Robert Mueller gave Paul Manafort just enough rope in jail, and it worked
Either Paul Manafort has some kind of psychological condition that clinically compels him to keep breaking the law even now that he’s going on trial for a lifetime of breaking the law, or he figures that at this point he simply has nothing left to lose. Special Counsel Robert Mueller didn’t bother fighting to block Manafort from getting out on bail, giving Manafort rope to screw himself over. Sure enough, Manafort ended up conspiring with a Russian spy while he was out on bail, allowing Mueller to get Manafort thrown in jail just before the start of his trial. Now that he’s behind bars, Manafort has been caught cheating again.
There has been a lot of debate about the conditions Paul Manafort is currently facing in jail. On the one hand, he’s being held in solitary confinement for twenty-three hours a day. On the other hand, he has his own private bathroom in his cell and he doesn’t have to wear a prison uniform. He also has access to a laptop, but his usage of it is highly restricted. So what did Manafort do?
He cheated, of course – and then he got caught. Manafort is not allowed to send or receive emails from the laptop. So instead he’s been having his attorneys bring in a laptop with his email account on it. According to NBC News, he was so proud of himself that he bragged about it while on a prison phone call, which the authorities are monitoring.
So now Robert Mueller has Paul Manafort nailed for violating the terms of his imprisonment. Manafort’s attorneys could end up facing sanctions as well. This is all about Mueller gaining leverage over Manafort and forcing him to cut a plea deal against Donald Trump – and Manafort keeps making Mueller’s job easier.
