CNN: Closing Arguments Wrapped Up in Paul Manafort Trial

EXCERPT:

SCUITTO: "More breaking news now. Closing arguments wrapped up in the fraud and tax evasion trial of the former chairman of the Trump campaign. Paul Manafort. CNN’s Kara Scannell , she's been in the courthouse in Virginia. This is Robert Mueller’s first case to go to trial. How important is it for him, for the broader investigation, to come away with a conviction here?"

SCANNELL: “Well, Jim, this is a high-stakes prosecution and if Mueller’s team wins, I think it will send shock waves through the Trump camp, to allies, friends and others on the campaign to show the strength of the Mueller investigation and the persuasiveness of the case. But if the prosecution loses here, it will also embolden those who call for the investigation to end and to wrap this up. And wrapping it up is what happened today. We heard closing arguments of both sides with prosecutors saying that Manafort lied to keep the fortune and when it dried up, he lied to banks to persuade them to give him $20 million in loans. Now, the prosecutors also tackled the issue of Rick Gates, Manafort's right hand man, telling the jury they didn’t have to like him, raising affairs he may have had, a distraction and saying the documents that were the star witness and not Rick Gates, Jim.”