LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Prosecutors rested their case Monday [8-13-18] afternoon in the trial against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Prosecutor Greg Andres announced that the prosecution had finished witness presentation against Manafort after 10 days of testimony from 27 witnesses. The defense has not indicated if it will call any witnesses to the stand. Prior to the prosecution resting, a bank official testified that the Federal Savings Bank gave Manafort $16 million in loans and knew that he lied about his financial situation before they were approved by the bank’s chairman. James Brennan, a vice president of Federal Savings Bank, said he faced so much pressure from his bank’s chairman about Manafort’s ability to borrow the $16 million that he lied on a form reviewed by federal regulators and the bank’s directors about the stability of the loan. Brennan, who wrote a memorandum about a second $6.5 million loan the bank extended to Manafort, said he had given the loan a rating of ‘4.’ But in court Monday, he said he shouldn’t have done that. A very stable, high-quality loan would get a rating of ‘1,’ and any rating less than ‘4’ wouldn’t get approved and would draw regulators’ attention because of its instability, he said…Manafort has been charged with 18 tax and banking crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.”
–Katelyn Polantz, Sophie Tatum, Liz Stark, Kara Scannell and Marshall Cohen, “Prosecution rests in Paul Manafort trial,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, August 13, 2018 5:48 pm