A federal judge decided Tuesday that Paul Manafort’s prosecution for financial crimes should continue, rejecting the defense team’s argument that the charges should be dismissed because the special counsel overstepped its authority in bringing them.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III appeared sympathetic to Manafort’s defense in May, aggressively questioning federal prosecutors as to how the charges brought against Manafort, which are related to his foreign lobbying work, were related to the special counsel’s probe into election interference.
However, Ellis ultimately concluded that the special counsel was within its rights to bring the charges, which include hiding income derived from his lobbying work for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.
"Although this case will continue, those involved should be sensitive to the danger unleashed when political disagreements are transformed into partisan prosecutions," Ellis wrote.
The decision comes after U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson rejected a similar motion to dismiss charges of failing to register as a foreign lobbyist, which are currently pending against Manafort in Washington, D.C.
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