Impertinent Friday Questions Dept.: Is Gates Likely Entering A Plea Deal Tonight, Or Next Week?

Several major outlets (including CNN, which first broke the story) have now reported -- citing anonymous sources -- this bit of salacious but fascinating speculation. So. . . I too, will oblige, and add my take on it all.

The D.C. federal District Court's latest docket entries likely confirm that reporting (see below).

Specifically, Mr. Gates is presently arguing pro se (without much success), to keep secret his problems surrounding the recent motion for withdrawal -- by his defense counsel.

And the court has suspended the current deadlines in the cases of Manafort and Gates, pending "further order". This almost certainly means Mr. Gates will plead guilty to crimes, and agree to cooperate with Mr. Mueller -- and the announcement of this development could come as early as late today:

. . . .MINUTE ORDER as to PAUL J. MANAFORT, JR. (1), RICHARD W. GATES, III (2).

The Current Briefing and Hearing schedules that were established at the Status Conference held on 1/16/2018, and in the Minute Order issued on 1/17/2018 are suspended pending further Order of the Court. The government's [155] Motion to Modify the Court's Schedule for Rule 404(b) Notice and Briefing remains under advisement. SO ORDERED. By Judge Amy Berman Jackson on 2/14/2018. . . .

Now you know -- Bobby Three Sticks is certainly tightening the ropes here. My prediction? Manafort will be crushingly pressed by this development -- and will have to rat out 45, to avoid a potential 30 year sentence (essentially life, given his age and health), on his own. There will be no slack for 45, in the end.

And in closing, in a Merck-related footnote/bit of marginalia, British intelligence is confirming that the "Not Petya" hack of the spring of 2017 was in fact sponsored by Russian state actors. Of course, under Trump's thumb, we may confidently predict only this very bland US assessment will see the light of day, until Herr Trump is deposed -- but Mr. Frazier should be encouraged to know that most cogent analyses suggest his company was largely collateral damage in yet another Russian sponsored cyber-terror plot. As such, there is little he could have done to avert it -- especially with a President reticent to call Putin out, for his high-price tag cyber chicanery.

Onward.

नमस्ते