By Daniel Chaitin
March 10, 2019 "Information Clearing House" - Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden condemned the light sentence obtained by former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort last week, arguing that "proximity to power" leads to leniency.
In a tweet, Snowden compared the amount of prison time dealt to once powerful figures Manafort and former CIA Director David Petraeus to that of Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army.
"#Manafort: 47 months for a lifelong
carnival of criminality. Petraeus: 0 days
for trading the country's highest secrets
for a more favorable biography. Manning: 35
YEARS for revealing evidence of actual war
crimes to the press. Your sentence derives
from your proximity to power," Snowden said.
#Manafort: 47 months for a lifelong carnival of criminality.
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) March 8, 2019
Petraeus: 0 days for trading the country's highest secrets for a more favorable biography.
Manning: 35 YEARS for revealing evidence of actual war crimes to the press.
Your sentence derives from your proximity to power.
Manafort, a longtime lobbyist who led a presidential campaign, got less than four years behind bars for eight financial crimes, including bank fraud, tax fraud, and failure to disclose a foreign bank account. The decision by T.S. Ellis III, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and serves on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, defies
a requested prison term of 19 to 24 years by special counsel Robert Mueller. Manafort's light sentence could be extended next week in a Washington, D.C., federal court in an illegal lobbying case.Due to attack by trolls it is necessary to register to comment on articles. We ask that you post comments if you have information that confirms or challenges the information or opinion offered in the article. Please provide links to information that supports your views. It is not acceptable to make personal attacks on either the author or other members of the ICH community, doing so will result in cancellation of your posting privileges'.
