D.C. Court of Appeals disbars Paul Manafort

This is a weird way to learn that Paul Manafort was a lawyer, but here we are. The D.C. Court of Appeals has disbarred President Trump's former campaign chairman, because Manafort was convicted of obstruction of justice and conspiracy.

From the Washington Post's Keith L. Alexander and Rachel Weiner:

Manafort, who was admitted to the D.C. bar in 1979, pleaded guilty last year in U.S. District Court in Washington to the charges. He was also convicted at a trial in Alexandria federal court of eight bank and tax fraud charges stemming from millions he made in Ukraine and his attempts to get loans when that funding dried up. Manafort, 70, was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in prison for both convictions.

The decision came after the court's disciplinary committee issued a report in March that recommended Manafort be disbarred because of conviction of crimes "involving moral turpitude."

In a four-page decision Thursday, the court ruled that because of Manafort's convictions "the mandatory sanction imposed by statute is to disbar him from the practice of law."

Manafort's disbarment was expected as lawyers who are convicted of a felony are subject to losing their law license in the jurisdiction in which they practiced.

According to the report, the court in January suspended Manafort and ordered the Disciplinary Counsel to investigate Manafort's offenses. In February, the counsel reported Manafort failed to file a response to its findings.