HOW MUCH YOU CAN SAVE..
>>> WE MENTIONED THIS AT THE TOP OF THE BROADCAST.
PAUL MANAFORT IS RESPONDING
TONIGHT TO A RATHER SCATHING
SENTENCING MEMO FILED BY THE
MUELLER TEAM ON FRIDAY IN
WASHINGTON, D.C., FEDERAL COURT.
IN THIS NEW DOCUMENT, FEDERAL
PROSECUTORS SAY MANAFORT
REPEATEDLY AND BRAZENLY VIOLATED
THE LAW AND THAT HE CONTINUED TO
BREAK LAWS WELL INTO THE FALL OF
2018.
2018. TONIGHT MANAFORT’S LAWYERS FILED
THEIR OWN MEMO THAT READS IN
PART, AND WE, QUOTE, AS THE
GOVERNMENT ITSELF NOTES, MR.
MANAFORT COMMITTED GARDEN
VARIETY CRIMES AND VIOLATED THE
MORE ESOTERIC FOREIGN AGENTS
REJECTION ACT.
REJECTION ACT. THEY GO ON TO SAY, QUOTE, THE
DEFENDANT HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED
WITH CRIMES RELATED TO THE
PRIMARY FOCUS OF THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL’S INVESTIGATION, I.E.,
ANY LINKS AND COORDINATION
BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
AND INDIVIDUALS ASSOCIATED WITH
THE CAMPAIGN OF PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP, OTHERWISE REFERRED TO AS
RUSSIAN COLLUSION BY THE
NATIONAL MEDIA.
NATIONAL MEDIA. THREATS THROW IN THE PRESIDENT
THERE.
THERE. NEVERTHELESS, THESE
NEVERTHELESS, THESE GARDEN-VARIETY AND ESOTERIC
OFFENSES HAVE LED TO MR.
MANAFORT BEING WILDLY VILIFIED
IN A MANNER THIS COUNTRY HASN’T
EXPERIENCED IN DECADES.
NOW, MANAFORT THROUGH HIS
LAWYERS ALSO SAID HE DESERVES A
SENTENCE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW THE
TEN-YEAR MAXIMUM.
TEN-YEAR MAXIMUM. THE MEMO THAT WAS RELEASED ON
SATURDAY SAID MANAFORT’S
CRIMINAL ACTIONS WERE, QUOTE,
BOLD AND, QUOTE, HIS DECEIT,
WHICH IS A FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENT
OF THE CRIMES OF CONVICTION AND
RELEVANT CONDUCT EXTENDED TO TAX
PREPARERS, BOOKKEEPERS, BANKS,
TREASURY, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE,
NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION, THE
FBI, THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S
OFFICE, THE GRAND JURY, HIS OWN
LEGAL COUNSEL, MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS, AND MEMBERS OF THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF THE UNITED
STATES GOVERNMENT.
STATES GOVERNMENT. WELL, WITH US TO TALK ABOUT IT,
CHRIS McGUERRIN, REPORTER FOR
THE "L.A. TIMES" WHO COVERS THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION
AND WE HAVE PREVAILED UPON
VETERAN FEDERAL PROSECUTOR BER
RITBERGER TO STICK AROUND WITH
US FOR JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES.
COUNSELOR, I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN
WITH YOU.
WITH YOU. WHAT SHOULD OUR TAKEAWAY BE FROM
THIS DOCUMENT, NOT COUNTING THE
BLACK LINES OF REDACTION, 800
PAGES IN ALL, GIVE OR TAKE?
>> THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE
WASN’T HOLDING ANYTHING BACK IN
THIS SENTENCING MEMO.
THERE WAS NO SORT OF MEASURED
LANGUAGE ABOUTWELL HE DID COME
IN AND TRIED TO HELP.
THEY REALLY PUT IT ALL OUT
THERE.
THERE. THIS WAS ABOUT AS STRIDENT OF A
SENTENCING MEMO AS YOU’LL GET IN
THIS KIND OF CASE.
THEY TALK ABOUT CRIMES THAT HE
COMMITTED THAT LED UP TO THIS,
THE WAYS HE TRIED TO THEN TAMPER
WITH WITNESSES TO AFFECT THE
INVESTIGATION, AND THEN THE LIES
THEY TOLD DURING HIS ATTEMPTS AT
COOPERATION.
COOPERATION. HE REALLY HIT EVERY ELEMENT OF
CRIMINALITY HERE IN THIS
INVESTIGATION, AND THEY GO
THROUGH AND REALLY PAINSTAKING
DETAIL TO LAY IT OUT.
>> THEY CAN DO AGGRAVATING
CIRCUMSTANCES AND MITIGATING,
SOME NICE THINGS ABOUT NOTHING
IN THE MITIGATING CATEGORY.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. THAT’S WHAT’S SIGNIFICANT.
THERE ARE ARGUABLY SOME
ADMITTING GATING FACTORS HERE.
HE IS 70 SOMETHING YEARS OLD AND
HE’S FACING A VERY LONG TIME IN
PRISON.
PRISON. BUT THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE
WAS VERY CLEAR IN THIS
SENTENCING MEMO.
SENTENCING MEMO. THEY SAID THERE ARE NO
MITIGATING FACTORS THAT SHOULD
CAUSE THIS COURT TO GIVE MR.
MANAFORT A LENIENT SENTENCE.
>> WHAT SHOULD THE TAKEAWAY BE
FROM THE MANAFORT LAWYER
RESPONSE DOCUMENT?
RESPONSE DOCUMENT? >> WELL, IT’S TOTALLY THE
OPPOSITE FROM WHAT PROSECUTORS
PUT OUT.
PUT OUT. BASICALLY IT’S ALL MITIGATING
FACTORS, A LOT OF PERSONAL
HISTORY, HOW PAUL MANAFORT HAS
BEEN A GOOD FATHER, A GOOD
BROTHER, A GOOD UNCLE, THINGS
HE’S DONE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
THEY PAINT A VERY ROSY PICTURE
OF HIS WORK AS AN OVERSEAS
POLITICAL CONSULTANT, LEAVING
OUT THE DICTATORS HE ADVISED AND
MERELY SAYING HE PROMOTE
AMERICAN VALUES ABROAD.
AND BASICALLY SAY THAT HIS
CRIMES WERE NOT THAT SERIOUS AND
HE SHOULD GET A BREAK FROM THE
JUDGE.
JUDGE. >> BER RIT, WHEN THE FEDS HEAR
THAT, CAN THAT BE AN TAGTAGONIST
BECAUSE HIS FUTURE IS IN THEIR
HANDS?
HANDS? >> THIS KIND OF SENTENCING MEMO
OR RESPONSE BY THE MANAFORT
TEAM, IT CAN BACKFIRE.
ONE OF THE WORRIES HERE IS THAT
A JUDGE READS THIS AND SAYS THIS
DEFENDANT IS NOT REALLY
ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY HERE.
THIS DEFENDANT IS MINIMIZING
THEIR CRIMES, NOT SHOWING AN
APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF REMORSE,
AND THAT CAN OFTEN BACKFIRE FOR
CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS.
CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS. OFTENTIMES THE BETTER APPROACH
IS TO SAY, LOOK, I DID THESE
CRIMES, MAYBE THERE WERE
CIRCUMSTANCES OUT THERE, BUT I
DID THEM, I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY,
I’M COMMITTED TO CHANGING MY
LIFE GOING FORWARD TO SORT OF
FALL TURNED MERCY OF THE COURT.
THAT’S NOT WHAT WE SAW THE
MANAFORT TEAM DOING.
>> EVERY TIME THE PRESIDENT SAYS
NO COLLUSION, WE DO OUR THE BEST
POINT OUT THAT PER SE, COLLUSION
IS NOT A CRIME, AND YET ONE OF
THE THINGS THEY LIST IS THAT
THEY HAVEN’T FOUND EVIDENCE OF
COLLUSION.
COLLUSION. >> WELL, I THINK WHAT THEY’RE
TRYING TO POINT OUT IS PAUL
MANAFORT HAS NOT BEEN ACCUSED OF
ANY CRIMES RELATE TO GO RUSSIAN
INTERFERENCE IN THE ELECTIONS.
THAT’S TRUE.
THAT’S TRUE. THAT’S WHY ROBERT MUELLER WAS
APPOINTED.
APPOINTED. HE’S NOT CHARGED AMERICANS CON
CONSPIREING WITH RUSSIANS.
IF ROBERT MUELLER HASN’T
ACHIEVED WHAT HE SET OUT TO DO
ON THE CONSPIRACY ANGLE, YOU CAN
KIND OF NOT TAKE THE REST OF
THIS STUFF THAT SERIOUSLY
BECAUSE IT’S JUST GARDEN-VARIETY
CRIMES.
CRIMES. WHEREAS WHAT THE PROSECUTION
OUTLINED IS A
MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD SCHEME
SPANNING YEARS, THAT IS A VERY
SERIOUS WHITE COLLAR OFFENSE.
>> LET’S PLAY HOW THE
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS ABOUT PAUL
MANAFORT HAVE LET’S SAY MIGRATED
OVER TIME.
OVER TIME. >> NOW, PAUL MANAFORT IS A NICE
GUY, BUT HE WORKED FOR ME FOR A
SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, LITERALLY
A COUPLE MONTHS?
A LITTLE PERIOD OF TIME
>> LIKE MANAFORT HAS NOTHING TO
DO WITH OUR CAMPAIGN.
BUT I FEEL -- I TELL YOU, I FEEL
BADLY ABOUT IT.
THEY WENT BACK 12 YEARS TO GET
THINGS THAT HE DID 12 YEARS AGO.
YOU KNOW, PAUL MANAFORT WORKED
FOR ME FOR A VERY SHORT PERIOD
OF TIME.
>> HE WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE CAMPAIGN, BER RITBERGER, LIVED
IN TRUMP TOWER, OFFERED TO WORK
FOR FREE, FORMER PARTNER OF
ROGER STONE.
ROGER STONE. DO YOU HEAR COULD YOU MAKE A
CASE THAT YOU HEAR THERE THE
SADNESS, THE SYMPATHY, THE UNDER
UNDERPININGS FOR A POLISH
PARDON.
PARDON. >> THAT’S ONE ARGUMENT YOU COULD
SEE THE MANAFORT TEAM MAKING IN
THIS LETTER.
THIS LETTER. ONE ARGUMENT IS PERHAPS THIS
LETTER WASN’T ACTUALLY FOR THE
COURT.
COURT. PERHAPS THIS LETTER WAS PAINTING
NARRATIVE, MAKING THE CASE FOR A
PARDON.
PARDON. OBVIOUSLY THAT’S IN THE
PRESIDENT’S DISCRETION.
PRESIDENT’S DISCRETION. HE HAS THE RIGHT TO PARDON PAUL
MANAFORT IF HE THINKS THAT TRULY
WAS TREATED UNFACIAL.
I THINK IT GETS HARDER TO
SWALLOW THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT,
REALLY, THE LITANY OF CRIMES
THAT HE COMMITTED AS DETAILED BY
THE SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE IN
THEIR SENTENCING MEMO.
AND THAT MAY BE ONE OF THE
REASONS THEY WENT INTO SUCH
PAINSTAKING DETAIL OF LAYING OUT
ALL OF THE CRIMES, ALL OF THE
TIMES THAT HE LIED, ALL THE
EFFORTS THAT HE WENT THROUGH TO
COOPERATE AND THEN HOW THAT SORT
OF IMPLODED, IS TO SAY THIS IS
NOT SOMEBODY WHO WAS CAUGHT UP
WITH A WITCH HUNT.