Manafort Lawyers Argue Double Jeopardy In NY Case

Politico reports:

Paul Manafort’s lawyers are arguing that the former Trump campaign chairman shouldn’t have to face a “politically-charged” prosecution in New York state because of the state’s so-called double jeopardy law.

They made their case in a motion filed Thursday that blasts Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. for prosecuting Manafort over crimes that special counsel Robert Mueller’s team already tried Manafort for in a federal court in Alexandria, Va., last summer.

Many legal observers saw the state indictment as a kind of insurance policy if President Donald Trump were to pardon Manafort or commute the 7½ year federal prison sentence he’s currently serving. The ambiguous outcome of Manafort’s federal trial last year is the key issue in the dispute over the new state charges against Manafort.