Donald Trump’s allies are already laying the groundwork for Paul Manafort flipping
To date we’ve seen no indication from Paul Manafort or his legal team that he has any intention of cutting a plea deal against Donald Trump. Manafort has been rotting in a jail cell for weeks, and if it’s caused him to change his mind about wanting to go to trial, he’s given no hint of this. However, at least one of Trump’s close allies has begun trying to lay the groundwork for discrediting Manafort if he does flip, which tells us that at least some in the Trump camp think Manafort is going to flip.
Public figures like Paul Manafort can’t be housed in the general population in jail, because there are too many inmates seeking to make a name for themselves by assaulting or killing someone like him. It’s not a partisan or political thing; it’s simply about celebrity. Hence Manafort has been kept in solitary confinement since he was sent to jail. It’s why former NFL quarterback Michael Vick served his sentence in the same solitary confinement conditions at the same jail where Manafort is currently housed.
While Manafort’s solitary confinement is necessary for his own protection, the conditions are arguably worse than if he were in the general population. Manafort doesn’t have to share a cell or a bathroom with anyone, but he is locked up in isolation for twenty-three hours per day. Being locked up under such harsh conditions could motivate Manafort to decide to cut a plea deal against Trump. In such case Manafort would still end up spending several years behind bars, but he could find himself in far more favorable conditions in federal prison.
Donald Trump recently pardoned fanatical Obama hater Dinesh D’Souza, making clear that the two men are in league. Now D’Souza is tweeting this gem: “Solitary lockup for 23 hours a day can cause madness. It is aimed at torturing Manafort into saying whatever Mueller wants him to say.” In other words, Trump’s ally thinks Manafort is about to flip on Trump, and he’s already trying to spin Manafort’s testimony as the product of “madness.” Does Team Trump know something we don’t about Manafort flipping, or are they just that nervous?
