Reporter's Notebook: Tension in Manafort trial courtroom as jury deliberates

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – After deliberating for more than eight hours Monday, and having considered the fate of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for approximately 22 hours in total, the jurors entered the ninth-floor courtroom in Alexandria at 6:12 p.m. ET.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III said the jury was going home for the day and would resume deliberations Tuesday morning at 9:30 ET.

From our vantage point in the second row on the far left side of the courtroom, the jurors seemed to turn away from both the prosecution and defense tables, avoiding eye contact as they entered.

The jurors seemed flat and drained. When Judge Ellis reminded them not to discuss the case or do outside research, as he does every day, one woman in the back row smiled and said "yes" with some energy in her voice, but she seemed to be the exception.

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This was a marked change from when the jury had entered the courtroom that morning. Back then, more jurors appeared upbeat, well rested, and replied to Judge Ellis' questions in what seemed to be an enthusiastic tone.

Even then, at least two jurors appeared stressed or preoccupied. One man kept rubbing the side of his face, as another juror look distracted. Another juror looked directly at Manafort when she came in.

Just before 6 p.m., the court security officer had gone to the jury room and brought out a stack of papers, putting them on the deputy clerk's desk. (We don't know what the papers were, but they may have been as insignificant as the next day's lunch menus)

The arrival of the papers sent some excitement through the packed courtroom gallery of about 80 people. A few minutes later, the prosecution team entered. Prosecutor Greg Andres stood by their table shifting his weight with his hands in his pockets.

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The defense team followed, escorting Manafort's wife, Kathleen, who wore a navy suit and stood clutching the handrail staring into space.

Hopes that a verdict would soon be announced were raised late in the afternoon. Shortly before 4:30 ET, the court security officer entered the courtroom and walked to Judge Ellis' chambers before waiting outside for some minutes, leaning against the wall.

Both the prosecution and defense entered, with Manafort again engaging with his team. At approximately 4:50, Judge Ellis said the jurors had asked to extend their deliberations until 6:15, the first time the panel had asked for an extension since receiving the case Thursday.

There was some buzz in the courtroom that the jury's request meant that a verdict might be imminent, or that a block of charges was being completed. The 18-count indictment breaks down into three blocks of charges -- income tax fraud, failure to register foreign bank accounts, and bank fraud.

Manafort sat at the defense table, at times clenching his jaw, and appearing to swallow hard.

There were also three bench conferences Monday, which were held with white noise blasting to block the gallery from listening. One bench conference included the court security officer, who is in charge of jurors and logistics. Ellis said the discussion would be unsealed at the end of the trial, along with another related matter, without providing further details.