Paul Manafort's trial has been postponed until next Tuesday, but U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III is going ahead with the process of jury selection as planned. Potential jurors filled out questionnaires, which asked what they already know about Manafort's case and if they believe they can be impartial.
“You will be asked questions about what you’ve seen or know or heard,” Judge T.S. Ellis III told the group of about 70 possible jurors Tuesday morning, and, “Can you put what you’ve read and learned aside?”
(...)
The judge said jurors will also be asked about their law enforcement ties. Prosecutors said they plan to call witnesses from the Internal Revenue Service, FBI and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
“I expect this trial will last no more than three weeks,” Ellis told jurors. It might be less, he said: “I will make every effort to shorten the trial.”
Ellis ... on Monday ordered Mueller’s team to produce to the court its full witness list of some 30 people. During Tuesday’s brief session, Ellis said he’d release that list to the public by the end of the week, despite opposition from the special counsel’s office.
Uzo Asonye, a Mueller prosecutor, argued that the government doesn’t typically make public its witness lists ahead of a trial, noting some people might not ultimately be called to testify.
“Yes, I know, but this isn’t a typical case,” Ellis responded.
CNN:
Manafort was in the courtroom Tuesday wearing a suit, unlike Monday, when he donned a green jail jumpsuit. As the potential jurors left the room, Manafort surveyed the pool before looking at his wife in the front row and offering a wink.
Ellis told the potential jurors that their work represented a critical underpinning of the US legal system. He made it clear that if they heard of the case, they must to be able to "put it aside" and judge Manafort solely on the evidence at trial.
"Nothing you do as an American citizen is more important," Ellis said. "Together with voting, it is one of the two cardinal duties of being an American citizen."
Ellis explained the charges to the potential jurors: Signing false tax returns, failure to disclose foreign bank accounts and bank fraud conspiracy. He twice reminded the jurors that these charges are "merely allegations" that need to be proven by the prosecution at trial, and instructed the pool not to talk about the case with anyone.
Ellis also told the potential jurors they’d return to the courtroom next Tuesday, where they’d be able to speak up about other obligations that could preclude them from serving, like child care duties or prepaid vacations in August.
Potential Manafort jurors given questionnaires as trial nears (CNN)
Judge greets potential Manafort jurors: ‘Put what you’ve read and learned aside’ (WaPo)
Mueller plans to call IRS, FBI, FinCen witnesses at Manafort trial (Politico)