Seth Meyers referenced “The Office” on Monday to beet beat down Republicans downplaying the conviction of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman.
Paul Manafort “wasn’t a marginal figure in Trump’s orbit,” Meyers said, despite the spin some conservatives are putting on the issue.
“He was the president’s campaign chairman. Just listen to that — president, campaign and chairman. Each one of those words is super important, and yet Republicans talk about him as if he was assistant to the regional manager,” the “Late Night” host joked, referencing the worthless title boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) bestows upon Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) on the hit show.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III was widely criticized last week after he sentenced Manafort to just 47 months in prison for a slew of crimes involving long-term bank and tax fraud. The sentencing guidelines had recommended between 19 and 24 years.
Manafort faces a sentencing hearing Wednesday in a separate case. He pleaded guilty in September 2018 to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Both cases grew out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible Trump campaign collusion.
Check out Meyers’ segment above.