Manafort was just hit with a brand new indictment. If convicted, Trump won't be able to pardon him.
That was fast.
Almost immediately after President Trump's campaign chair Paul Manafort was sentenced to an additional 73 months in prison for witness tampering and unregistered lobbying by a federal judge, the Manhattan District Attorney's office indicted Manafort on entirely brand new charges, NBC News reported.
Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance will reportedly bring 16 charges against Manafort relating to mortgage fraud, conspiracy, and falsifying business records, all on the state level. CNBC notes that President Trump does not have the power to pardon someone facing a state sentencing.
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Vance said in a statement that Manafort's actions "strike at the heart of New York's sovereign interests, including the integrity of our residential mortgage market."
While the announcement's timing provided some shock value, it has been known that New York prosecutors were investigating Manafort and that they would seek to ensure that he stayed in prison if Trump did eventually pardon his crimes at the federal level. Read the indictment here.
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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