LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The criminal trial of Paul Manafort that opens in Virginia Tuesday [7-31-18] is just one part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s sprawling Russia probe — but its verdict could have an outsized impact on Mueller’s work. A conviction against Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, who is fighting major bank and tax fraud charges, would offer Mueller a powerful response to presidential taunts that he is waging a ‘witch hunt.’ But Manafort’s acquittal would deliver Mueller a political body blow, enabling Trump and Republicans to scoff at the federal probe ahead of the November midterm elections. Never mind that Manafort’s trial — which will not be televised — will barely touch on Trump or the 2016 presidential election. The charges cover a period that includes political work the GOP lobbyist and consultant did in Ukraine years before he joined Trump’s campaign but also extend to more recent loan applications while he was staffing the future president. Experts call the stakes high all the same.”
-Darren Samuelsohn, “Why Mueller needs a win in the Manafort trial,” Politico, July 30, 2018 5:12 pm