Exonerated, My Sweet Patootie
Okay, so last night I was watching the teevee and some damn Republican fool on CNN said that Manafort had been exonerated on ten counts, like that meant he was pure as the driven snow.
Anderson Cooper said that a deadlocked did not mean exonerated.
But, y’all, it’s worse than that.
One of the jurors from Paul Manafort’s trial said on Wednesday that although she “did not want Paul Manafort to be guilty,” the evidence was “overwhelming.”
And the deadlocked charges?
Duncan, who is the first juror to speak publicly, offered a look behind the scenes of the deliberations. She noted that “crazily enough, there were even tears,” and detailed some of the jury’s conversations with the lone juror who she said was the reason Manafort was not found guilty on all counts.
So, that means it was deadlocked 11 – 1 in favor of finding him guilty.
Exonerated? Nope.
One holdout, and even that person felt half the charges were warranted.
There are some Trump supporters who believe is can do no wrong. Even if we get rid of Trump, we still have to live with these damn people.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone paid off that juror.
1What I want to know is what was the issue for that one juror that applied to 10 counts but not the other 8. The cases are pretty much equally solid in all cases.
If you are going to go that far why not just refuse to convict for all of them?
2Good thought, Alan. Had the same feeling myself. I think we are going to be hearing and learning a lot more about this outcome in the near future.
3“Even if we get rid of Trump, we still have to live with these damn people.”
This is sooo correct. My fear is that once Trump is out, that Democrats and decent Americans stop taking to the streets, stop voting, go home, and let this bunch continue the pillaging of our Nation and Constitution.
4I’ve been wondering why the reporting isn’t talking about this, but … doesn’t “mistrial” mean they could bring those 10 counts again in another court? it’s not a verdict. it’s not even a completed trial. that’s how i understood it, but no one is talking about it, so not sure.
5After many years of trial work, I quit trying to out guess juries and judges.
6Only one juror has spoken and she wasn’t the juror confused about the meaning of reasonable doubt who voted to acquit on ten charges. But she is/was a trump supporter who delivered a view into the foggy mind of that beast. She was upset with Gates because as a crook he embezzled from another crook, Manafort. The party of ‘family values’ are a confused bunch. It’s OK with them to defraud, cheat on your taxes, etc., but “honor amongst thieves” is sacrosanct with them. Sure explains why they like Donnie and his maladministration.
This case doesn’t fit the two typical cases of jury nullification. The one that drives defense attorneys crazy – “he/she were arrested or indicted so they must be guilty of something.” Nor the prosecution dilemma – “18 counts? Prosecutors are overreaching.”
If the jurors choose to answer questions from the prosecution team, they may regret having had Gates testify. It also didn’t help that T.S. Ellis III would not allow them to present the documents to the jury as each count came to trial.
The holdout juror was sufficiently st00pid as to have voted for Donnie, yet probably thought Gates was wife cheating scum. But Donnie isn’t? Go figure ….
7That lone wolf juror is a good example of a Trump supporter: in the face of fact, will still cling to that shred of backing him up. There are, however, some cracks in the edifice. The “Wall” Trump needs to think about is the wall of indifference and dogged stupidity that has been the brick and mortar of his faithful. It’s footings are in quicksand.
8Papa, the possibility of bribing or threatening jurors into acquitting, may be a distinct possibility, given the absolute disrespect for the law this crew has shown. Those jurors should have been sequestered and so should future jurors in these trials.
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