LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The judge in the trial of U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort expressed contrition on Thursday [8-9-18] to jurors for harsh commentary directed at prosecutors. ‘I may have made a mistake. It has nothing to do with your consideration in this case,’ U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis said as the trial went into its eighth day in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Ellis has repeatedly prodded prosecutors to move swiftly while seemingly giving Manafort’s defense team more latitude. He also has repeatedly made comments that some legal experts said may prejudice the jury against the prosecution. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of bank fraud, tax fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts. He is the first person to be tried on charges brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. On Thursday, prosecutors in a legal filing asked the judge to correct some statements he had made on Wednesday [8-8-18].”
-Karen Freifeld, Sarah N. Lynch, “Judge backs off comments to prosecutors in ex-Trump aide Manafort’s trial,” Reuters, August 9, 2018 8:31 am