WASHINGTON, D.C.: Paul Manafort, the long-time political consultant who once led Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, asked a federal judge for leniency Monday as he faces the potential of spending the rest of his life in prison in criminal cases stemming from the Russia investigation.
In a new court filing, Manafort’s legal adviser described the 69-year-old as a victim of circumstance, prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller only because the government couldn’t make the case that he colluded with the Kremlin’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. They also dismissed prosecutors’ characterization of Manafort as a hardened criminal, saying he was merely a wealthy consultant who committed “garden variety” crimes by illegally lobbying for Ukrainian interests and hiding millions from the IRS.
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