SENTENCED - Paul Manafort is set to be sentenced today when he goes before Judge T.S. Ellis III in Virginia federal court following his conviction on eight counts of tax and bank fraud last year. Ellis Kim reports that sentencing guidelines estimate a range of 19.5 to 24.5 years for his crimes in Virginia, according to prosecutors. The former Trump campaign chairman could face additional time from a separate D.C. criminal case. Arguing for leniency, Manafort’s attorneys have told the judge that their client, who turns 70 in April, has accepted responsibility for his actions.
HIGH COURT HOT SEAT - Justices Samuel Alito Jr. and Elena Kagan are scheduled to testify this afternoon at a U.S. House Appropriations Committee hearing on the U.S. Supreme Court’s budget, Tony Mauro reports. The hearing is the first in several years, and we can expect members of Congress to raise a range of issues beyond the dollars and cents of the court. The hearing in the past had been a major event, not because of budget minutiae but because it fostered a rare dialogue between the legislative and judicial branches.
