Stephen Colbert sees the bright side of Paul Manafort's 'shockingly lenient' 47-month sentence

Stephen Colbert on Paul Manafort sentencing
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

"Today has been a rough one for those close to the president," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show, and he was mostly talking about Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chair. "Earlier today, a federal judge sentenced Manafort to 47 months in prison," he said. "Not quite four years, but with good behavior, he is incapable of good behavior. The 47 months Manafort got is a shockingly lenient sentence, considering the sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of 19 1/2 to 24 years."

Manafort's lawyers "claimed the sentencing guidelines were unfair since he was a first-time offender," Colbert said. "But prosecutors pointed out that for over a decade, Manafort repeatedly and brazenly violated the law. He wasn't so much a first-time 'offender' as a first-time 'getting-caught-er.'" Manafort may get out early if he's "a smooth-talker" with the parole board, he noted, playing a clip of Manafort and quickly ruling that out.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.