Showing posts with label Augusta attorneys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Augusta attorneys. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN MANAFORT TRIAL: HOW LONG IS TOO LONG?

[Photo from wikipedia]

Today, closing arguments began in the criminal trial of former Trump campaign coordinator Paul Manafort.  According to various news reports, both sides asked the Judge for up to two hours for closing arguments.  Judge T.S. Ellis reportedly voiced skepticism about the lawyers being able to keep the jury's attention for that long!

What do you think? Should closing arguments be kept under an hour? Are jurors less attentive than they were one hundred years ago, when closing arguments often lasted for hours?

As a former federal prosecutor in Augusta, Georgia, I handled a few major complex fraud and public corruption cases in which my closing argument reached 90 minutes in length. However, I always tried to remember that if you talk too long, you will lose your jury!

Saturday, February 3, 2018

REACTION TO THE FISA MEMO

[Photo from wikipedia]

Have you read the FISA memo, which reportedly exposes alarming bias and abuses of authority
by a few top leaders in both the FBI and DOJ? What is your reaction?

As reported, the memo reveals that former FBI Director James Comey and others in his agency
and top leaders at DOJ utilized and politicized our nation's spying tools to spy on an opposition political party and an incoming president in an election year.  How frightening that is!

As a former federal prosecutor, I reviewed countless search warrant and Title III applications. I would never have participated in deceptions as described in this memo. Also, I never saw any of the fine FBI agents I worked with pull a stunt like this! And I am shocked and appalled to learn that, in this case, a few misguided lawyers and agents, in an election year, would apply for a FISA warrant utilizing the dirty dossier, when they reportedly knew it was bogus, and also without disclosing to the FISA court that the dossier was actually opposition research bought and paid for by Clinton and the Democrat Party. If proven, this will go down as one of the biggest political scandals in American history.

Many questions still remain:
  • Will a new special counsel be appointed to clean up this mess?
  • Will there be other revelations of corruption by this small group?
  • Will the FISA court take action against any culprits who allegedly abused the FISA process?
  • Will the main stream media ever even acknowledge any of this corruption?  
Before closing, I want to emphasize that I proudly worked, side by side, with countless outstanding FBI special agents for over twenty years. They are not to blame. The reported corruption in this situation clearly exists only at headquarters and not in the field.

What is your opinion of this colossal mess?