LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/ROBERT MUELLER/RUDY GIULIANI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The prospect of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort cutting a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office to avoid a second criminal trial set to open next week doesn’t concern President Donald Trump or his legal team, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told POLITICO…Giuliani said Trump and his attorneys are unconcerned about a potential plea agreement because they’re convinced Manafort has nothing damaging to say about the president…A plea deal that would scuttle Manafort’s upcoming trial could be mutually advantageous for Manafort and Trump, lawyers close to the case say. Trump could avoid a distracting, high-profile political spectacle just weeks before midterm elections in which GOP losses could severely crimp his power and might lead to his impeachment. Manafort could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills stemming from another showdown with Mueller, while still preserving the possibility of a presidential pardon.”
–Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Gerstein, “Giuliani: Trump sees no danger in Manafort plea,” Politico, September 13, 2018 5:22 am