A New York judge has tossed the state charges against former Trump campaign official Paul Manafort citing a violation of double jeopardy laws.
New York had attempted to charge Manafort and challenge the double jeopardy standard in what many called a politically motivated attack.
According to Fox News:
A New York judge has dismissed a state mortgage fraud indictment against Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, citing double jeopardy laws.
Judge Maxwell Wiley ruled that state law precludes prosecution because the criminal case was too similar to that which landed Manafort in federal prison, writing that the factual overlap between the state and federal cases “is extensive — if not total.”
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. said they would appeal the decision.
The move to turn back the case is a blow to what had widely been seen as an attempt by Vance, a Democrat, to hedge against the possibility that Trump might pardon Manafort for federal crimes. With the state case dismissed, it would clear away that hurdle should Trump at some point consider clemency.
The Manafort victory can also be seen as a victory for Trump and future attempts by the partisan prosecutors in New York to charge him with state crimes that only he could have committed as President.
