President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released Wednesday to continue his prison sentence in home confinement after arguing that coronavirus was a threat to his health, CBS News reports.
The big picture: Manafort, 71, was sentenced last year under charges stemming from the Mueller investigation to a total of 7.5 years in prison on fraud charges and crimes related to his work as a political consultant in Ukraine.
- Manafort's lawyers had asked that he be allowed to be under home confinement either for the remainder of his sentence or the duration of the pandemic, citing pre-existing medical conditions like high blood pressure and liver issues that could make him vulnerable.
- They also argued that while there haven't been any reported coronavirus cases at LCI Loretto, the low-security federal prison in Pennsylvania where Manafort was being held, it is only a matter of time before the virus reaches the prison.
Go deeper: Paul Manafort officially forfeits Trump Tower condo to U.S. government
