It now appears that Rick Gates may have finally crossed the I’s and dotted the T’s on a deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Special Counsel files a criminal information against Richard Gates, a document that can only be filed with defendant's consent and signals a plea deal has been reached.
All the way back in October, Mueller handed down a dozen indictments against Paul Manafort and his literal partner-in-crime, Rick Gates. In January, rumors began circulating that Rick Gates was thinking of making a deal with Mueller. Those rumors accelerated when the lawyers Gates had hired to defend him in the case, filed to withdraw, citing “irreconcilable differences.” Gates then picked up a second attorney, Thomas Green, who was well known for his experience in cutting deals for clients caught up in government scandals all the way back to Iran Contra. This was soon followed by word that Gates would indeed be accepting a deal from the special counsel, and in fact had already spent time in Mueller’s “queen for a day” chair, confessing his various sins and providing information that could be used in the investigation.
And then … Gates didn’t plead. Instead, Mueller issued more charges against Manafort and Gates. Then Mueller indicted lawyer Alex Van der Zwaan, who worked with Manafort and Gates in the Ukraine scheme. Then Mueller issued a fresh indictment with still more charges, raising the total number of counts against Manafort and Gates to 32.
Shortly after this came news that Gates had fired make-a-deal specialist lawyer Green, hired a new lawyer experienced in protecting clients against charges of securities violations, and would not be making a deal with Mueller after all.
And then … Green denied that Gates had fired him and multiple reports appeared indicating that Gates was again on the cusp of making a deal with Mueller.
President Donald Trump’s one-time campaign aide Richard Gates has told family and close friends in a letter sent this morning he plans to plead guilty Friday in the special counsel’s criminal case against him, setting up the potential for Gates to become the latest well-informed Trump insider to assist in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential contest, according to sources close to the matter.
And then … we don’t know yet. Did Gates bolt after the deal offered by the special counsel turned out to be tougher than he expected? Were Mueller’s new charges designed to bring Gates to heel? Is Mueller trying to also force Manafort to the table to get testimony directly against Trump?
Stay tuned. Because as twisty as this has been so far, it’s a long way from over.
Friday, Feb 23, 2018 · 5:46:28 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
It appears that Gates will plead to a charge of making false statements, as with all the cooperating witnesses so far, but will also plead guilty to a single charge of defrauding the United States. That second charge appears to involve both his taxes and failure to register as a foreign agent, and may not align with any of the charges that were on the previously published indictment.
Friday, Feb 23, 2018 · 5:57:34 PM +00:00 · Mark Sumner
The indictment and the two counts:
Count one — Conspiracy
Richard Gates III, together with others, knowing and intentionally conspired to defraud the United States by impeding, impairing, obstructing, and defeating the lawful governmental functions of a governmental agency, namely the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury, and to commit offenses against the United States ...
Count two — False statements
Richard Gates III did willingly and knowingly make a materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statement and representation in a manner within the jurisdiction of the executive branch of the Government of the United States, to wit, the defendant falsely stated and represented to the Special Counsel’s office
The specifics of the false statement is that Gates denied that Ukraine was a subject of discussion at a meeting attended by himself, Manafort, a lobbyist, and an unnamed Member of Congress. Oddly enough, the question in question is one where Gates was talking to the Special Counsel on Feb 1, 2018. Which is well after it was already rumored that Gates was looking to make a deal with Mueller.
One might almost think that Gates made an intentional false statement so he could plead guilty to making a false statement … if one was so inclined.