Elsa/Getty Images
Former Donald Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort seems to be getting special treatment in jail.
- Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is receiving VIP treatment in jail, according to a new court filing.
- He reportedly has his own private living space, bathroom, and workspace to prepare for his July 25 trial - and doesn't even have to wear a prison uniform.
- Manafort is the defendant in two separate criminal trials prosecuted by the special counsel Robert Mueller. He faces over 20 charges related to bank and tax fraud, among others.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is getting the luxury treatment in jail while awaiting trial, according to a Wednesday court filing from the office of the special counsel Robert Mueller.
Mueller is currently prosecuting Manafort in two separate criminal cases in Virginia and Washington, DC on a dozen criminal charges including tax and bank fraud, conspiracy, lying to investigators, and obstruction of justice.
The filing from prosecutors counters Manafort's request to delay his Virginia trial by months. Manafort claims he is getting inadequate time and resources to prepare for his July 25 trial, but details revealed in the documents argue otherwise.
Citing prison visitor logs, Mueller's office says Manafort is getting plenty of time to meet with his lawyers, and is benefiting from the "VIP" treatment at Northern Neck Jail in Virginia.
"Among the unique privileges Manafort enjoys at the jail are a private, self-contained living unit, which is larger than other inmates' units, his own bathroom and shower facility, his own personal telephone, and his own workspace to prepare for trial," a footnote in the filing reads. "Manafort is also not required to wear a prison uniform. On the monitored prison phone calls, Manafort has mentioned that he is being treated like a 'VIP.'"
Manafort was previously out on bond and under house arrest after being charged, but a federal judge revoked his bail and ordered that he go to jail after prosecutors accused him and an associate of witness tampering.
This isn't the first time Manafort has received special privileges while under law enforcement supervision. Prior to being moved into his own private living space, Manafort reportedly lived in a "VIP cell" once occupied by former NFL player Michael Vick.
And in December 2017, Judge Amy Berman Jackson allowed him to temporarily leave house arrest to spend Christmas with his extended family in the Hamptons.