Manafort Appears in Court and Judge Schedules Sealed Hearing

On Jan. 25, 2019, Judge Amy Berman Jackson, a judge in the federal district court in Washington D.C. scheduled a sealed hearing on Feb. 4, at 10 a.m. ET to hear arguments regarding whether or not Paul Manafort lied to investigators and was in breach of his plea agreement. Jackson was appointed to her position by President Obama. She also said a redacted transcript of the proceedings today will be made available to the public.

In Sept. 2019, Manafort pled guilty in a Washington D.C. court on two counts of conspiracy. He agreed to cooperate with the special counsel regarding the Russia Investigation. Prosecutors have alleged he lied and would not cooperate. The attorney for Manafort say he did not recall all the facts correctly pertaining to the case, and he did cooperate.

The purpose of the case on Feb.4 will be for Judge Jackson to determine if Manafort did lie in order to sentence him appropriately. At the present time, the prosecutors for Robert Mueller of the special counsel have said they do not plan on adding charges to Manafort’s sentence but have not ruled it entirely out.

Special counsel Robert Mueller alleged Manafort lied to federal investigators about five different subjects. This included his meeting and interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik who was a former business associated suspected of having ties to the Russians. It is also alleged he lied about contacts he had with administration within the Trump administrating.

Manafort appeared in court on Friday, Jan. 15. He was permitted to wear a suit instead of a prison uniform, and he walked slowly with a cane. His wife Kathleen was with him for support.

Written By Barbara Sobel

Sources:

The Hill: Judge schedules sealed hearing in dispute over Manafort’s alleged lies
WGEM: The Latest: Judge sets new hearing in Paul Manafort case
Bakersfield Now: Judge sets new hearing in Paul Manafort case

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Victoria Pickering’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License