In a stunning reversal of fortunes for the embattled former Trump campaign chairman, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson this morning revoked Paul Manafort’s bail and instead ordered that he be taken into custody.
Trump, who has been an outspoken advocate for the disgraced former official, took to Twitter to lament the development.
Wow, what a tough sentence for Paul Manafort, who has represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other top political people and campaigns. Didn’t know Manafort was the head of the Mob. What about Comey and Crooked Hillary and all of the others? Very unfair!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2018
Trump doesn’t seem to understand the difference between a “sentence” and a “pre-trial detention,” which is the reason for Manafort getting sent to jail today. Of course, given his ignorance with most mechanisms of government, this should come as no surprise.
True to form, Trump attempted to use the fact that Manafort “represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other top political people and campaigns” to exonerate him for his blatantly illegal actions. Apparently “law and order” – a tenet on which Trump ran for office – doesn’t apply to entrenched Republican operatives when they break the law. How convenient.
Also right on cue was the president’s typical “whatabout-ism,” referring to – who else? – Hillary Clinton and James Comey. When anything goes awry in the Republican Party, they always revert back to the same short and tired script, of which Hillary Clinton is the undisputed star.
Trump’s temper tantrum comes amid new allegations of witness tampering in special counsel Robert Mueller’s criminal case against Paul Manafort. The judge had denied his request to stay the decision pending an appeal, claiming instead that he former campaign chairman “abused” the trust place in him six months ago.
Manafort’s lawyers argued that there should have been a clear “no contact” order added to the conditions of his release.
He is currently awaiting trail for conspiracy to defraud the United States, money laundering conspiracy, failing to disclose to the US government the extent of his work on behalf of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych and other Ukrainian entities, and making false statements.
Trump may pound the table all he wants, but that isn’t setting Mueller back even a moment.
