Botttom Line: If Manafort had little to offer Mueller he would not have gotten this deal

[Tom Rinaldo]

Manafort is high on the food chain, the former campaign manager for Trump who secured his nomination and managed the National Republican Convention. If Manafort had nothing important to disclose against higher targets than himself, Meuller would have nailed his scalp to the wall, rather than bargain. The evidence was there to secure multiple convictions at trial. The plea deal would not have involved a guilty plea to only two charges if this wasn't a prelude to something bigger. Manafort had to first prove his value to Mueller's team moving forward before Mueller agreed to the terms of this deal. Clearly he has done so

[empedocles]

1. As MSNBC Legal Analyst was saying this morning

Prosecutors can never get enough evidence, The comments that Manafort had nothing or little to offer made no sense. Manafort may not be good witness material, but he knows a lot, can corroborate a lot.

[zipplewrath]

2. Unfortunately

Prosecutors are always interested in avoiding a trial. It won't get you everything, but it usually can reduce the number of charges. But you also have to agree to a certain amount of cooperation with other cases.

[Tom Rinaldo]

3. I offer no hard evidence

but it is my growing conviction that Mueller knows exactly where this probe fits in the arc of U.S. history - and is motivated accordngly. It is of a vastly different scale than anything Kenneth Starr was ever after. If nothing else Trump tried to take down the U.S. intelligence and national security apparatus. I don't get the sense of Mueller now looking to wrap up, more that he is reloading and he now has more powerful ammunition to use for the final hunt.

[lagomorph777]

4. "not wrapping up - reloading" - Yup, this is the arc of history and Mueller knows he has to succeed

or his country is gone.