How Paul Manafort could put the FBI on trial

Lawyers are watching to see if the former top Trump aide will make an aggressive — and risky — case that he is the victim of political bias among federal Russia investigators.

By JOSH GERSTEIN 04/08/2018 06:55 AM EDT

Paul Manafort’s legal team faces a critical choice as he heads to trial: how aggressively the former Trump campaign chairman should base his defense on alleged political bias and misconduct by federal investigators.

Manafort, a criminal defendant fighting two separate cases, is uniquely positioned to try to dredge up information on bias or potential overreach by FBI and Justice Department officials who have played roles in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Whether Manafort will seek to uncover and spotlight disparaging details about federal officials, potentially including an FBI agent dismissed from Mueller’s team last year, has become the subject of speculation and anticipation by lawyers involved in the Russia investigation.

“This is something we’ve all been talking about,” said one defense attorney representing a witness in Mueller’s probe. “It’s a hard question.”

Some expect Manafort to take a slash-and-burn approach. “I think they’re going to try to throw any dirt possible,” said former federal prosecutor Randal Eliason. “If he’s going to trial, then I would expect it to be an all-out war and I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to make those kinds of claims that the prosecution is tainted.”

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/08/paul-manafort-fbi-trial-508063