'Very Unfair!' Trump Reacts to Paul Manafort Jailing on Witness Tampering Charge
Paul Manafort is going to jail after alleged witness tampering, and one of his former clients, President Trump, called the decision "Very unfair." The President also took the opportunity to put a bit of distance between him and his former campaign chair as well.
Manafort is now locked up in a facility in Warsaw, Virginia after his bail was revoked by a federal judge after allegations that the former campaign chief for President Trump tampered with a witness.
He was previously on house arrest, at least until Special Counsel Robert Mueller presented to Judge Amy Berman Jackson alleged attempts to engage in witness tampering and other violations. Prosecutors presented evidence that he and an associate used encrypted messages to contact at least two witnesses.
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Trump took to social media on Friday to call the decision "Very unfair," and to cite Manafort's record of representing Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole, among "many other top political people and campaigns."
Amidst speculation that Trump might consider a pardon for Manafort should he be indicted, the President said that his former campaign chairman was not around for very long during his 2016 election run.
"Like Manafort has nothing to do with our campaign," President Trump told reporters at the White House before the hearing. "You know, Paul Manafort worked for me for a very short period of time," he emphasized.
"He worked for me for what? For 49 days or something? A very short period of time," Trump said, as quoted by Vox, which pointed out that Trump's estimate might be off by almost a hundred days.
Manafort is said to have worked as the chair of Trump's campaign from March 29, 2016 to Aug. 19, 2016, for a total of 144 days.
For now, Manafort will be behind bars as he awaits a trial in September from charges including conspiracy and money laundering.
