WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s, former campaign chairman (all times local):
2:01 p.m.
President Donald Trump is weighing in on a judge’s decision to jail his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort while he awaits trial.
Trump says in a tweet he “didn’t know Manafort was the head of the Mob” and asks, “What about Comey and Crooked Hillary and all of the others? Very unfair!”
The president also referred incorrectly to Manafort’s pre-trial detention, calling it a “tough sentence.” Manafort hasn’t been convicted of any crimes or sentenced to prison.
His jailing Friday came after he was accused of attempting to tamper with witnesses in his criminal case while he was on house arrest. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson found that in light of the new charges, she couldn’t trust he would follow her orders.
__
11:54 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman is going to jail.
Paul Manafort was ordered into custody Friday after a federal judge revoked his house arrest, citing newly filed obstruction of justice charges. The move by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson came after prosecutors accused Manafort and a longtime associate of witnesses tampering.
Manafort is the first Trump campaign official to be jailed as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. His attorneys have argued that Manafort didn’t do anything wrong and accused prosecutors of conjuring a “sinister plot” out of “innocuous” contacts with witnesses.
Manafort will remain in jail while he awaits two trials in the next few months. He faces several felony charges related to his Ukrainian political work and money he funneled through offshore accounts.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.