Page 6 - Collusion Question News Today

What are you hearing? >> reporter: the judge now taking the bench. she is speaking. shes saying that manafort is not victim number one. shes saying these proceedings will not incriminate anyone in the ongoing investigation. obviously a lot having to do with russia collusion, interference. she then says any conspiracy, collusion was not presented in this case. therefore, it was not resolved by this case. and i think that is an important point. were all looking to see when is this collusion questi...

Still isnt any serious evidence of collusion, and it doesnt appear as far as we know that any such charge or claim of conspiracy or -- will be brought. although i do think, bill, that mueller is going to have to say something about this collusion question because part of his original charge was to investigate that very thing. and so i think he will have to reach some conclusion about it whether there is any criminal involvement or not. well know what he found and did not find on that very count....

He played a really significant role at a really significant time. the administration and donald trump has tried to downplay that, saying that he wasnt there for very long, and he wasnt a major player, but he really was. and the president could be thinking that if this whole thing is a witch-hunt, as he has said, pardoning paul manafort would exonerate him in some way. no collusion for paul manafort means no collusion for him. >> and harry litman has been going through, katy, the grand jury in th...

But the indictment pretty much speaks for itself and covers a significant amount of events we have discussed on air. the significance, of course, is what youve been discussing over the last five or ten minutes, which is that this impervious to any sort of pardon power that the president could, could take advantage of with respect to paul manafort. so paul manaforts legal troubles, chapter is being closed today on the federal end of things, but on the state end of things, chapters are being opene...

At paul manaforts trial and part of public exhibits that were found and developed as a result of search warrants, investigative efforts by special counsels office and their own investigative efforts at the manhattan district attorneys office. in addition to that, these surround properties and business transactions that we reported prior to any manafort indictment involving several of his properties in new york state, in the city of new york. in addition to that, andrea, things such as his statem...

At paul manafort today. we have yet to see the real guts of what paul -- of what robert mueller was originally assigned to investigate, which is what happened with konstantin kilimnik? what happened with wikileaks? we see pieces of this on the edges of these prosecutions, but i think until we see roger stones trial, presumptively, and whats in the mueller report and any other indictments that may come down before the mueller report, this is an unfinished chapter. >> its an unfinished chapter. an...

Tom, what does this case involve? >> andrea, this case involves and unsealed, a manhattan grand jury 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy around that. were still going through the indictment and piecing through it if you will. the district attorney here in new york has purview over manaforts properties in new york and some of his real estate transactions, this investigation -- >> and tom. >> yes. >> tom, let me just interrupt you for just a moment, the manafort defense lawyer has just come to the m...

Virginia court or a d.c. court has said anything about their being no collusion. we all just sat in the courtroom and heard judge jacksons pointed comments about the fact this case says nothing about collusion and that the special counsels investigation is ongoing. so well have to see what other statements are given to the media by the defense. >> tom winter, anything else that you are deriving from this grand jury indictment now that you have it all in full, just getting it as were hearing it f...

I think well get some of those answers. if, however, its the subject of a report that goes to the attorney general that may or may not ever be made public, who knows. i think its stem cell a serious outstanding question whether we will get answers. the best hope we have is whether the congress of the united states demands those answers from the justice department if they try to sweep them under the rug. thats how we get to know them. it may still be a long time down the road. >> we certainly hea...

Might go to the collusion question and they did not get it from paul manafort. >> anne marie, the one person they do have other than manafort is rick gates. rick gates testified against ma manafort and his financial crimes. rick gates have been cooperating with the special counsel now for some time ton heart on the hear matter where they are investigating. >> the additional case against manafort does add additional time and pressure on him if he has further information to share it. >> is that th...