Judge allows Manafort prosecution to proceed

A federal judge in Virginia concluded Tuesday that a special counsel is a poor tool for investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and that the current one is prosecuting Paul Manafort only so he will offer evidence against President Donald Trump.

But those thoughts do little for the ex-lobbyist, because Judge T.S. Ellis III ultimately ruled that Robert Mueller III’s prosecution of Manafort on bank and tax fraud charges can go forward.

“Although this case will continue, those involved should be sensitive to the danger unleashed when political disagreements are transformed into partisan prosecutions,” the judge wrote.

If there are no further delays, the July 25 trial in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, will be the first case brought by Mueller’s team to come before a jury.

Ellis made waves when he grilled prosecutors from the special counsel’s office last month, questioning whether the crimes Manafort is accused of committing while working for a Russia-backed political party in the Ukraine were outside the scope of their investigation.

The judge concluded that while he is, in general, skeptical of special counsels, this one was legally created and followed its mandate in prosecuting Manafort, the president’s onetime campaign chairman.

The May 2017 order appointing Mueller “plainly authorizes the investigation of indirect links between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government,” Ellis wrote.