Special Counsel Robert Mueller has turned over an unredacted copy of the August 2, 2017 memo Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein wrote granting Mueller specific approval to pursue his investigation of Paul Manafort.
[U.S. District Judge T.S.] Ellis made the demand at a May 4 court hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, to consider Manafort’s argument that Mueller overstepped his appointment authority, and the indictment should be dismissed.
After Justice Department attorney Michael Dreeben argued at the hearing that the redacted version offered the relevant paragraphs about Manafort, Ellis said: “I’ll be the judge of whether it relates to the others.”
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Manafort is charged with tax and bank fraud in Virginia, where he faces a July trial. He is charged separately in Washington with money laundering and working as an unregistered agent for Ukraine.
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Prosecutors filed the full memo under seal and directly to the judge through the classified security officer. Such a designation suggests it involves national security information.
Mueller Reveals Basis for Manafort Probe to Skeptical Judge (Bloomberg Politics)