Live trial coverage: Manafort's lawyer just told jury that Rick Gates is responsible for the crimes

[Mrs. Overall]

that have to do with his taxes.

He shouldn't have trusted Gates with his finances.

Link to tweet

Chris Megerian (LA Times)
@ChrisMegerian

The defense says Manafort is an upstanding citizen who justifiably made a lot of money for his work, and he made the mistake of trusting Rick Gates to handle the company's finances.

[manor321]

1. LOL

Yeah, I don't think that is going to work. HA HA HA!

[uponit7771]

2. Hopefully the jury is not as dumb as the deplorables

[OldManTarHeel]

3. LMFAO

The old "he did it" defense.

[lame54]

4. they have less than I thought

[Takket]

5. Lol these people just get more desperate

Witch hunt has become “collusion is not a crime” and “that guy did it!” ROFL

[bettyellen]

6. And Trump will blame Manafort- yet somehow will try and pardon him too.

[Phoenix61]

7. If that's the best defense they have I'm

predicting he won't be getting out of jail any time soon.

[Leghorn21]

8. "IT'S NOT FAIR!!! IT'S A DISGRACE, I TELLS YA!!! THIS ALL RICKY'S FAULT!!! I DIDN'T DO

NUTTIN!!!”

[blaze]

9. Wow! Judge calling for first witness!

This is moving right along!

Link to tweet

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. As if Rick Gates laundered all that money by buying so many suits & carpets & karaoke for Manafort.

[gratuitous]

11. Dispensing with the "insult the jury's intelligence" portion; good move

Might as well own up to the fact that Paul Manafort is a man of means and that he has (had) more money than he knew what to do with so he bought an ostrich skin jacket.

[Jim__]

12. He was an honest hard-working man who made millions of dollars.

But he was too stupid to realize he wasn't paying any taxes.

[sheshe2]

13. Annnd we are off!

[Tucker08087]

14. An ostrich jacket?!?

I’m sorry, but that needs to be a crime in itself. I wouldn’t even know what to call it. Crimes against nature? Crimes against fashion? Being too rich? When you have so much money that you are actually sitting up at night, thinking of how to spend it, and all that comes to mind is, “Well, I don’t have a jacket made of ostrich feathers yet,” you seriously need to consider some reputable charities. And if you are earning that money legally (ah-hem), you may want to consider retiring and enjoying what you have earned.

[Shrike47]

18. I think it was ostrich skin, not feathers. Hard to imagine wanting it, either way.

[Luz]

19. My theory is that when you can have anything you want,

you start wanting weird shit. Ostrich coats fits into that category.

[Tucker08087]

20. Completely different mind-set.

When someone compliments my shoes, I’ll proudly say, “ Thanks! $5 on the clearance rack from the end of last season! I love them!”
I think I’d have a hard time saying, “Thanks! They skinned ostriches to make it. I have too much money so, really, wtf else could I spend it on?”

[Vinca]

15. So a man who bought a $21,000 watch can't afford an accountant???

[tanyev]

16. The wheels on the bus go ka-thump, ka-thump, ka-thump.

[Mr. Ected]

17. I think an ostrich jacket is the perfect metaphor for Trumpworld

Blind to all the accusations against him because they've chosen to bury their little bitty heads in the ground.

[Tucker08087]

21. I like it.

Excellent metaphor.