Trump blasts indictment of his former campaign chairman

President Donald Trump continued to make controversial statements while in Finland on Monday, insisting that his indicted former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is a ‘nice man’ and is wrongly being treated ‘like Al Capone.’

Fresh off his joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump sat down with Fox News host Sean Hannity in Helsinki for a one-on-one interview.  

While airing a list of grievances over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, Trump blasted Manafort’s treatment at the hands of his own Justice Department.

Fresh off his joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump sat down with Fox News host Sean Hannity in Helsinki for a one-on-one interview

‘Paul Manafort, who really is a nice man, you look at what’s going on with him, it’s like Al Capone…It’s just a sad thing. It’s a very sad thing for our country,’ Trump says towards the end of the interview. 

Capone was a Chicago-based gangster and businessman who gained notoriety during the Prohibition era. He was sent to prison in 1931 for tax evasion following a seven-year-reign as crime boss of the Chicago Outfit, an organized crime syndicate. 

Trump blasted Paul Manafort's (pictured) treatment at the hands of his own Justice Department

Trump blasted Paul Manafort’s (pictured) treatment at the hands of his own Justice Department

He was released in 1939 and later died of complications stemming from syphilis at the age of 48.   

Manafort, 69, is currently sitting in jail awaiting trial on a litany of charges, including money laundering and conspiracy against the United States.  

If convicted, he’s likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. 

Manafort, along with his former top lieutenant turned federal witness Rick Gates, was first indicted on a dozen charges late last year. 

Mueller more than doubled his indictment in February after discovering that the long-time Republican operative was illegally contacting witnesses in the investigation.  

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.  

Earlier on Monday, Trump repeatedly expressed doubts that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential election despite numerous indictments made by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the near unanimous opinion of the US intelligence community.

‘I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,’ Trump said in Finland. 

‘[Director of National Intelligence] Dan Coats came to me and others and said, I think it’s Russia. I have President Putin. He said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be,’ Trump added. 

Al Capone (pictured) was a Chicago-based gangster and businessman who gained notoriety during the Prohibition era

Al Capone (pictured) was a Chicago-based gangster and businessman who gained notoriety during the Prohibition era

 

 



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