Paul Manafort

Paul Manafort’s lawyers argued in a motion filed Thursday that charges brought by crooked Manhattan DA Cy Vance should be dismissed under the state’s protections against double jeopardy.

Manafort, 70, was previously hit with federal charges stemming from Mueller’s witch hunt and minutes after he was convicted by a federal jury, the state of New York hit him with similar charges in order to prevent freedom from a presidential pardon.

Manafort was hit with a 16-count state indictment as an ‘insurance policy’ against a possible pardon from President Trump. The president can only pardon federal charges and cannot pardon state charges.

Manafort is currently serving a 7 1/2 year federal sentence after a Virginia jury found him guilty on 8 counts of tax and bank fraud.

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“New York’s double jeopardy statute is clear that ‘it is the fact of the prior prosecution, not the result, which triggers the statutory protection,’” Manafort’s lead attorney Todd Blanche wrote.

Paul Manafort was hit with a total of 18 counts in the Virginia case (Mueller dropped 10 of the counts after the jury refused to convict), 7 counts in the DC case (Manafort made a plea deal) and 16 counts from the state of New York all based on his lobbying work in Ukraine and old tax/bank charges.

In contrast, Tony Podesta, who did the same lobbying work and also failed to file a FARA form on time was given immunity and Obama’s former White House counsel Greg Craig was only hit with a 2-count indictment for making a false statement related to his lobbying work in Ukraine.

Greg Craig ended up only having to fight one of the charges because corrupt Obama Judge Amy Berman Jackson dropped one of the counts against Greg Craig shortly before his trial — and surprise, surprise…Greg Craig was found NOT GUILTY on Wednesday and walked out of the court a free man.

Deep State crooks and liars walk free while Trump associates go bankrupt and serve time in prison for trumped up charges all because of our two-tiered justice system.