Jury deliberations in Manafort trial continue to next week

Manafort is facing 18 counts of bank and tax fraud in the first case special counsel Robert Mueller has brought to trial as part of his wide-ranging investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Just before 3 p.m. Friday, journalists sprinted into the courthouse after learning the jury had given a note to the judge. But it was simply alerting the court that they planned to finish early, at 5 p.m., because one juror had an event to attend.

Jurors have worked until 5:30 p.m. throughout the duration of proceedings.

[Related: What a guilty verdict for Manafort would mean for Trump and Mueller]

Kevin Downing, a defense attorney for Manafort, told journalists convened in the hotel lobby across from the federal courthouse that he was feeling “confident” as day two of jury deliberations wound down with no verdict rendered.

“Generally longer deliberations are better for the defense in this context, and it doesn’t look like we’ll have a verdict today. But I doubt the defense is actually confident of anything,” Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, told the Washington Examiner.

Manafort has been on trial in federal court for the past 14 days, during the course of which the 12-member jury and four alternates heard testimony from 27 witnesses and viewed more than 380 emails, bank records, invoices and other documents presented by the prosecution.

On Tuesday, the defense rested its case, choosing not to call any witnesses to the stand. Manafort also declined to testify.

Closing arguments from federal prosecutors and Manafort’s defense attorneys — spanning two hours each — occurred Wednesday.

Making their final remarks to the jury, prosecutor Greg Andres blasted Manafort for the “lies” he told, which the government says ranges from lying on his federal tax returns from 2010 to 2014 to lying to three banks as he sought — and obtained — more than $20 million in loans.

“This is a case about Mr. Manafort and his lies — his lies on his tax returns and his lies to bank after bank after bank,” Andres said. “When you follow the money, the trail is littered with lies.”

But Manafort’s defense team focused their closing arguments on Rick Gates, Manafort’s former protege and the star witness for the prosecution.

Downing pinned the blame for Manafort’s alleged wrongdoing on Gates, reminding the jury that Gates swindled Manafort out of millions of dollars, engaged in an extramarital affair, and lied to them.

“That is the real Rick Gates, and that is the Rick Gates Mr. Manafort did not know about,” Downing said during closing arguments.

Manafort’s lawyers also said Manafort didn’t need loans from banks, as he had an adjusted net worth of more than $21 million at the end of 2016.

The government alleges that Manafort concealed millions of dollars he earned while working for Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the Party of Regions from the Internal Revenue Service.

While Manafort raked in millions for his political and policy work in Ukraine, income to his firm, Davis Manafort Partners International, tanked in 2016, when the business reported a loss of $1.2 million.

Prosecutors say this shift can be attributed to Yanukovych’s ousting from power in 2014.

It was then, the government says, that Manafort filed false loan applications with banks as he sought millions of dollars in loans.

Ellis delivered instructions to the jury Wednesday evening, and the six men and six women gathered Thursday morning to begin discussing the charges against Manafort.

As they neared the conclusion of their first day of deliberations, federal prosecutors and Manafort’s team were summoned back to the courtroom on the ninth floor after receiving word that a note had been passed from jurors to Ellis’ chambers.

The jurors hadn’t reached a conclusion in the case, but instead asked Ellis to answer four questions, including to define “shelf company,” redefine “reasonable doubt” and provide clarifications about the requirements for filing a report of foreign bank and financial accounts, or FBAR.

They recessed for the day around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and returned to the courthouse Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. to continue discussing the case.

At 2 p.m. Friday, Ellis held a hearing to consider a request from seven news organizations who are seeking access to several sealed transcripts from bench conferences during the trial, as well as other non-public documents. Included in that request is the name and address of jury members.

Ellis said that most of the transcripts and documents will be made public at the trial’s conclusion.

He also denied the request to make public the names and addresses of the 12 jurors and four alternates, saying releasing that information would “create a risk of harm to them.”

As he explained his rationale behind the decision, Ellis revealed to the court that he has received threats and travels with U.S.Marshals, though he did not disclose the nature of the threats against him.

Despite that, and continually telling jurors to not speak of the trial or avoid media coverage of it, Ellis has not decided to sequester the jury. Neither the prosecution nor the defense have requested a sequestration.

Ellis asked them again Friday to refrain from discussing the trial with others.

But they will likely have to work to avoid the topic in the news all together, after President Trump lamented about it earlier Friday.

When asked by reporters on the White House South Lawn, Trump said he didn’t want to talk about a potential pardon for Manafort, but he did defend his former campaign chairman.

“I think the whole Manafort trial is very sad, when you look at what’s going on there, I think it’s a very sad day for our country,” Trump said. “He worked for me for a very short period of time. But you know what? He happens to be a very good person. And I think it’s very sad what they’ve done to Paul Manafort.”

Trump’s comments were not lost on Manafort’s defense team.

Downing told reporters they “really appreciate the support of President Trump.”