Paul Manafort sentencing slammed by celebrities: 'I've grounded my kids for more than 47 months'

Suzy Byrne
·Reporter
·6 min read

Paul Manafort’s light sentence is on many people’s minds, including celebrities ranging from Monica Lewinsky to Stephen Colbert.

On Thursday, the former Trump campaign chair was given a 47-month prison term for financial fraud — significantly less than the roughly 20 years recommended. And while he faces another sentencing next week, his light punishment isn’t sitting well with many on social media, and some have pointed out that people who have done far less have been given much more time. (T.S. Ellis, senior judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, reasoned that the lobbyist with ties to Russian politicians “has lived an otherwise blameless life.”)

Reactions to the sentence were shared on late-night television — Colbert asked Late Show guest Cory Booker, a presidential hopeful, to weigh in — as well as on Twitter, where Lewinsky’s comments have taken off.

In response to NSA leaker Edward Snowden making the point that sentences derive from “your proximity to power,” Lewinsky, whose affair with President Bill Clinton in the ’90s led to legal repercussions, replied, “yup. i had been threatened w/ 27 years for filing a false affidavit + other actions trying desperately to keep an affair private.”

Others — including CNN’s Ana Navarro-Cárdenas, The Ellen DeGeneres Show‘s Andy Lassner and producer/author Barbara Davilman — also made comparisons to the 47 months.

It was pointed out many times — including by Booker — that people of color have been incarcerated for longer periods for lesser crimes. Or worse.

Some made reference to the “otherwise blameless life” comment from the judge.

Paul Manafort’s mugshot at the Alexandria Detention Center in Alexandria, Va. (Photo: Alexandria Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)
Paul Manafort’s mugshot at the Alexandria Detention Center in Alexandria, Va. (Photo: Alexandria Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)

Here are some more reactions out of Hollywood:

Colbert called the sentence “shockingly lenient,” adding, “Manafort’s lawyers tried everything to get their client a reduced sentence, except representing an innocent man.”

James Corden quipped, “At this point so many of Trump’s people are headed to jail, it’s going to feel like a high school reunion.”

Meanwhile, President Trump tweeted about the sentence, using it as a way to take a dig at the “witch hunt” against him.

Manafort has been in jail for the last nine months. As part of his conviction, he will also pay at least $6 million in restitution to the government and an additional $50,000 fine. Next week, he will face sentencing in a Washington, D.C., federal court on related conspiracy charges. He could receive an additional 10-year prison term (which could run simultaneously or be staggered). Or — who knows — far less.

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