The order to move Paul Manafort followed complaints from his attorneys that the circumstances of his detention were interfering with his ability to prepare for trial. | Alexandria Detention Center Manafort moved to Alexandria jail

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was moved Thursday to a jail in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington, to await a criminal trial set to open later this month, jail officials confirmed.

U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, who is set to oversee the upcoming trial, issued an order earlier this week requiring that Manafort be transferred to the Alexandria facility from the Northern Neck Regional Jail — about a two-hour drive south of Washington.


Online records from the Northern Neck jail show Manafort was checked out of that detention center at 12:32 a.m. Thursday.

“Mr. Manafort’s arrival and booking process were routine," Alexandria Sheriff Dana Lawhorne said in a statement. “Because he is a high-profile inmate, Mr. Manafort will be placed in protective custody which limits his interactions with other inmates. Specific details about Mr. Manafort’s confinement will not be made public due to security and privacy concerns. We will work closely with the U.S. Marshals to ensure his proper care while he remains in our custody.”

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Ellis' order to move Manafort followed complaints from his attorneys that the circumstances of his detention were interfering with his ability to prepare for the Alexandria trial set to begin July 25 and another trial set to open Sept. 17 in Washington.

Following Ellis' order, Manafort's attorneys sought to head off the transfer, saying the longtime lobbyist and former Trump campaign official preferred to remain at Northern Neck. The defense cited both concerns about Manafort's safety and about adjusting to a new jail.

However, the judge rejected that plea, calling it "surprising and confusing" in light of the complaints from Manafort's defense attorneys about the difficulties involved with his detention so far from Washington.

Ellis said he was confident Manafort's safety could be assured at the Alexandria detention center, noting that its staff is “very familiar with housing high-profile defendants including foreign and domestic terrorists, spies and traitors."

It's unclear whether Manafort's treatment at the Alexandria jail will be as accommodating as at the Northern Neck jail he was sent to on June 15, after witness tampering charges led to his house arrest being revoked.

Prosecutors from special counsel Robert Mueller's office said in a court filing Wednesday that he had unusually favorable conditions at the Warsaw, Virginia jail, including a self-contained cell larger than what other inmates get, a private bathroom and shower, access to a personal phone and laptop computer, and the ability from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. to use a workspace to meet with his lawyers and prepare for his upcoming criminal trials.

Prosecutors also said Manafort was not required to wear the standard prison uniform at Northern Neck. However, in a booking photo released Thursday from Alexandria, he looks somewhat unshaven and appears to be wearing a standard-issue dark jumpsuit.