LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team will take President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort to court in Alexandria, Va., on Tuesday [7-31-18], in a trial with implications reaching far beyond the immediate charges ranging from tax evasion to bank fraud. The outcome of the trial, which is expected to last three weeks, will help determine how the public perceives Mr. Mueller’s 14-month-long investigation into interference in the 2016 election. A conviction would provide the special prosecutor with momentum as he pushes to complete the investigation amid criticism from some Republicans that he is leading a partisan inquiry. An acquittal would give Mr. Mueller’s critics ammunition to push for a quick end to the special counsel’s operation. Much is at stake for the president as well, since he has repeatedly dismissed the Russia probe as a ‘witch hunt.’ A successful jury trial could blunt such characterizations. While Mr. Mueller’s investigation has resulted in charges against 25 Russians and four former advisers to Mr. Trump, the case against Mr. Manafort will delve into his personal finances largely before his work on the campaign.”
–Aruna Viswanatha, “Manafort’s Finances Will Be in Spotlight in High-Stakes Trial,” The Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2018 5:16 pm