Tag: Mark Esper

LIVE from the Senate floor: The Senate is set to vote on ending debate over President Trump's pick to lead the Defense Department, Army Secretary Mark Esper. #FoxNewsLive #FoxNews FOX News operates the FOX News Channel (FNC), FOX Business Network…

ET Prosecutors in Paul Manafort's bank and tax fraud trial did not rest their case on Friday as had been expected earlier. During much of that time, Judge T.S. Raico talked about the unusual and winding process that Manafort used in qualifying for two loans from the bank in 2016 and early 2017. Calk wanted to meet Manafort, Raico said, after hearing he was involved in politics. Raico said that a few days after Trump was elected, Calk called him to say he hadn't spoken with Manafort in a few days. Raico also testified on Friday that in the fall of 2016, a loan-approval committee Calk led signed off on Manafort's loan within a day. Once prosecutors rest their case, the defense will have an opportunity to call witnesses to the stand. Gates testified early in the week for parts of three days, but the rest of the trial has been consumed on both ends of his testimony by accountants and bankers who worked on Manafort's taxes and processed his bank loan applications, as well as vendors who sold him numerous high-priced items like luxury cars and custom suits. The judge ... apologizes? While the government's lawyers were questioning a bank witness about a $5.5 million loan that Manafort applied for but didn't get, the judge said: "You might want to spend time on a loan that was granted."