Fox News host Harris Faulkner tried to downplay Manafort's sentencing today and defended Trump-by-proxy, saying the judge said it had nothing to do with Russian collusion.
Harris: "One of the questions being asked today in political circles is would Paul Manafort face these charges had it no know not been for the Mueller investigation going far and wide beyond Russia collusion, and we can partly answer that because the judge said this case had nothing to do with Russia collusion."
Why can't we have protestors in the Fox studio yelling, "THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE SAID," as we had outside the courtroom? It's the same exact lie Manafort's lawyer was telling:
Fortunately, co-host Melissa Francis jumped in and pushed back hard on Faulkner's attack on Mueller's special counsel.
Melissa said, "One of the things I think is so interesting, everybody keeps making the point, "well they wouldn't have even looked at the crime if it weren't for the Mueller probe and if he hadn't gone to work for the president, then he would have gotten away with this."
She continued, "Every single criminal can say, "I would have gotten away with it, except --" and it's the manner in which you get caught is different for all of them, but it doesn't make you any more sympathetic. You still committed the crime!"
Judge Napolitano replied, "Can I tell you, what you just said is 100% correct and the terms of the way judges think, and they are actually offended when the defendant says, "I shouldn't have gotten caught." That's irrelevant, that you have gotten caught."
When a special counsel or congressional hearing uncovers a different crime than what they were investigating, they don't just look the other way. They pass it on to the proper authorities who can then investigate and if they deem appropriate, prosecute.
Harris Faulkner and many Trump surrogates constantly and incessantly paint many of the convictions and indictments Robert Mueller's special counsel has made so far as either being "process crimes" or having nothing to do with Russia collusion.
By the way, the idea of a "process crime" is so frakking ridiculous that I hate typing the newly created phrase.
And let's not forget Manafort handed a Russian operative very detailed internal polling from the Trump campaign about the election.
We don't know yet whether Robert Mueller intends to charge Manafort or any other Trump associates with espionage or conspiracy. Watch this space.
