plastic bag holding “all my worldly possessions: a comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, and soap,” she wrote.

She had to relinquish all of her jewelry except a wedding ring, which she could keep because it didn’t have any precious stones in it. Wristwatches were banned, and the “deputies” — which is what the inmates were told to call the guards — “had effectively abolished time,” she wrote.

Miller said she was kept in a 70-square-foot cell with a rotating cast of cellmates. There was no furniture and an open toilet and sink “plus a mirror made of polished metal that could not be shattered or used to slash a wrist or murder a cell mate.”

As for the meals, Miller described having hot dogs during Friday lunches and hard-boiled eggs and “real tea” for Sunday breakfasts. She also recalled the prison’s “vile food — mystery meats drenched in thick brown sauce that a fellow inmate dubbed ‘sloppy no’s,’ accompanied by starches and carbohydrates in shades of brown and gray.”

Cells were “lit all day and dimmed only at night” and the jail’s “harsh fluorescent lights were not good for sustained reading.” Male prisoners got the bulk of the recreation time on an indoor basketball court, and there was limited access to the outdoors.

“Sometimes an empathetic deputy would unlock a side door to the gym that opened onto an alcove with a wire-mesh roof, a giant birdcage,” Miller wrote. “You could breathe fresh air. In my eighty-five days at ADC, I had access to the alcove and fresh air five times.”

Manafort’s movements in Alexandria are likely to be much more limited, according to people familiar with the prison’s arrangements. Indeed, jail officials on Thursday cited as examples of their experience with high-profile prisoners both Hanssen and Moussaoui, who on different occasions were kept by themselves in an 80-square-foot cell away from the rest of the general population.

In Moussaoui’s case, he had access to a computer with internet because he was defending himself at his upcoming trial. But Manafort, who has a team of lawyers working for him, isn’t expected to get the same privileges.

Miller, in an email to POLITICO, said she believed Manafort would have conditions similar to those she experienced.

“Yup. .... But having access to internet is HUGE … if he’ll have that,” Miller said. “I had lots of telephone time, and that, too, made a huge psychological difference.”

She added, “It’s hard to describe how claustrophobic jail can be. And ADC was a very well-run, but tough jail without an outdoor courtyard for exercise or just fresh air. ... It’s certainly not Spa ADC, even if you have your own prison suite.”

 

[Howl]

For a supposed master mind, Manafort seems to have some serious disconnects between action and consequence.

[AmazonGrace]

If you donated to Jill Stein you'll be happy to know she's found a way to use your money.

 

[AmazonGrace]

Rosenstein presser: 

 

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

From the idle chatter  before the presser starts it sounds like it might have something to do with the DNC and DCLeaks.

 

[AmazonGrace]

12 Russian military officers charged for hacking the DNC and releasing hacked information

 

They used phishing and hacking into computer networks to put keystroke followers to monitor computers

There were fictitious online personas including DCleaks and Guccifer to release documents.

Guccifer was assumed to be a Romanian hacker but it was the GRU.

Some entities are anonymous in the indictment, I'm assuming because of ongoing investigation.

They used cryptocurrencies.

This indictment doesn't say that any Americans co-operated.

They also hacked voter registration information and state local officials who have something to do with voting.

 

Some indictments are about identity theft for using stolen usernames and passwords, some about money laundering to conceal the money coming from Russia.

"There is no allegation in this indictment that any Americans committed a crime. "

Also saying that they're not saying it changed the election result. They're transferring some further investigation to another agency I missed.

Rosenstein is also saying that they follow the rule of law and procedures and reserve judgment, evaluate all available evidence before they reach a conclusion. It's a slam at yesterday's congressional hearing.

i'm watching here https://www.c-span.org/video/?448407-1/12-russian-intelligence-officers-indicted-dnc-hacking&live

 

[AmazonGrace]

Asked about what Trump said when briefed, Rosenstein says he'll let Trump speak for himself but that it's important that the president understands what's going on re:election interference because he needs to do important decisions. That also sounded like an extremely polite subtweet.

It's over.

500 000 American voters had their data stolen but if he said which states I didn't catch it. Also unclear what they did with the information.

 

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

Regarding the last comment, Rosenstein also said that if there are leaks they're not usually from the FBI, and wants to remind everyone that most people who comment do not know all the facts.

 

Useful fools.

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

"conspired with persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury"... is it just me or does this sound like there might be indictments coming for more conspirators yet.

 

The indictment is quite detailed about when and how they hacked the DNC so all the hooplah that Trump repeats about the FBI not getting the DNC servers seems totes irrelevant.

[AmazonGrace]

Roger, is that you?

 

Rudy weighs in with a predictable takeaway:

 

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

Do we know which reporter this is?

And this congress candidate. Any guesses who? Nunes?

 

 

[formergothardite]

So he called on them to hack Hillary's email and then they started doing exactly that. Of course Fox News is going to spin like a top to make it seem like this is a big pile of nothing and that out president is perfectly fine refusing to stand up to Russia when they attacked our country, because this is an attack on our country. 

[AmazonGrace]

They hacked election boards and secretaries of state.

I wonder what they have on Kris Kobach.

Also election software companies.

This sounds extremely serious.

I think you need paper ballots for the midterms.

The hacked states include Georgia, Iowa, Florida.

The pictures were brought to you courtesy of Robert Mueller at https://www.justice.gov/file/1080281/download

 

White House still saying it's an "alleged" hacking. Can't we all at least agree by now that the DNC got hacked for realz?

[AmazonGrace]

 

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

This individual appears on Fox:

 

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

In the TGIF department:

 

[AmazonGrace]