Paul Manafort committed crimes, but is being punished for association to Donald Trump: Brit Hume

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Paul Manafort set to face second sentencing on conspiracy charges

Paul Manafort, while guilty, is also paying for his association to President Trump, Fox News' Senior Political Analyst Brit Hume said Wednesday.

“It’s also true that Manafort undoubtedly committed these crimes after all he’s acknowledged doing so,” Hume said on “America’s Newsroom," just moments before Manafort was sentenced to a total of 81 months in prison in connection with his guilty plea related to foreign lobbying and witness tampering. The term he will serve includes the 47-month sentence handed down in a separate case in Virginia last week.

“But there’s one thing that’s also true. None of this, none of this whole prosecution of him and the alleged crimes of obstruction of justice that he committed during the investigation would have happened had he not served as Donald Trump’s campaign chairman.”

PAUL MANAFORT SENTENCED ON FOREIGN LOBBYING AND WITNESS TAMPERING CHARGES

I hold no grief for Paul Manafort, I’ve always looked at him and his dead eyes with a view that he might not be the right person if you were looking to have a political consultant. The things he did are obviously criminal and he’s admitted them

— Brit Hume

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Hume said the investigation into Manafort was dormant until the political advisor became associated with Trump.

“He is where he is today because he made the mistake, as it turned out for him, of serving as Trump’s campaign advisor,” Hume said. “Because if you don’t have that you don’t have this investigation.”

“The main effort here as the judge in Virginia pointed out was to squeeze him to try and turn him against Donald Trump and have him give up the goods,” Hume said.

“We don’t know... if he didn’t give up the goods because he didn’t want to or because he didn’t have any goods.

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The senior political analyst made clear that he had no sympathy for Manafort but said it is unlikely that Manafort or Trump colluded with Russia.

“I hold no grief for Paul Manafort, I’ve always looked at him and his dead eyes with a view that he might not be the right person if you were looking to have a political consultant. The things he did are obviously criminal and he’s admitted them,” Hume said.

He added: “I think in the end it may have turned out he didn’t do anything with regards to collusion with Russia and perhaps Mr. Trump didn’t either.”