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Dem 2020 Candidates Blow Their Tops After Judge Ignores Mueller in Manafort Sentencing

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Paul Manafort was a first-time non-violent offender convicted of bank and tax fraud related to his dealings as a political operative. The prosecution wanted him behind bars for 19 to 24 years. The judge pointed out that was “excessive,” given the nature of the conviction, and gave him a sentence that amounted to 38 months when time served was factored in.

“It is a just sentence and I have satisfied myself about that,” Judge T.S. Ellis said during sentencing Thursday.

“The government cannot sweep away the history of all these previous sentences,” he added in regard to the 19-to-24 year sentence sought by the government.

Manafort, the judge said, had “been a good friend to others, a generous person.”

“He has lived an otherwise blameless life,” Ellis noted.

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Cue outrage from 2020 Democratic candidates.

According to The Hill, during a campaign stop in South Carolina, California Sen. Kamala Harris “compared Manafort’s 47-month sentence on financial crimes to the 12-year stint a man is currently service (sic) for a marijuana charge.”

“The justice system is broken in America,” Harris’ campaign press secretary asserted in a tweet.

So, nonviolent offenders shouldn’t get excessive jail time unless um, they’ve committed financial crimes or are in the orbit of Trump? The report is mostly denuded of context, except for the fact that CNN’s Kyung Lah said that Harris had said, “Everyone should be treated equally under the law.”

Which is interesting, considering the fact that the judge noted “the history of all these previous sentences” when dismissing the request to put Manafort behind bars for up to two-dozen years.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker also weighed in on the sentence during an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Friday, saying he was “ticked off.”

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“One of my friends says we have a criminal justice system that treats you better if you’re rich and guilty than if you’re poor and innocent. And there are people from neighborhoods like mine in America, who get convictions for things that two of the last three presidents admitted to doing,” Booker said, referring to marijuana smoking.

“We are a nation right now that churns into our criminal justice system the most vulnerable people,” he continued. “In our country, we prey upon the most vulnerable citizens in our nation. Poor folks, mentally ill folks, addicted folks and, overwhelmingly, black and brown folks.”

That’s fantastic, but what about the Manafort sentence?

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, meanwhile, said that the sentencing guidelines the government wanted to go by should have been followed.

“My view on Manafort sentence: Guidelines there for a reason,” she tweeted. “His crimes took place over years and he led far from a ‘blameless life.’ Crimes committed in an office building should be treated as seriously as crimes committed on a street corner. Can’t have two systems of justice!”

And then there was Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts: “Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, commits bank and tax fraud and gets 47 months. A homeless man, Fate Winslow, helped sell $20 of pot and got life in prison. The words above the Supreme Court say ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ — when will we start acting like it?”

I’m not saying that Winslow should be in prison for life or anything approximating it, but it’s worth noting this unmentioned fact in the tweet: He had a criminal history dating back to 1985, which is how he got a life sentence.

This is a convenient springboard to talk about criminal justice reform, which is a favorite topic among Democrats. That said, Robert Mueller’s team swung and missed when it came to the appropriate guidelines for Manafort’s sentencing.

Furthermore, I find odd the argument that because sentences for nonviolent offenders are too long in America, Manafort’s sentence ought to be even longer. How is that supposed to buttress a criminal justice reform resume?

Do you think Paul Manafort's sentence was just?

It’s not, but Manafort was associated with Donald Trump — and people want their pound of flesh from Trump no matter how it’s extracted. That’s what’s expected from the Democrats and that’s what they’re going to give you.

I can’t fault them for the naked opportunism one ought to expect out of presidential candidates, but one might ask that they not cloak opportunism under the guise of concern for criminal justice reform.

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C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
Birthplace
Morristown, New Jersey
Education
Catholic University of America
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Topics of Expertise
American Politics, World Politics, Culture




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