Understanding the Russia Investigation: Manafort Sues Justice Department

On Jan. 3, it was revealed the Paul Manafort was suing the Justice Department to nullify his indictment. His lawsuit is based on the grounds that Robert Mueller had supposedly overstepped the scope of the Russia investigation when charging him. Manafort argues that due to the long time differential between the beginning of his activities and when he was charged, the charges could not stem from the...

For as long as Mueller has been heading the investigation, attempts have been made to discredit it — and him. From labeling the investigation “fake news” and denouncing it in its entirety to attacking the professionalism of those who are actively investigating criminal activity, this investigation has been dragged through the mud in an attempt to end it. However, this is the first time the...

When being reported on by left-wing leaning outlets, the most apparent flaw stems from the supposed futility of Manafort’s lawsuit. While the Justice Department has indeed deemed it “frivolous,” it is nonetheless a direct legal challenge to the scope of Mueller’s investigation. While this coverage does not go so far as to say directly that Manafort is grasping at straws, or that the lawsuit...

Plain and simple, this is being falsely cheered as a victory, a direct exposure of supposed Trump-hate and lack of professionalism that is integral to the Russia investigation. There are two main issues with this assumption, the first being that this lawsuit against the Russia investigation is far from over, and as such is by no means a victory for Manafort. Rather, the opposite seems to be true....

Centrist news outlets seem to suffer from a less-severe form of the same issues that leftist news outlets struggle with. Specifically, centrist news focuses on the futility of Manafort’s lawsuit and then moves on, without discussing the basis or the implications of such a case. While this is not an attempt to cover up anything about the lawsuit, or falsify details, it does not pay credit to important...