Paul Manafort handed in his resignation with less than three months to go before America goes to the ballot box on November 8. The ouster of Lewandowski was seen as a victory in a behind-the-scenes power struggle for Manafort, who was brought on board in March largely for his convention and delegate wrangling experience.
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“And you know, he helped us get through the primary process, he helped us get through the convention”. “I have never received a single “off-the-books cash payment” as falsely “reported” by The New York Times, nor have I ever done work for the governments of Ukraine or Russian Federation”, he said. And as CNN reported Manafort was becoming a distraction to the campaign. He boastfully retweeted a message from a political journalist just moments after the announcement: “Lewandowski is winning so much even he may get exhausted of winning”.
“This is a reminder to me and to the American public that Donald Trump will do anything it takes to win”, he said.calling it “the best week Donald Trump has had in a long, long time” and “a very important change for the campaign”.
Manafort, who joined the Trump campaign this spring after then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was caught up in allegations he had manhandled a reporter, worked for Yanukovych 2004 to 2014. Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law. Yet Trump openly defied Manafort’s guidance, with aides telling The Washington Post on Wednesday that he felt “controlled” and “boxed in” by efforts to soften his messaging.
According to emails obtained by the AP, Gates personally directed two Washington lobbying firms to set up meetings between a top Ukrainian official and senators and congressmen on influential committees involving Ukrainian interests.
Manafort is only one of a number of US political operatives who have offered their services to office-seekers in other countries.
Trump is now in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he is touring neighborhoods that have been ravaged by historic flooding. The Ukrainian leader eventually fled the country in February 2014 during a popular revolt prompted in part by his government’s crackdown on protesters and close ties to Russian Federation.
Clinton’s campaign called the resignation an admission of the Trump campaign’s “disturbing” connections with allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia and Ukraine.
Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, is expected back on the campaign trail Sunday.
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As of Friday morning, Manafort hadn’t commented on his resignation. The campaign argues that the new leadership is designed to create a comfortable and effective environment for Trump to pull through in the final stretch. Both had grown uncomfortable with Manafort, the person said. Earlier this week, he tapped Stephen Bannon, a combative conservative media executive, as his new campaign chief.
