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Trump Asks Who Had It Worse: Capone Or Manafort

(CNN) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday downplayed the allegations facing his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, by invoking notorious mobster Al Capone.

"Looking back on history, who was treated worse, Alfonse Capone, legendary mob boss, killer and 'Public Enemy Number One,' or Paul Manafort, political operative & Reagan/Dole darling, now serving solitary confinement - although convicted of nothing?" Trump tweeted Wednesday.

He added, "Where is the Russian Collusion?"

Manafort's own attorneys, however, have described him as being kept in "solitary confinement" for his own safety.

Trump did not go as far as to say Manafort is innocent. The President and the White House have repeatedly noted that the bank fraud and tax evasion charges Manafort faces deal with actions that allegedly took place before he was involved in Trump's 2016 campaign. They've also sought to downplay his role with the Trump campaign, saying he was at the helm for only a few months, even though he was chairman during the critical convention and delegate process.

The President previously invoked Capone in regard to Manafort's charges in an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity last month.

Trump's question posed on Twitter comes on the second day in Manafort's trial in federal court in Virginia.

Manafort has been charged with crimes relating to his lobbying work for the Russia-friendly government of Ukraine in the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential coordination between Trump campaign associates and Russia, though his mandate allows him to investigate "any matters that arose or may arise" from the Russia investigation.

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