--- title: Paul Manafort's Defense Team Rests Without Calling Witnesses description: Paul Manafort’s legal team rested its case on Tuesday without calling any witnesses in his fraud trial. canonical: https://time.com/5366965/paul-manafort-defense-rests/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-14T16:23:56.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T21:08:37.350Z article:section: Politics og:title: Paul Manafort's Defense Team Rests Without Calling Witnesses og:description: The team relied on cross-examination of government witnesses og:url: https://time.com/5366965/paul-manafort-defense-rests/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt915c9a99eea2455c/698937bebc6cfc55443e6b17/manafort-defense.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Manafort-Defense-Mueller-Trial og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Paul Manafort's Defense Team Rests Without Calling Witnesses twitter:description: The team relied on cross-examination of government witnesses twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt915c9a99eea2455c/698937bebc6cfc55443e6b17/manafort-defense.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Paul Manafort's Defense Team Rests Without Calling Witnesses by [David Voreacos, Andrew Harris, Neil Weinberg and Daniel Flatley / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## David Voreacos, Andrew Harris, Neil Weinberg and Daniel Flatley / Bloomberg Contributor Aug 14, 2018 4:23 PM UTC  (L-R) Kevin Downing, Brian Ketcham, Richard Westling and Thomas Zehnle, attorneys for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, arrive at the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse for the eleventh day of Manafort's trial on August 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia. The defense team called no witnesses in the case. (L-R) Kevin Downing, Brian Ketcham, Richard Westling and Thomas Zehnle, attorneys for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, arrive at the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse for the eleventh day of Manafort's trial on August 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia. The defense team called no witnesses in the case.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [David Voreacos, Andrew Harris, Neil Weinberg and Daniel Flatley / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## David Voreacos, Andrew Harris, Neil Weinberg and Daniel Flatley / Bloomberg Contributor Aug 14, 2018 4:23 PM UTC Paul Manafort and his legal team decided on Tuesday not to present defense witnesses in his trial on fraud charges. Manafort, 69, also told the court that he won’t testify in his own behalf. Prosecutors for Special Counsel Robert Mueller offered 27 witnesses over two weeks. They say that Manafort omitted foreign bank accounts and income from his tax returns, failed to file reports about his overseas accounts, and misled three banks to obtain $20 million in loans. Manafort’s legal team rested its case on Tuesday, setting the stage for closing arguments before the judge hands the case to jurors for a verdict. The defense called no witnesses, choosing to rely instead on the team’s cross-examination of government witnesses including Rick Gates, Manafort’s longtime deputy, and several accountants, bookkeepers and bankers who had financial dealings with Manafort. Manafort is accused of defrauding banks to secure loans and hiding overseas bank accounts and income from U.S. tax authorities. 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