*By Alisha Haridasani* The decision by a federal judge to send President Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort to prison on Friday ratchets up friction between the President and the Justice Department, as his personal lawyer demanded an end to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sent Manafort to prison after revoking his bail because of accusations of witness tampering bought forward by prosecutors on Mueller's team. In light of the judge's decision, Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani floated the idea of wielding "presidential pardons" to clean up the aftermath of Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, his strongest rebuke yet of the special counsel. Giuliani also called on the Justice Department to ["investigate the investigators"](http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-news-rudy-muller-pardons-trump-manafort-20180615-story.html) and halt Mueller's probe all together. "It may just be a bluster but it could be a surreal stand-off moving here," Ben Schreckinger, national political correspondent at Politico told Cheddar. "We may find out as soon as tonight or perhaps on Monday whether the president may attempt to replace either Rod Rosenstein, his deputy attorney general, or even Jeff Sessions, his attorney general." Manafort is the first Trump official to be sent to jail in connection with the Mueller probe; his trial is set for the fall. Manafort’s jail time could give Mueller more leverage in persuading Manafort to testify against Trump. Manafort has, so far, "been very defiant," said Schreckinger. But "we're seeing prosecutors say that once you actually put someone in jail, revoke their bail, they often become much more willing to co-operate." Trump tried to downplay his connection to Manafort, stating on Fox News that he only worked on the campaign for around 50 days, much lower than the almost 150 days Manafort actually spent with Trump's team. "Wow, what a tough sentence for Paul Manafort, who has represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, and many other top political people and campaigns," Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1007679422865006593). "Didn't know Manafort was the head of the Mob." Prosecutors accused Manafort of attempting to persuade two witnesses to lie to the jury about Manafort’s lobbying work for ousted Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych. Putting Manafort behind bars could also pressure his former colleagues to co-operate with Mueller. Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen is considering co-operating with the special counsel, according to [reports](https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/15/politics/michael-cohen-cooperation-federal-investigators/index.html) on Friday, and the former national security adviser Michael Flynn has been working with Mueller since December. Manafort, who pleaded not guilty on Friday to the obstruction of justice charges, was granted a $10 million bail last year but has been under house arrest because he was unable to come up with the money. He will be tried in September for multiple charges, including money laundering, tax evasion, and conspiracy. A separate trial in Virginia will begin on July 25. In revoking Manafort's bail Judge Jackson noted that she had admonished Manafort earlier not to contact potential witnesses. “You have [abused the trust](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-15/manafort-sent-to-jail-after-judge-cancels-house-arrest-jig5977k) placed in you six months ago,” Jackson said. “The government motion will be granted, and the defendant will be detained.”

Share:
More In Politics
Maxwell Frost, Candidate for Congress in Florida, on Top Gen Z Voter Issues
Meet the new generation running for office in the midterm elections. Maxwell Frost, a 24-year-old Democrat, is the youngest candidate running for Florida’s 10th congressional district. A member of Gen Z (those born after 1996) Frost spoke to Cheddar about objectives that he believes are top of mind for his age bracket, including tackling gun violence, healthcare for all, and LGBTQ+ rights, especially in light of his state's recently enacted, so-called “Don’t Say Gay" law.
U.S. To Release 1 Million Barrels Of Oil A Day To Lower Gas Prices
President Biden has announced a historic release of oil from the U.S. reserves in an attempt to cut down surging gas prices across the country. The administration will release 1 million barrels of oil per day for the next six months, marking the largest withdrawal in the nearly 50-year history of the country's emergency supply of oil. Patrick DeHaan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, breaks down why the Biden administration is making this unprecedented move, and what impact it could have on prices at the pump.
Need2know: War Crimes, Sacramento Shooting Arrest & Aluminum Shortages
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 5, 2022, with Biden's call for a war crimes trial for Putin, another arrest made in the Sacramento mass shooting, NYC rolling out a campaign against Florida’s "Don’t Say Gay" bill, an aluminum shortage potentially affecting beer and cat food cans, and more.
Sacramento Mass Shooting Raises Questions on How to Curb Rising Gun Violence
After a devastating mass shooting in Sacramento over the weekend that killed six people and wounded a dozen more, arguments about gun reform are also resurfacing. David Pucino, deputy chief counsel at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, joined Cheddar News to talk about efforts to curb gun violence such as community intervention programs — and the more that needs to be done by lawmakers. "One thing that would be really important is at the federal level closing the loopholes that allow for private sales to go forward without a background check," he noted.
Load More