President Trump railed against Robert Mueller and the Russian election-hacking probe this morning before day two of the trial of Paul Manafort commenced.
Trump Tweeted this morning before the trial could pick up, calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to shut down the probe. Sessions had recused himself from the probe.
The Trial
Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chief, is on trial for fraud: he earned millions from political consultation work in Ukraine for six years, hid those funds, and then resorted to bank fraud when that money ran out.
The Manafort trial arose from Mueller’s investigation, but the Russia probe was reportedly not mentioned in day one of the trial. That did not stop Trump from making the connections on Twitter.
NYMag.com recapped the first day of the trial, which will revolve around proving whether Manafort is responsible for hiding the money, or if Rick Gates, who worked under Manafort, embezzled the funds. Gates took a plea deal and will serve as a witness for the prosecution.
The White House is working to keep the Manafort trial and the Russia probe distinct from each other. A press conference is scheduled for 1 pm, EST.
Trump tweeted this nonsensical comparison in regard to Paul Manafort, following Trump’s pattern of claiming he and the people who work for him are the worst treated in history:
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