by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Song Substack
FEDERAL COURTHOUSE, April 26– Pras Michel's trial started with jury selection on March 27 on charges of working for Jho Low to lobby the Obama then Trump administrations.
He also met with China about Guo Wengui / Miles Kwok, detained last week along with his chief of staff Yvette Wang on fraud charges - Inner City Press story here, stand-up here. Jho Low book here.
On March 24, the business day before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia trial, Michel's lawyers put in a supplemental witness list including... Steve Bannon. List on Patreon here. Pras Guo for Jho Low trial song here.
On April 26, a day after the jury asked about the Obama Victory Fund, Pras Michel was convicted on all counts. His lawyer David Kenner then said, " “We are of course very disappointed, but I am very confident in the ultimate outcome of this case. Her honor gave us a briefing schedule that will allow us to brief a number of motions that I made during the course of this trial. That briefing schedule extends out into July. Her honor pointed out today that after those decisions are made, based on the briefs, she will determine whether it is still necessary to move to a sentencing hearing. If we do move to a sentencing hearing, I remain very confident that we will, with certainty, appeal this case. This is not over. I remain very, very confident that we will ultimately prevail in this matter....I filed motions for mistrial and other motions during the course of the trial. It is Her Honor’s practice take those under submission and to rule on them after all of the evidence is in. I remain enormously confident that this case is not over and that we will ultimately prevail.”
Back on the eve of jury selection, Michel filed his list of 216 exhibits, including "77 Elliot Broidy WhatsApp Message, Interview of Steve Wynn 8/31/2020; Proffer of Pakazrel “Pras” Michel; Email Pollack to Pras re: pre-indictment resolution." Full list on Patreon here.
Inner City Press live tweeted the Michel trial opening, and first witnesses. On Sunday April 9 Michel filed this: "the defense requests that the prosecution grant statutory immunity to Mr. White or, in the alternative, agree to dismiss the election law counts against Mr. Michel if the denial of statutory immunity is more important to the government than getting a conviction on the election law counts" Filing on Patreon here.
On April 18, first Jeff Sessions (whom the CCP wanted to lobby to extradite Miles Guo Wengui) then Pras Michel himself took the stand. Michel claimed that the Jho Low funds were for a photo with Obama, not campaign contributions. He admitted his work on trying to get Miles Guo Wengui extradited - while Sessions said he could not remember Guo’s name "had it not been refreshed to me."
More on Substack here
Meanwhile, "the Court more formally DENIES Defendant's April 18, 2023 oral motion for a mistrial. Signed by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly on April 18, 2023."
Watch this site.
***
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com
