Trump news: President says 'I feel very bad' for Paul Manafort and launches emergency order to ground Boeing 737 MAX
The latest updates from Washington amid Paul Manafort's second sentencing hearing
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump denounced the “Witch Hunt Hoax” against him in a flurry of tweets on Wednesday, saying potential impeachment proceedings overlook “the minor fact I never did anything wrong” on the day his ex-campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was sentenced in a second federal hearing to 73 additional months in prison.
The president tweeted thanks to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her opposition to impeachment, which she considers “too divisive”, and took aim at New York’s state’s governor Andrew Cuomo, new attorney-general Letitia James and her predecessor, Eric Schneiderman for issuing subpoenas related to his business dealings.
Manafort was last week given 47 months in jail by a court in Virginia after pleading guilty to bank and tax fraud and this time faces up to 10 years behind bars for conspiracy against the US and obstruction of justice.
On Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced Manafort to more than three and a half additional years in prison. That’s on top of the roughly four-year sentence he received in a separate case in Virginia last week.
The sentence followed a scathing assessment by the judge and a prosecutor of Manafort’s crimes. After Manafort was sentenced in federal court Wednesday, an indictment was unsealed in New York charging him with state crimes, including a residential mortgage fraud scheme.
Mr Trump said he feels “very badly” for his former campaign chairman following the sentencing.
“On a human basis, it’s a very sad thing," the president said.
Mr Trump also insisted he’s not currently considering a Manafort pardon, saying, “I have not even given it a thought as of this moment.”
The Manafort news arrived as Mr Trump was forced to announce an emergency order grounding a fleet of Boeing planes after a 737 MAX 8 plane was once again involved in a deadly crash.
Additional reporting by AP. Read The Independent's live coverage from Wednesday below:
Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
Paul Manafort has now been sentenced to 90 months in prison following his multiple trials. Here's more:
Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been sentenced to 73 months on two charges, including conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice after he attempted to tamper with witnesses.
Manafort's total sentence in the two hearings he has faced in recent weeks amounts to 90 months — or seven years and six months — in prison.
The judge said she’d give Manafort credit for accepting responsibility for his crimes when she determines his sentence.
It’s the former Trump campaign chairman’s second sentencing in as many weeks, with a judge expected to tack on additional prison time beyond the roughly four-year punishment he has already received.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has prosecuted Manafort in Washington and in Virginia related to his foreign consulting work on behalf of a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. Manafort was convicted of bank and tax fraud in Virginia and pleaded guilty in Washington to two conspiracy counts, each punishable by up to five years in prison.
AP
Paul Manafort has just been indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office less than an hour after he was sentenced to 73 additional months in prison in the second sentencing hearing he has faced in just two weeks.
The new charges are meant to ensure Paul Manafort faces longterm jail time over his slate of crimes, even if Donald Trump were to pardon him for his federal crimes:
Here's a short and simple statement on the latest Manafort indictment released by the Manhattan District Attorney's office:
The latest charges surrounding Paul Manafort from New York appear to be similar to those he has been convicted of on a federal level, potentially raising issues of double jeopardy.
We’re learning more about the charges as the announcements are made. Stay tuned for more.
Meanwhile, Paul Manafort’s lawyers have been speaking to lawyers outside of the federal courthouse, falsely claiming “two courts have ruled no evidence of any collusion with any Russians.”
Flashbacks are being posted of Donald Trump’s inner circle claiming how useful Paul Manafort had been to the president’s 2016 campaign amid his fresh indictment and second federal sentencing:
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments