Rudy Giuliani revealed that he and President Trump have discussed the potential political fallout of a pardon for Paul Manafort, according to a new report.
In an interview with the New York Times, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani said the two had discussed the political fallout of a pardon, which Giuliani said was not under consideration. Giuliani also echoed Trump’s criticism of how Manafort has been treated in the trial, which came out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference.
[Opinion: Here’s why Trump will probably pardon Paul Manafort one year from now]
“Yesterday’s plea and Manafort’s conviction, none of it had to do with collusion, none of it has to do with obstruction,” Giuliani told the Times. “He really thinks Manafort has been horribly treated.”
Speculation about a possible pardon for convicted felon Paul Manafort had swirled Wednesday, following President Trump’s praise of his former campaign chairman.
Manafort was found guilty Tuesday on eight counts of tax and bank fraud. A mistrial was declared on an additional 10 charges. Manafort again faces trial next month in D.C., this time on charges of witness tampering, conspiracy to defraud the United States, failure to register as a foreign agent, and making false statements.
Trump had praised Manafort just before appearing at a campaign rally in West Virginia Tuesday and in tweets Wednesday morning, calling him “a brave man” and expressing sympathy for his family.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters during the White House press briefing Wednesday that a pardon is “not something that has been up for discussion.”
