Lawyers for former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort said special counsel Robert Mueller has failed in his mission to discover coordination between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.
“As said at the beginning of the case, there is no evidence of Russian collusion,” the lawyers wrote in a sentencing memo Monday, playing down Manafort’s crimes and suggesting he get no more than a few years behind bars.
Manafort, 69, who faces sentencing on March 13 for one of two cases he is involved in, pleaded guilty last year to two conspiracy charges in Washington, D.C. But his attorneys argued the crimes were not for “murder, drug cartels, organized crime, the Madoff Ponzi scheme or the collapse of Enron” and should therefore be treated leniently.
The comments about the lack of proof of collusion could be interpreted as a sop to President Trump, who has the power to pardon Manafort and wipe out his federal convictions. Trump has repeatedly said the Mueller investigation is a “witch hunt” that has strayed far from its original purpose.
“A lengthy jail sentence is not called for in this case and would not further the statutory goals of sentencing,” the memo said. “Mr. Manafort has been punished substantially, including the forfeiture of most of his assets. In light of his age and health concerns, a significant additional period of incarceration will likely amount to a life sentence for a first time offender.”
[Related: Manafort lawyers tell Mueller: ‘No evidence of Russian collusion’]
On Saturday, Mueller’s office held back from recommending a length of time Manafort should serve in prison, but claimed Manafort “repeatedly and brazenly violated the law.”
“Nothing about Manafort’s upbringing, schooling, legal education, or family and financial circumstances mitigates his criminality,” the court filing said.
Separately, Manafort was convicted in August on eight counts of bank and tax fraud by a jury in Virginia and could face 19 to 24 years behind bars for those crimes, according to federal guidelines. His sentencing date for that case is March 8. He has been jailed in Alexandria since June due to allegations of witness tampering.
