Beinging Heavy Case News Today

Brian Williams examines the days top political stories and current politicalcampaign news. This presidency, we will ask a celebrated historian if there is anything to celebrate in the history that we are witnessing. The 11th hour on a friday night begins now. Good evening once again from our nbc news headquarters. Day 561 of the Trump Administration and the end of another week brings a new sign of Robert Muellers increasing interest in one of Donald Trumps veteran advisers. His friend of 40 year...

Other tax preparers and book keepers and the days of testimony about all the luxury goods that manafort bought with money from a foreign bank account that his tax returns clearly say he didnt have. >> eric, about those very luxury goods, this speaks to the judge to say he is brisk sounds like an under statement. he has not allowed the artwork to come in and said the juries will get that. he told both sides to take a week out of your arguments and moving it along so much so that i heard former fe...

That we used to have to at least hear from aides or in the extraordinary case of the nixon tapes, we would hear nixon himself denouncing the press. the unhappiness of presidents, usually in the most casual kind of remark off hand or a leak, this is a case where the president has turned the working media into a permanent foil and political enemy. he is basically in the tribalized culture of the moment. he has said the media is as much an opponent of ours, meaning him and his base, as the democrat...

You dont get that impression. he is projecting confidence in his blue suit, looking at the jury, participating with his lawyers and seeping like everything is fine. the evidence has been very damning and the defense thus far has been ineffective. they stipulated to most of the facts and i guess their story is going to be these frauds and these failures to fill out tax forms was not intentional. >> i heard them say this is a paper case and further while they can be on the boring side, the feds li...

Witness wants to say his or her peace and gets off topic, so to speak. or defense counsel thinks no harm is being done or that even some hay is being made and lets it go on. i would think in this situation the former circumstance would be more likely than the latter. >> whats the chance the mueller team said at some point we are good, weve got enough and dont need the president. is there any chance of that happening? >> i would estimate that that is a low chance in that thus far at least, whats ...

Though its an beinging heavy case. there are no perry mason opportunities to really slam a witness to the ground, but you do see the jury taking notes. you do see the jury looking at the screen when there are documents displayed. as far as a document-heavy case like, this i think they are engaged. there is no question, brian, that the judge himself is part of whats keeping the jury entertained. he is making them laugh. he is making the courtroom gallery laugh and the prosecution laugh much less ...

Prosecutors point of view of turning a circumstantial case into a direct case is to get a statement from the witnesss mouth, the subjects mouth that is untrue or inaccurate or can be portrayed so believably. it would change the game for everybody if the president were to submit to an interview. >> this is why we wanted to toss you a few questions. thank you as always for saying yes and coming on the broadcast. appreciate it. coming up for us, what paul manaforts former accountant admitted that s...