Manafort Held in Solitary Confinement 23 Hours a Day

Paul Manafort's lawyers are pushing to get him out of jail to prepare for his upcoming trials, and their newly filed court documents reveal something of a surprise: President Trump's former campaign manager is being kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, reports Axios. The reason? The Northern Neck Regional Jail in Virginia "cannot otherwise guarantee his safety," the lawyers write. What's more, the jail is about a two-hour drive for his defense team, and all of this "makes it effectively impossible for Mr. Manafort to prepare" for his trials on money laundering and bank fraud.

Manafort had his bail revoked and got sent to jail last month after he was accused of tampering with witnesses. His lawyers are appealing that decision, but prosecutors say the limitations he's facing behind bars "are common to defendants incarcerated pending trial," per New York. The court documents do not provide details on the safety concerns regarding Manafort. His first trial is scheduled to start on July 25, and the charges he's facing are unrelated to his work on the Trump campaign of 2016. (More Paul Manafort stories.)