Paul Manafort’s Lawyers Say Political Exhibits In Tax Fraud Case Are ‘Irrelevant’ & ‘Prejudicial,’ Here’s Why

The 51 policial exhibits being used in the case against Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, total a whopping 474 pages in all. Lawyers for Manafort are saying that these exhibits are “irrelevant, prejudicial and unnecessarily time-consuming evidence” according to Bloomberg.

Prosecutors are firing back that the exhibits are the “core of the case” and must be used in the criminal proceedings against Manafort.

CBS News reports that documents in question are largely photos, emails, and memorandums.

The political exhibits all center around his endeavors in Ukraine and include democrats such as Tad Devine, who headed Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in 2016. Devine performed media consulting services for Manafort abroad in 2010.

Devine’s firm released a statement admitting that Mueller’s constituents had reached out to them for help in the case.

“We have been assured by the special counsel’s office that we have no legal exposure and did not act unlawfully,” Devine Mulvey Longabaugh Inc. said. “When the special counsel sought assistance from us in its ongoing investigation, we readily provided it.”

Thus far, the only other democratic consultant who has been called as a witness for Manafort’s political work in Ukraine is Daniel Rabin.

FBI special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly presenting evidence not connected to the tax and bank fraud trial proceedings against Manafort. The trial is slated to begin in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on Tuesday.

Mueller has also assembled 35 witnesses to testify against Manafort in the case, including accountants, bankers, and luxury-good vendors who can attest that his upscale living expenses were fueled by offshore bank accounts.

According to these witnesses, Manafort tallied up $850,000 on high-end suits and spend a record $130,000 on a Mercedes car for his wife. Big time business owners and managers are also included in the witness list.

Politico reports other witnesses for the prosecution, who include Manafort’s former business partner Rick Gates and personal assistant Alex Trusko. Both have already cooperated with the FBI and cut deals with the prosecution in order to avoid prison time.

In an email from 2012 addressed to Manafort and Konstantin Kilimnik Gates said, “Gents… we have once again reached the point in time where we should cast aside all U.S. political work in favor of everyone’s most beloved country – Ukraine.”

Kilimnik is Manafort’s co-defendant in the D.C. legal case pending against him.

Manafort is currently facing 18 counts of bank fraud and failure to report income taxes, as well as foreign bank accounts in Virginia alone.