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>>> DAY THREE OF TRUMP CAMPAIGN
CHIEF CRIMINAL TRIAL, TODAY PAUL
MANAFORT’S BOOKKEEPER TESTIFYING
FOR HOURS, INCLUDING THAT
MANAFORT WAS STRUGGLING TO PAY
HIS BILLS IN 2016 AS HE WORKED
FOR TRUMP FOR FREE.
AND MUELLER’S TEAM FIGHTING
TODAY TO SHOW JURORS MORE
EVIDENCE OF THE LAVISH LIFESTYLE
THAT MANAFORT WAS TRYING TO KEEP
UP.
UP. MORE PICTURES LIKE THIS, SHOW IT
TO YOU, THESE, OF MANAFORT’S
SUITS, INCLUDING A $15,000
OSTRICH JACKET.
OSTRICH JACKET. I JUST DIDN’T KNOW THAT WAS A
THING.
THING. I LIKE CLOTHES.
AND THIS, AN $18,500 PYTHON
COAT.
COAT. JURORS HAVE SEEN A FEW PHOTOS,
NOT MANY.
NOT MANY. PROSECUTORS WANT TO SHOW THEM
THINGS LIKE MANAFORT’S CLOSET,
HIS POOL HOUSE, AND A FLOWER BED
IN THE SHAPE OF AN "M" AT HIS
HOUSE IN THE HAMPTONS.
THE JUDGE IS PUSHING BACK,
SAYING IT BESMIRCHES THE
DEFENDANT AND WOULD ENGENDER
SOME AGAINST RICH PEOPLE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT, HE HAD A COAT
MADE FROM AN OSTRICH, WHICH
EXPLAINS THE STATE’S FIRST
WITNESS.
WITNESS. AND IS THE MAN WHO DID THIS TO
YOU IN THE COURTROOM?
CAN YOU POINT HIM OUT?
>> ALL RIGHT, WITH ME NOW, TIM
O’BRIEN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF
"BLOOMBERG VIEW" AND AUTHOR OF
TRUMP NATION.
TRUMP NATION. AND THE HOW MANAFORT IS ACTING
IN COURT.
IN COURT. FRANK, LET ME START WITH YOU,
PAUL MANAFORT’S DEMEANOR AND THE
WAY HE’S BEEN ACTING PRIOR TO
THE TRIAL GOT HIM INTO HOT
WATER, WHY HE ENDED UP IN JAIL,
THERE ARE SOME BASIC, SIMPLE
RULES YOU SHOULD FOLLOW IF YOU
ARE UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION
AND ABOUT TO BE TRIED BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND HE
DIDN’T BOTHER WITH ANY OF THEM.
THE IDEA THIS TRIAL IS OFF TO A
SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL START SHOULDN’T
BE A SURPRISE TO ANYONE.
>> NO, OF COURSE NOT.
I MEAN, THE EVIDENCE AGAINST
PAUL MANAFORT IS PRETTY CRYSTAL
CLEAR.
CLEAR. YOU SEE THIS IN WITNESS AFTER
WITNESS, ABLE TO DESCRIBE THIS
GOLDBERG CONTRAPTION OF FINANCES
THAT HE SET UP THAT INVOLVED
EXTENSIVE LAUNDERING OF MONEY
FROM CYPRESS.
FROM CYPRESS. PAUL MANAFORT HIMSELF IS AN
IMAGEMAKER, AND HE UNDERSTANDS
HE’S GOT 12 PEOPLE SITTING IN A
JURY BOX AND HE’S GOT TO PUT ON
SOMEWHAT OF A SHOW FOR THEM.
AND SO THE IMAGE THAT HE’S
PROJECTING TO THEM AS HE FLASHES
THEM SMILES AND AS HE POSES AT
THE DEFENSE TABLE IS AN IMAGE OF
SELF-CONFIDENCE.
SELF-CONFIDENCE. AND SO HE’S POSING LIKE ONE OF
THE SENATORS THAT HE ADVISED
BEFORE.
BEFORE. SO THERE’S THIS DISSONANCE
BETWEEN WHAT JURORS ARE HEARING
ON THE STAND FROM ALL THESE
OTHER WITNESSES WHICH IS VERY
DAMNING AND WHAT MANAFORT IS
HIMSELF.
HIMSELF. >> I LOVE THAT MOXIE.
LET ME SHOW YOU PICTURES OF THE
HOME, A DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE
LANDSCAPER DESCRIBED IN COURT
THAT HE MAINTAINED 14 FOOT
HEDGING, LAWNS, A BED OF
HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF WHITE
FLOWERS, AND ANOTHER WITH
FLOWERS IN THE SHAPE OF THE
LETTER "M."
LETTER "M." SOME -- JURORS DON’T RESPOND
WELL TO THAT, AS WE REMEMBER
FROM ENRON.
FROM ENRON. >> WHAT WAS THAT "M" CARVED OUT
FOR, MANAFORT, MONEY LAUNDERING
OR MUST MAKE MORE MONEY?
THE ODD THING THAT EMERGES IN
THIS TESTIMONY TODAY THAT, YOU
KNOW, HE LOSES AROUND $600,000
IN 2015.
IN 2015. HE LOSES OVER A MILLION IN 2016.
YET HE’S CONTINUING TO SPEND
LIKE KING MIDAS.
YOU GET THE SENSE, LIKE MANY
PEOPLE THAT TRIED TO HITCH THEIR
WAY GONES TO TRUMP
WAGONS TO TRUMP’S STAR THAT THEY
SAW HIM AS A PROFIT CENTER, AND
THEY SAW THIS AS A SHORT-TERM
WAY TO MAKE MONEY.
IT WOULD SEEM THAT’S WHAT PAUL
MANAFORT WAS THINKING.
THE OTHER GREAT THING ABOUT THE
CASE TODAY IS THAT THE
BOOKKEEPER TESTIFIES, AND AS A
JOURNALIST I LOVE IT WHEN THEY
TESTIFY.
TESTIFY. YOU GET A FACT PATTERN AROUND
MONEY.
MONEY. THE BOOKKEEPER IS BASED IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, EVEN THOUGH
MOST OF MANAFORT’S BUSINESS
OPERATIONS ARE IN NEW YORK,
VIRGINIA AND FLORIDA.
SHE’S AT A DISTANCE.
SHE’S NOT SEEING THE
TRANSACTIONS THAT ARE BEING
PRESENTED DURING THE TRIAL.
WHY ISN’T SHE EVEN THOUGH SHE
PRESENTS -- PREPARES HIS TAXES
EVERY YEAR?
EVERY YEAR? AND ON AND ON.
THE BOOKKEEPER’S TESTIMONY TODAY
WAS VERY DAMNING.
>> FRANKLY, THE BOOKKEEPER
TESTIFIES SHE DIDN’T GET ANY
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FACT HE
HAD FOREIGN ACCOUNTS.
THE WHOLE THING IS WHACK.
HE’S NOT MAKING MONEY, SELLING
HIMSELF AS AN INFLUENCE PEDDLER
TO SOME REMARKABLY RICH PEOPLE.
WHAT IN THE END IS THE NARRATIVE
HERE THAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
JURORS TO TAKE AWAY?
>> I THINK ONE IS THE SENSE OF
IMPUNITY WITH WHICH PAUL
MANAFORT OPERATED, THAT HE WAS
WILLING TO FABRICATE DOCUMENTS,
HE WAS WILLING TO OFFER PEOPLE
JOBS IN EXCHANGE FOR LOANS, THAT
HE WAS DESPERATE, THAT HE WAS IN
SUCH A TREMENDOUS HOLE, DESPITE
HAVING THIS MASSIVE AMOUNT OF
MONEY FLOWING TO HIM FROM
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. THERE WERE MEMOS THAT HE WROTE
TO THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
WHERE HE WAS PLEADING WITH HIM
TO PAY HIM MORE MONEY, EVEN
THOUGH HE’S PAYING HIM MILLIONS
AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR.
>> TIM, MANAFORT WAS WORKING --
THE BOOKKEEPER ALSO POINTED OUT,
WORKING FOR FREE FOR DONALD
TRUMP WHILE NOT HAVING MONEY.
>> NOBODY WORKS FOR FREE.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. SO THIS BECOMES PART OF THE
ARGUMENT TO THE JURY, RIGHT,
THAT WASN’T WORKING FOR PAY FROM
DONALD TRUMP, BUT, DOT, DOT,
DOT.
DOT. SELLING INFLUENCE SOMEWHERE,
SOMETHING ELSE WAS HAPPENING
BECAUSE YOU CAN’T SUPPORT THE
OSTRICH AND THE CROCODILE OR
PYTHON JACKETS WHILE WORKING FOR
FREE WHEN YOU’RE HEAVILY IN
DEBT.
DEBT. >> THAT’S RIGHT.
AND SOME OF THE COURT DOCUMENTS
THAT HAVE COME OUT SO FAR, HE
PROCESSED AROUND $75 MILLION
THROUGH THE BUSINESS IN A
RELATIVELY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME,
AROUND 60 OF THAT ACCRUED TO HIM
PERSONALLY.
PERSONALLY. SO HERE’S SOMEBODY WHO HAS 60
MILLION COMING INTO HIS
ACCOUNTS, AND IS STILL GOING
INTO HOCK.
INTO HOCK. I THINK HE WAS SOMEBODY WHO WAS
VERY, VERY DESPERATE.
>> SO IT’S NOT THAT THE
PROSECUTION IS TRYING TO PICK ON
THE RICH, THEY’RE TRYING TO