Paul Manafort and the privilege of being a white collar defendant

[turbinetree]

When former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort walked into the Washington, D.C. field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) early Monday morning to turn himself in, many waited in anticipation to see embarrassing photographs of Manafort in handcuffs, often called a “perp walk.”

But when the videos surfaced, Manafort was cuff-free.

Both Manafort and Rick Gates, a former Manafort business associate and Trump campaign aide who was also indicted on Monday, didn’t have to see images of themselves in handcuffs plastered all over the media; rather, the two were able to portray themselves as calm, cool and collected.

This is a privilege awarded to white collar criminals who allegedly commit serious crimes, yet are spared from the embarrassment other criminals face. The former Trump campaign officials were likely given that treatment by special counsel Robert Mueller, who issued the indictments against both Manafort and Gates.

https://thinkprogress.org/manafort-privilege-white-collar-defendant-ce7dc852eb25/


I think he and this Gates accomplice should have had cuffs on and doing the frog walk

[onethatcares]

1. you are so correct.

I waited and waited to see executives from Wells Fargo being escorted in handcuffs to a paddy wagon but all they did was tell the bank to pay a $20.00 fine and it was all ok.

If it was me or you, in a non legalized marijuana state, the feds would have had the newspaper photographers up til all hours of the night recording a bust for 4 grams.

I can only hope that it happens someday.

[turbinetree]

2. It is just amazing how the lady of justice and her scales are not equal