Ex-federal prosecutor says Manafort's 47-month sentence is 'disrespectful of the American people'

Paul Manafort was sentenced on Thursday to 47 months in prison for bank and tax fraud, well below the guidelines of 19 1/2 to 24 years.

Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner told Hardball's Chris Matthews this is an "unjust result," and "as an American, I'm upset." He's "disappointed" with Judge T.S. Ellis, who said in court that Manafort has "otherwise lived a blameless life," Kirschner said, calling the lenient sentence "an outrage" and "disrespectful of the American people."

The Washington Post's Jackie Alemany notes that in 2018, Ellis sentenced a 37-year-old man to the mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison for dealing meth, saying at the time: "I chafe a bit at that, but I follow the law. If I thought it was blatantly immoral, I'd have to resign. It's wrong, but not immoral."

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Scott Hechinger, a public defender in Brooklyn, put Manafort's sentencing in context by tweeting that on Wednesday, one of his clients "was offered 36-72 months in prison for stealing $100 worth of quarters from a residential laundry room," and a colleague's client was "forced to plead out to the mandatory minimum of 3.5 years (5 months shy of Manafort) for simple possession of a firearm. No allegation of use. Prosecution wouldn't drop top count after a hearing. Best they had been willing to do was 2 years."