Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Trump’s 2016 election campaign, should be segregated from other inmates while awaiting trial for charges brought as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of the race, a D.C. federal court judge ruled Thursday.
Mr. Manafort “shall be confined in a corrections facility separate, to the extent practicable, from persons awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal,” District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered.
Attorneys for Mr. Manafort did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Mr. Manafort, 69, served as chairman of Mr. Trump’s presidential election campaign for three months prior to resigning in August 2016 amid allegations involving his lobbying work for ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. He was subsequently charged by the special counsel’s office as a result of the government’s investigation into the 2016 race, and he currently faces 12 criminal counts ranging from money laundering and bank fraud, to failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
Mr. Manafort had been free on bail pending trial, but he was jailed last Friday after prosecutors told the judge that he obstructed justice by contacting potential witnesses. He is currently being held at Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.