LET’S PLAY "HARDBALL." ♪
♪ >>> GOOD EVENING.
I’M CHRIS MATTHEWS IN
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. JUST MOMENTS AGO A FEDERAL JUDGE
IN VIRGINIA SENTENCED PAUL
MANAFORT TO FOUR YEARS, 47
MONTHS.
MONTHS. THAT WAS JUST MOMENTS AGO ACROSS
THE RIVER FROM HERE WHERE
MANAFORT WAS CONVICTED OF EIGHT
FELONY COUNTS LAST SUMMER.
SPEAKING IN HIS OWN DEFENSE
DURING THIS HEARING, "TO SAY
I’VE BEEN HUMILIATED AND SHAMED
WOULD BE A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT.
ISS ASK FOR YOUR COMPASSION" WEL
HE GOT IT.
ANOTHER JUDGE IS COMING NEXT
WEEK.
WEEK. THIS IS ONE OF TWO CASES AGAINST
MANAFORT.
MANAFORT. HE’LL BE INSTANCED ON TWO
ADDITIONAL CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY
IN WASHINGTON D.C. NEXT
WEDNESDAY.
WEDNESDAY. THAT MEANS A POSSIBLE
CONSECUTIVE SENTENCES UP TO TEN
MORE YEARS ON TOP OF WHAT HE GOT
TODAY.
TODAY. A FALL FROM GRACE FOR THE 2016
CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN WHO PLAYED A
CRUCIAL ROLE IN WINNING
PRESIDENT TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE.
POLITICS REPORTER WITH "THE
DAILY BEAST."
DAILY BEAST." KEN, I HAVE TO BELIEVE THIS
JUDGE DOESN’T MUCH LIKE THE
PROSECUTOR, ROBERT MUELLER.
HE’S BEING CHARGED AND SENTENCED
FOR SOMETHING THAT WASN’T REALLY
ABOUT BANK FRAUD.
IT’S ABOUT HIS ASSOCIATION WITH
DONALD TRUMP.
DONALD TRUMP. THAT’S MY THINKING FROM THE
OUTSIDE.
OUTSIDE. WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
>> Reporter: I COMPLETELY AGREE.
IT WAS CLEAR BEFORE MANAFORT’S
TRIAL WHEN JUDGE ELLIS BASICALLY
SAID AS MUCH IN COMMENTS IN
PRETRIAL HEARINGS AND THE ONLY
REASON HE THOUGHT PAUL MANAFORT
WAS IN THE COURT ROOM IS BECAUSE
HE WENT TO WORK FOR TRUMP.
HE SAID YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT THE
BANK FRAUD AND TAX FRAUD.
NEVERTHELESS, A FOUR YEAR
SENTENCE IS A SHOCKER BECAUSE IT
IS SO MUCH LOWER THAN GUIDELINES
OF 19 TO 24 AND A HALF YEARS.
THERE WERE PREDICTIONS OF 12
YEARS.
YEARS. I DIDN’T HEAR A SINGLE
PREDICTION OF FOUR YEARS.’T
NOT ONLY WAS HE CONVICTED OF
EIGHT FELONIES BUT HE WENT ON TO
COMMIT OTHER CRIMES AFTER HE WAS
CONVUKTED.TO
CONVUKTED.TO HE REACHED A PLEA DEAL AND LIED
AND BROKE THE PLEA DEAL AND
ESSENTIALLY WHAT JUDGE ELLISES
JUST SAID IS THAT CONDUCT
DOESN’T AMOUNT MUCH TO HIM AND
HE’SIM GOING TO TREAT HIM LIKE A
OTHERKE WHITE COLLAR CRIMINAL.
THINT STATEMENT THAT MANAFORT
MADE, HE DID NOT APOLOGIZE.
HE DID NOT EXPRESS REMORSE.
HE TALKED ABOUT HOW PAINFUL THIS
HAD BEEN AND HE’S BEEN IN
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AND
HUMILIATED.
HUMILIATED. IT WAS SO SURPRISING THAT SOME
PEOPLE WERE LIKE THIS IS A MAN
WHO EXPECTS TO GET A PARDON.
ELLIS DID MENTION HE WAS
SURPRISED THAT MANAFORT DIDN’T
EXPRESS REGRET BUT DIDN’T
REFLECT THAT IN THE SENTENCING.
>> ANYWAY, THE JUDGE SAID HE
DISAGREE WOULD THE 19 TO 24 YEAR
GUIDELINES. SAYING THESE ARE
QUITE HIGH.
QUITE HIGH. I THINK THIS SENTENCING RANGE IS
EXCESSIVE.
EXCESSIVE. THE JUDGE SAID HE HAS BEEN A
GOOD FRIEND TO OTHERS, A
GENEROUS PERSON.
GENEROUS PERSON. HE HAS LIVED AN OTHERWISE
BLAMELESS LIFE.
BLAMELESS LIFE. SHOCKING NEWS.
SHOCKING NEWS. >> SHOCKING.
>> SHOCKING. AS A FORMER PROSECUTOR, I’M
EMBARRASSED.
EMBARRASSED.
occur with ENTYVIO®. AS AN AMERICAN, I’M UPSET.
WHAT DID WE HEAR PAUL MANAFORT
SAY AFTER HE LANDED THE POSITION
AS L TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN?
HOW DO C I USE THIS TO GET HOLE
WITH THE RUSSIANS?
AND HE’LL THROW THAT OUT THE
WINDOW TO GIVE HIM A SENTENCE SO
FAR BELOW THE GUIDELINES THAT IT
IS AN OUTRAGE.
JUST AS PROUD AS I WAS TO BE IN
THE COURTROOM WHEN HE CALLED OUT
MIKE FLYNN FOR BEING A TRAITOR
AND DISRESPECTING EVERYTHING THE
FLAG STANDSPE FOR, I’M JUST AS
DISAPPOINT WOULD JUDGE ELLIS WHO
APPARENTLY KNOWS BETTER THAN THE
GUIDELINES T SENTENCING COMMISSI
WHO SAID FOR THESE CRIMES THIS
MAN DESERVES 19 TO 24 AND HE
SAID 47 MUNGTDS.
IT’S AN OUTRAGE AND
DISRESPECTFUL OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE TR
PEOPLE TR >> IS IT KNOCKING OFF A
CONVENIENCE STORE?
CONVENIENCE STORE? THIS LOOKS PRETTY LIGHT, IT
SEEMS TO ME TO.
FOR THE MAJESTY OF WHAT WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT.
TALKING ABOUT. >> TO BE A RICH WHITE MAN IN
AMERICA, YOU GET A WHOLE
DIFFERENT KIND OF JUSTICE.
>> YOU THINK 450E THOUGHT HE WAS
A WEGT WEALTHY MIDDLE CLASS GUY.
>> HE GOT TO KEEP TWO HOMES, $4
MILLION.
MILLION. HE WAS FOUND GUILTY OF $30
MILLION HE BASICALLY STOLE FROM
THEAL AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN HE
DIDN’T REPORT BANK FRAUD, TAX
FRAUD.
FRAUD. A JURY CONVICTED HIM OF EIGHT
COUNTS AND SAID I’M GUILTY OF
THOSE OTHER COUNTS AS WELL.
AND THEN HE PRESENTS HIMSELF AS
THE VICTIM.
THE VICTIM. IF HIS NAME WAS PEDRO, HE WOULD
BE GOING UP THE RIVER.
>> WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH EQUITY
IN AMERICA.
IN AMERICA. BUT THIS GUY WHO STONE WALLS THE
CASES.
CASES. ACCORDING TO WHAT I READ IN THE
SENTENCING.
SENTENCING. HE GAVE NO HELP TO THE
PROSECUTION.
PROSECUTION. ALL THAT 15 HOURS THEY SAT IN
THOSE ROOMS, NOTHING CAME OUT OF
IT.
IT. ALL HE FED THEM WAS STUFF
MUELLER ALREADY KNEW.
HE CAN STILL GET PARDONED FOR
HIS FOUR YEARS.
>> THERE’S NO WAY TO INTERPRET
THIS SENTENCE IN ANY OTHER WAY
THAN A FEDERAL JUDGE SAYING
MUELLER AND HIS TEAM HAVE BEEN
ESSENTIALLYBE MISLEADING THEM,
MISCHARACTERIZING MANAFORT AND