Trump to Reinstate Manafort for Election Duties Amid Russian Ties
Donald Trump plans to rehire Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager who was convicted of concealing income from lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians, "The Washington Post" reported on Monday. Manafort is also known for his connections with a Russian intelligence agent.
The newspaper, citing four well-informed sources, reported that Manafort would be responsible for fundraising tasks and organising the Republican Party's election convention in Milwaukee. This event in July will officially nominate Trump as the party's candidate for the November presidential elections.
Manafort's connections to a Russian agent
Paul Manafort led Trump's election campaign for several months in 2016 before being dismissed for failing to disclose his work as a lobbyist for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians, including advising the former President Viktor Yanukovych.
In 2018, the Republican activist was convicted as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the connections between Trump's associates and Russia. The court found him guilty of tax fraud for hiding income earned from his pro-Russian Ukrainian ventures, but Trump pardoned him in 2020. Mueller's investigation further uncovered that Manafort had shared internal polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian intelligence agent, while working on Trump's campaign.
According to "The Washington Post," Trump has told his advisers that he values Manafort's loyalty, praising him despite Manafort's prison time.
