ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CN) – This week's change in former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's trial date in Virginia, prompted Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Thursday to renew his request for blank subpoena sets for potential witnesses.
In a separate action, Mueller's team also asked U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III to add three prospective jurors previously excused from serving during Manafort's trial to be added back to the jury pool.
Manafort's trial in Virginia was originally scheduled to begin earlier this week, but defense attorney Kevin Downing asked for a delay after it was revealed that thousands of pages evidence had not yet been reviewed by Manafort’s attorneys.
Downing said 120,000 new pages of documents had been turned over to the defense since July 6. Over 70,000 pages came from devices used by Manafort’s onetime business partner, Rick Gates.
An additional 49,000 pages from Manafort’s accounting firm, NKSFB, were also omitted, Downing said.
Manafort faces multiples counts of bank and tax fraud at his trial in Virginia, which is currently set to start on July 31. He faces a second trial, on similar charges, in Washington, D.C. in September.
By granting Downing's request, Judge Ellis effectively made previous subpoenas issued to Mueller moot, necessitating the need for an additional request.
In a separate filing Thursday, Mueller also requested that the 3 of the 30 prospective jurors excused Wednesday by Judge Ellis be added back to the jury selection pool.
“Given that each of these jurors affirmed that they would be able to decide the case fairly and impartially based solely on the evidence presented and the court’s instruction of law,” wrote Andrew Weissmann, special assistant to special counsel. “The government believes any concerns that court has as to their ability to be impartial would be best addressed during voir dire.”
Late Thursday, Downing also requested Ellis strike more than 50 pieces of evidence from the prosecution’s exhibit list before trial begins.
“In reviewing the proposed exhibits, it is readily apparent that Special Counsel intends to offer evidence concerning matters that are irrelevant to this tax and bank fraud trial and therefore should be precluded,” Downing wrote.
The list is almost entirely comprised of evidence pertaining to Manafort’s political consulting work in Ukraine.
Exhibits include memoranda on “campaign messaging for Ukrainian media outlets” as well as text from Ukrainian president Victor Yanukovych’s election night speech; emails about Yankukovych’s victory in Ukraine and other emails featuring attachments entitled “strategic assumptions,” “key messages,” advertising themes” and “the initial message for Mr. Yankuovych’s presidential campaign.”
A memorandum entitled “how U.S. policy changes from the 2012 election will affect Ukraine” is also on the list.
Downing also wants talking points for the Ukrainian presidential campaign and emails outlining the Party of Regions campaign strategy ousted.
A third party consulting agreement with political strategist Tad Devine’s firm, Devine Mulvey Longabaugh Inc., should be tossed too, he wrote.
Emails discussing compensation for a third party’s consultant work on the Ukraine campaign also appears as well as a list of names, email addresses and phone numbers for Manafort’s “Ukraine team” in 2007.
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