The wrist slap heard around the world.

           Jussie Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts today by a Chicago grand jury for lying about a racial attack. It will be interesting to see how his trial shakes out, and if he is found guilty what type of jail time he will be looking at.

I know one thing, Jussie is not an old connected white man, so he will not be given the Paul Manafort treatment. In case you have been living on another planet, Paul Manafort was given a less than four year sentence yesterday by a Judge who basically nullified a jury decision by a jury of Mr. Manafort's peers. The Judge in the case said Manafort lived a "blameless life" and gave him a sentence about 15 years below the sentencing guidelines. The Mueller team was asking for something in the range of 19 to 24 years in prison. Manafort got less than four with time served. Talk about a slap on the wrist. I bet a slap would have hurt mire than that.

Of course we all knew that Mr. Mueller and his team was not going to get their wish. Well connected white men do not get the book thrown at them for white collar crimes. Forget the fact that Manafort stole millions of dollars from taxpayers and did business with despots who burned women and children to death. Forget the fact that everyone in Washington knew that he was an unscrupulous grifter who shook his d**k at the law for years. He didn't even apologize for what he did in open court before being sentenced. Maybe if he did the Judge would have given him probation and told him to go home to his wife.

And note I said well connected white men. This same Judge gave William Jefferson 13 years for doing less than Manafort was accused of.

And then there was this doozy:

"FYI in 2018, #JudgeEllis sentenced Frederick Turner, 37, to a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison for dealing methamphetamine: "I chafe a bit at that, but I follow the law. If I thought it was blatantly immoral, I'd have to resign. It's wrong, but not immoral." 

But this is where we are in America, a poor black kid like Kalief Browder can sit in notorious Rikers Island for over 3 years for stealing a backpack, while rich connected white men get less than four years for stealing millions from us and propping up despotic regimes all over the world. Browder committed suicide; Manafort will probably be pardoned by the president.

And let's think about the message that we are sending to our children. Michael Cohen got almost just as much time as Manafort and was vilified for snitching. Manafort, on the other hand, is being viewed as a hero to trumpnuts for not snitching 

"I chafe a bit at that, but I follow the law"

Except when it's rich connected white men. Got it.

Let's see what happens when Manafort has to face the music again next week. The most the Judge in the D.C. case can give him is 10 years. She has been tougher on trump's former side-kick than Judge Ellis, who didn't like this case from the start.

Don't start partying yet Paul, this is halftime in your sentencing phase. Although history says that you can start at least ordering the champagne.