Alan Dershowitz slams decision to jail Paul Manafort
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort sent to jail; Alan Dershowitz reacts on 'Fox @ Friends.'
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is being held in "solitary confinement" after his bail was revoked, in an "outrageous violation" of his civil liberties, former Trump lawyer John Dowd told Fox News on Tuesday.
"Paul is in solitary confinement for his own safety from the general prison population," Dowd said. "The warden is concerned that someone would violently attack Paul just for street cred.
"They make all prisoners return to their cells whenever Paul needs to leave his cell," Dowd, who said he is a friend of Manafort's attorney, told Fox News.
Dowd did not say exactly where Manafort, 69, was being held. A call to the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia indicated Manafort was being held there; he was sent to the jail on Friday after U.S District Judge Amy Berman Jackson revoked his $10 million bail, citing new witness tampering charges brought by the special counsel probing Russia election meddling, Robert Mueller.
"You have abused the trust placed in you six months ago," Jackson told Manafort, rejecting his attorney's arguments that it was unclear whom Manafort could contact while on bail.
Over the weekend, news outlets including The Washington Post reported Manafort was booked into the "VIP" section of the jail, keeping him separate from other inmates to an extent.
WATCH: JUDGE REVOKES MANAFORT'S BAIL, SENDS HIM TO JAIL
The onetime Trump campaign manager was indicted in October on charges that included conspiring to launder money and working as an unregistered foreign agent. He was initially placed under house arrest.
"This is harsh pretrial punishment and an outrageous violation of Pauls civil liberties."
Dowd, who resigned in March as Trump's lead outside counsel on the ongoing Russia probe, characterized Jackson's punishment as unduly "harsh" and implied that Jackson, who was nominated to her post by President Barack Obama in 2010, may have been politically motivated.
"Pauls counsel are filing an expedited appeal,' Dowd told Fox News. "This is harsh pretrial punishment and an outrageous violation of Pauls civil liberties at the hands of an Obama appointee."
Reached for comment on Dowd's statements, Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni told Fox News, "I don't have anything to add."
Manafort's trial before Jackson in Washington, D.C., is expected to begin in September. He has an additional federal case pending in Virginia, and analysts say the bail revocation may complicate his ability to coordinate with his attorneys on both cases.
