Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

After Paul Manafort Was Sentenced to Just 47 Months in Jail, People Are Sharing Others' Prison Sentences and Coming to the Same Conclusion

After Paul Manafort Was Sentenced to Just 47 Months in Jail, People Are Sharing Others' Prison Sentences and Coming to the Same Conclusion
ALEXANDRIA, VA - MARCH 08: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort (R) leaves the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse with his wife Kathleen Manafort (L) after an arraignment hearing as a protester holds up a sign March 8, 2018 in Alexandria, Virginia. Manafort pleaded not guilty to new tax and fraud charges, brought by special counsel Robert MuellerÕs Russian interference investigation team, at the Alexandria federal court in Virginia, where he resides. A trial date has been set for July 10, 2018. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The scales are unbalanced.

After defrauding the United States of millions through his work in Ukraine and on behalf of Russian elites, former campaign chair to President Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, received a 47 month prison sentence in one of the two cases brought against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office.

The sentence—handed down by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III—was a far cry from the 19 to 24 years recommended by the Special Counsel, insisting that Manafort had lived an otherwise "blameless life."


A chorus of voices soon began coming out against the sentence's leniency, criticizing Judge Ellis for believing Manafort led a blameless life, and highlighting the widespread inequities within the United States' Justice System.

Among them was veteran journalist Dan Rather, who said:

“The sentence is just a slap on the wrist to, you know, a big-time criminal...a minor sentence for another elite, well-connected, Washington big-shot. I will say, a lot of black kids in the projects routinely get worse sentences than Manafort has gotten."

Many notable Americans began sharing stories of those who committed far less harmful crimes but—due to an insufficient amount of wealth or whiteness—were handed harsher sentences.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden brought attention to Chelsea Manning, a fellow whistleblower whose sentence for leaking information about war crimes earned her a three decade prison sentence.

Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky agreed.

Others pointed out the five years being served by Crystal Mason.

Many Americans joined with them to criticize the sentence.

One particular phrase used by Judge Ellis while handing down the sentence struck the ire of many.

In elaborating on the leniency of the sentence, Ellis said Manafort had lived an "otherwise blameless life." This—as many pointed out—was far from the truth.

However, there was one person who was pleased with the verdict.

Manafort still awaits sentencing next week for separate crimes of obstruction. The case is presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, the same judge presiding over longtime Trump associate Roger Stone's case.

Berman Jackson's sentence is expected to be heavier, but rather than relying on her, we should be able to rely on an equal distribution of justice.

More from People/donald-trump

Sarah McBride; Nancy Mace
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Nation's First Trans Congresswoman Slams GOP's Proposed Bathroom Ban At U.S. Capitol

Sarah McBride, who is the first openly transgender person to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, called out a proposal by South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace that would prohibit transgender women from using women's bathroom facilities at the U.S. Capitol.

Mace introduced the resolution shortly after Delaware elected Democrat McBride as the first openly transgender member of Congress.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charlotte Clymer; Nancy Mace
Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Briarcliff Entertainment; Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Trans Activist Has Blunt Reminder For Nancy Mace About Trans Women During Trump's First Term

Transgender activist Charlotte Clymer posted a truth bomb about where transgender women in the Capitol went to the bathroom during the first Trump administration after South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace announced she would seek to ban transgender women from the women's bathroom.

Mace introduced a resolution to bar members of Congress, as well as congressional officers and employees, from using single-sex facilities that do not align with their biological sex. The proposal was clearly designed to target Sarah McBride, who recently secured Delaware's lone seat in the House and will become the first openly transgender member of Congress.

Keep ReadingShow less
man sitting on sofa
Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

People Describe The Most Unforgettable Thing Their Therapist Ever Told Them

*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.

According to a study in 2022, about 55.8 million adults in the United States received mental health treatment, including counseling, medication, or inpatient or outpatient treatment.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barron as an 18-year-old; screenshot of 4-year-old Barron from CNN video
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images; CNN

A Resurfaced Clip Of A Young Barron Trump Speaking Is The Internet's Latest Obsession

An old CNN clip of President-elect Donald Trump's son Barron is making the rounds on the internet after surprising people with the childhood accent Barron seemed to have had.

The clip, which came from a 2010 episode of Larry King Live, shows a four-year-old Barron talking with his mother Melania Trump in heavily-accented English.

Keep ReadingShow less