The latest news from around the world with hosts John Berman and Poppy Harlow. Joe johns is outside. Were half an hour from this trial getting under way. What are we expecting today . I think at first were expecting more of the game. Gates was on the stand for about 45 minutes before they wrapped up late last night. Hell continue on direct testimony answer questions of the prosecution about what the government alleges is a whole pattern of illegal conduct that stretched out over years and years and years. Rick gates became his Deputy Campaign manager. Its important to remind people who this guy is. Gates was a long time personal confidante, if you will, of paul
manafort and is believed to know basically all of the Inner Workings of the manafort organization. I think its extremely important to point out that the allegations against mr. Manafort include dealings in ukraine with hidden Bank Accounts and gates is alleged to know everything about that, poppy. And i mean i was reading that i
Former GOP representative Joe Scarborough and Mika Brezinski interview newsmakers, politicians and pundits about the issues of the day. Was obvious the meeting was to get information from foreign nationals which is a crime. Lawyers running around collusion is not a crime. Anybody knows a low he ranking congressman like i was in my first year understood you cant get an in kind contribution from mullahs in iran or Vladimir Putin in russia. Thats right, joe. The president is concerned. Hes anxious, fearful about where this is all headed. His legal team is focused on that Trump Tower Meeting as they have been for some time. Thats a key moment in the mueller investigation. Our reporting, despite what the president tweeted in response to it very much is that hes worried about don junior, expressed that worry to people hes been talking to on the phone, privately brouting about this. Mueller seems to be inching
closer and closer to the oval office, to the people in the president s circle. That
It does not get into 16. He only managed for about four months in the summer of 2016. Harris why do you think bob mueller is perched . For the reasons that this judge has said, what you only one Paul Manafort, you are only squeezing him, the judges phrase, they do not speak this way from the bench. Harris this judge has been very candid. Very colorful, you are only squeezing Paul Manafort because he want him to testify against the president. The response to that is we are lawyers and we have ethical duties. We are prosecutors. If we find evidence of crimes, we must pursue that criminality whether it is our original mission or not, that is a truthful statement of the obligation, they can pursue it themselves or pass it on and have their pursuit. Harris you are judge looking at this case, how much time could Paul Manafort face . Thats where the pressure comes in, right . He could be convicted to 60
years in jail, exposed to more, but thats what it will come down to if he is convicted of
A roundup of the days events. Reporter he was a background political operative on the trump campaign, literally right there behind the candidate at the Republican National convention. But today, rick gates took the stand in a virginia federal courthouse playing the role of special counsel Robert Muellers star witness. Coming facetoface with his former business partner, paul manafort, gates testified that they committed crimes together, including not reporting more than a dozen offshore accounts. The prosecutor asking, were you involved in any criminal activity with mr. Manafort . Yes, gates answered. Did you commit any crimes with mr. Manafort . Yes, gates answered again. The two men spent years working sidebyside. In february, gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying to federal authorities. But today, as a flipped witness cooperating with the special counsel, gates told the court he lied because manafort told him to. And he also admitted he embezzled several hundred thousand dolla
A look at Breaking News, politics and reports from around the world. Its more of a custom inside the justice department. It doesnt say that there cant be an investigation 60 days out from an election. What it says is the norm is that there isnt an overt move in an investigation dealing with an elected official or somebody on the ballot at 60 days before the election. For example, a subpoena, an indictment or pushing to get an interview during that window. Thats true. But at the same time you alluded to this, wolf giuliani is conceding that if there is no resolution between now and labor day, which is effectively the september deadline hes talking about, that it might not be the worst thing in the world politically, not legally but politically to give the republicans a Rallying Point to kind of protect the president , not unlike what you heard devin nunes say on that tape. To protect the president from
democrats who may want to impeach him. Now, thats obviously a stretch, but it doesnt