President Trump called the recent decision by a federal judge to jail his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, until his trial in September “tough” and “very unfair,” suggesting there should instead be criminal punishments for former FBI Director James Comey and Hillary Clinton.
“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!” Trump tweeted Friday.
Manafort has not been convicted of a crime, nor has he been sentenced. Trials involving the charges brought against him in both Washington, D.C., and Virginia have not yet started.
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’s former campaign chairman appeared Friday before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to be arraigned on a witness-tampering charge. He pleaded not guilty to charges of obstruction.
During the hearing, Berman decided to revoke Manafort’s bail, which had allowed him to stay under house arrest. Now, Manafort will remain in jail until his September trial.
Manafort faces charges of money laundering, tax evasion, conspiracy and failure to register as a foreign agent.
He pleaded not guilty to those charges and had been allowed out on a $10 million bond. Manafort also had to wear a GPS monitoring anklet.
Berman’s decision to jail Manafort came over the witness-tampering charge from special counsel Robert Mueller.
