Manafort won't go to Rikers Island after DOJ intervention: NYT
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Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort won't be transferred to New York City's Rikers Island prison as expected, following intervention from Department of Justice officials, the New York Times first reported Monday.
Details: Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen wrote to Manhattan prosecutors last week to say he was monitoring where Manafort would be held in New York while he faces state charges, according to the NYT. Federal prison officials told the Manhattan district attorney’s office Monday that Manafort would not be going to Rikers, per the Times.
The big picture: Manafort is serving a 7.5-year federal sentence on bank and tax fraud charges. He will be held in a federal lockup while he faces state charges, according to the NYT.
- CNN reports Manafort was transferred to Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan on Monday morning, citing the prison and a person familiar with his case.
- Rosen did not ask about safety at Rikers Island, according to a copy of the June 11 letter that the Times reviewed.
Why it matters: Rosen was confirmed as deputy attorney general a day before Manafort’s attorney asked the Bureau of Prisons to keep his client out of Rikers, according to the Times. A senior DOJ official told the paper the Bureau had been keeping the Justice Department apprised of Manafort’s situation, given the high-profile nature of his case.
- Manafort’s transfer to Manhattan signals his arraignment in New York on state charges will happen soon, per Reuters.
What they're saying: His lawyer Todd Blanche acknowledged to the NYT the decision on where to hold Manafort and the DOJ involvement was atypical, but he added so was his situation.
"You’ll find no example of someone like Mr. Manafort being prosecuted by the feds and then by the district attorney for exactly the same conduct."
Go deeper: Timeline: Every big move in the Mueller investigation
