Rick Gates’ testimony at the trial of former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort, on Monday offered new reasons for President Trump to stop publicly defending Manafort.
Gates’ is Paul Manafort’s former business partner and has accepted a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller to testify against Manafort. But on Monday, Gates was asked whether he had engaged in “criminal activity” with Manafort and whether he had “committed crimes” with the same. He answered in the affirmative to both questions.
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Let’s be clear, while Manafort remains innocent until proven guilty, this should be a wake-up call to the president.
After all, Trump spent most of last week on Twitter complaining that Mueller’s investigation is a “witch hunt” harming innocent Americans who worked alongside him. And while the jury may decide that to be true in relation to Manafort, it would make sense for Trump to distance himself from Manafort until that verdict has been delivered.
In part that’s because Trump’s first focus here should be loyalty to the law and to the interests of the country. And whether it’s Manafort’s proximate relationships with notorious organized crime interests in Ukraine or follow-on accusations that he engaged in witness tampering, Manafort doesn’t exactly exemplify American morality.
By suggesting otherwise in the context of statements like those that Gates gave on Monday, Trump only serves to hurt himself. Because Trump’s conduct draws himself and others close to him into blurred association with Manafort. That obviously does not serve Trump’s interests. Yes, Trump is entitled to his views and his friendship. But as president and as a person of interest to Mueller, he should stay quiet on this particular trial.
