Judge in Rick Gates case sends clear message to Donald Trump’s remaining henchmen

| 6:00 pm EST December 17, 2019
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Even as ABC News was reporting today that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was suffering a “cardiac event” while in prison, his former sidekick Rick Gates was in court being sentenced for his own crimes. The contrast couldn’t have been more clear, and it sends an unmistakable message to Donald Trump’s remaining henchmen.

Manafort survived his cardiac event today. But it’s a reminder that the seven-plus year sentence he’s serving, in solitary confinement due to his status as a public figure, is effectively a life sentence at his age. Manafort isn’t getting out of prison. He’s done. Meanwhile, Rick Gates was sentenced to just forty-five days in prison today, even though he committed most of the same crimes that Manafort committed. There’s only one difference in which Manafort’s life is over and Gates will soon get to start rebuilding his life.

Rick Gates cut a cooperating plea deal with federal prosecutors, and he dutifully sold out everyone. He testified against Manafort at trial. He told Robert Mueller everything he needed to know. Gates cooperated so thoroughly, for so long, that he ended up receiving just weeks in prison when he could have instead spent years in prison. Manafort pretended to cut a plea deal but ultimately remained loyal to Trump the entire time, and now he’s rotting in a cage. By the way, even with Manafort’s health clearly deteriorating, Donald Trump still hasn’t pardoned him, because Trump never is willing to stick his neck out for those who have stuck their necks out for him.

That’s all that any of Donald Trump’s remaining henchmen should need to know. Even if they’ve committed serious crimes on his behalf, and even if they’ve also committed serious crimes outside of Trump world, they can still potentially land a remarkably short prison sentence if they simply flip on him and give up everything they know. Or they can stick with Trump and end up rotting in a cage. Rick Gates initially tried lying to prosecutors before ultimately flipping, and he’s still only doing six weeks in prison for several serious felonies. It’s never too late for Trump’s henchmen to flip on him. In fact now is the perfect time.