Today's extra-long, extra-early Rapid Response episode tackles the two biggest stories in the news right now: Paul Manafort's conviction, and Michael Cohen's plea deal. We tell you exactly what these two big stories actually mean. We begin with Paul Manafort. What did the jury decide? Why did they fail to reach a verdict on 10 counts? What were those counts? How long is Paulie M going to stay in prison and what's next? And, most importantly: what does this mean for Yodel Mountain? How likely is Paulie M to flip on Donald Trump? We answer all of these questions and more! After that, we turn to everyone's favorite weasel, Michael "I Would Take A Bullet For Donald Trump" Cohen, who... has not taken a bullet for Donald Trump but has in fact pled guilty to eight separate crimes. What are they, what does it mean, and what comes next? Listen and find out! And if all that wasn't enough, we end with an all new Thomas Takes The Bar Exam #90 involving foreseeability, cross-motions for summary judgment, and tortious conduct. If you'd like to play along, just retweet our episode on Twitter or share it on Facebook along with your guess and the #TTTBE hashtag. We'll release the answer on next Tuesday's episode along with our favorite entry! Recent Appearances None! If you'd like to have either of us as a guest on your show, drop us an email at
openarguments@gmail.com. Show Notes & Links You'll want to start with the
Manafort indictment, and you can also read the
Manafort verdict. Of the eight guilty counts, Manafort was convicted under
18 U.S.C. § 1344,
26 U.S.C. § 7206(1), and
31 U.S.C. § 5322. We first discussed the Federal Sentencing Guidelines back in
Episode 162; you can check out the
full manual (long!) and also the
FSG Sentencing table to figure out how long Paulie M is going away. And don't forget Manafort still has another trial pending in DC! We gave you a primer on that back in
Episode 194, and you can check out the
pending indictment in that case. If Paulie M flips, it will be to take advantage of
Rule 35(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Of course, we first covered how Stormy Daniels is a Legal Genius back in
Episode 154, and then the Karen McDougal story in
Episode 158. Here's
Cohen's plea deal; here are
the conditions of his release; and here's
the article quoting his allocution. Sneak preview of the bonus episode: here's
the DOJ manual on prosecuting campaign finance violations that proves Alan Dershowitz is lying. Again. Support us on Patreon at:
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https://www.facebook.com/openargs/ Don't forget the
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Opening Arguments Wiki And email us at
openarguments@gmail.com