Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates received a light sentence after helping the government convict numerous other Trump advisers but will still have to spend 45 days in jail, Politico reports.
Gates received a sentence higher than the one sought by prosecutors, who recommended last week that Gates be sentenced to a year of probation in light of his cooperation in the cases that sent former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort and longtime adviser Roger Stone to prison.
Along with 45 days in jail, which he can complete on weekends, Gates must serve three years of probation.
Gates pleaded guilty last year to lying to federal investigators and for his role in a financial conspiracy with Manafort.
Judge rebuts Barr in sentence:
A week after Attorney General Bill Barr said the Mueller investigation was based on a “completely bogus narrative,” Judge Amy Berman Jackson noted that Gates’ testimony showed there was an “ample basis” for an investigation into Trump’s campaign aides.
“Gates’ information alone warranted, indeed demanded, further investigation from the standpoint of our national security, the integrity of our elections and the enforcement of our criminal laws,” Jackson said.
Jackson listed a number of crimes perpetrated by Manafort and Gates.
“Those are facts,” Jackson said. “Those are not alleged facts. Those are not alternative facts.”
Gates apologizes in court:
“Your honor, I wish to express to this court that I accept complete responsibility for my actions that have led me here,” Gates said in court on Tuesday. “I greatly regret the mistakes that I’ve made and I’ve worked hard to honor my commitment to make amends. My family and I appreciate your consideration for leniency. And I hope and pray that you will grant that to me.”
