President Donald Trump once again invoked Al Capone in reference to the ongoing prosecution of his former campaign manager Paul Manafort in a Wednesday tweet.
Looking back on history, who was treated worse, Alfonse Capone, legendary mob boss, killer and “Public Enemy Number One,” or Paul Manafort, political operative & Reagan/Dole darling, now serving solitary confinement – although convicted of nothing? Where is the Russian Collusion?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
Trump last invoked the Capone case in reference to Manafort’s prosecution by special counsel Robert Mueller in a recent interview with Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel: “Paul Manafort, who clearly is a nice man. You look at what is going on with him. It’s like Al Capone. On a case that I guess is very old. It’s just a sad thing. It’s a very sad thing for our country,” Trump said in the interview.
Trump referenced the lack of charges brought on Manafort by Mueller involving illegal lobbying for the Ukrainian government. None of the charges brought against Manafort involve Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, which was the reason for Mueller’s appointment in the first place.