Trump's name appears in Manafort's trial

Trump’s name, his 2016 campaign and his inauguration came up several times during the trial’s sixth day, the most by far in the bank- and tax-fraud case brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. While the case does not directly involve the president, on Tuesday Trump became an unmistakable presence in the background.

Documents and testimony spelled out Manafort’s myriad ties to Trump and his 2016 White House run. They showed that Manafort sought to ease his financial pressures by trading on his influence in Trump’s orbit. His longtime deputy, Rick Gates, said it was “possible” he had stolen money from Trump’s inauguration committee. And Gates described the roles that he and Manafort had played in Trump’s winning campaign.

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[C]ontinued references to Trump could anger the president himself, who has reportedly been following the trial closely and chafing at the intense cable TV coverage, and suggesting that it has no real bearing on him.

  Politico

I think we can count on it.

With permission Ellis granted before the trial’s opening, prosecutors also discussed an alleged Trump campaign connection to $16 million in loans Manafort received in 2016 and 2017 from Chicago-based Federal Savings Bank. Prosecutors say that in order to receive loans from the bank, Manafort lied about his finances and did favors for its CEO, headed by Stephen Calk.

Gates acknowledged Tuesday that Calk landed a position on the Trump campaign’s economic advisory board. Andres also showed the jury a post-election email from Manafort to Gates pushing Calk for a high-ranking Pentagon post.

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Gates also said that Manafort sought tickets to Trump’s inauguration for Calk.

In an email with the subject line, “URGENT: INAUGURAL INVITATION LISTS – FINAL,” Manafort sent Gates an updated slate of people to be invited. “This list supercedes [sic] everything else and should be the one used,” Manafort wrote.

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In an intense cross-examination, Manafort defense lawyer Kevin Downing suggested that Gates had told prosecutors that he did the same thing at the inaugural committee that he did while in Manafort’s employ: inflate expenses.

Gates initially seemed confused by the question and said the inaugural committee watched its expenses “very closely.”

However, Gates eventually conceded he may have sought money he was not entitled to.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.