Just months after Paul Manafort was promoted to bring some structure to and scale up Donald Trump’s presidential bid, the Washington insider has resigned from the campaign. The newspaper noted that Obama interrupted his two-week vacation on Martha’s Vineyard earlier this week to attend a fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on the MA island.
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“Nobody understands how bad it is”, Trump told reporters, after briefly helping unload a truck of supplies while cameras captured the moment.
The grim reality for the businessman is that it may not be enough to help him make up the significant ground he’s lost.
FBI and Justice Department prosecutors are conducting an investigation into possible USA ties to alleged corruption of the former pro-Russian president of Ukraine, including the work of Paul Manafort’s firm, according to multiple United States law enforcement officials.
Manafort and Gates never registered as foreign agents for their work as required under federal law.
“Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success”, Trump continued. Donald Trump’s campaign chairman is out. Manafort has played a vital role in Trump’s sweeping victory during the Republican primaries.
Manafort’s resignation came as stories continue to pour out about his ties to Ukraine.
Trump earlier today said in a statement that Manafort offered his resignation.
But the NY businessman, who has never held elected office, has also been embroiled in a series of controversies in recent weeks and has lagged Clinton in opinion polls. The probe was looking at the work of other firms linked to the former Ukrainian government, including the Podesta Group, a lobbying and public relations company headed by Tony Podesta, whose brother John Podesta is chairman of the campaign to elect Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s trip was a striking detour for a candidate who has largely stuck to boisterous rallies and phone-in interviews to appeal to voters. Trump consoled residents even hugging two as several Louisianans noted they have felt left out of the national spotlight. At a Baptist church later, a woman screamed “Thank you for coming, Mr. Trump” as he and Pence sat down with volunteers.
Despite mounting pressure, the White House said Obama was unlikely to break from a New England vacation to survey the damage in Louisiana. Now with new campaign team leadership in place, one senior aide said it was “writing on the wall” that Manafort would leave. It also followed a staff shakeup in which Trump added two top campaign advisers: Breitbart News executive Stephen Bannon and conservative pollster Kellyanne Conway.
Clinton, by contrast, has spent more than $75 million on advertising in 10 states since locking up her party’s nomination.
The hard-hitting spot touts Trump’s plan to crack down on illegal immigration and halt some refugee programs.
Trump flew into MI later on Friday to address a rally, explaining his appearance in an open-necked shirt and trucker hat by saying he had come straight from “a tour of the suffering and devastation in Louisiana”. Although the suburb just outside Lansing is overwhelmingly white, Trump made an appeal to black voters.
African Americans vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. “I think as insane as he (Trump) is, he probably has a lot of turnover”.
Yet Trump has struggled badly in recent weeks to offer voters a consistent message, overshadowing formal policy speeches with a steady stream of self-created controversies, including a public feud with an American Muslim family whose son was killed while serving in the US military in Iraq. “But that apology tonight is simply a well-written phrase until he tells us which of his many offensive, bullying and divisive comments he regrets and changes his tune altogether”, she said.
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In a speech, he expressed “regret” for sometimes not choosing the right words or saying the “wrong thing” in the heat of debate. “I regret it”, he said, “particularly where it may have caused personal pain”. And believe it or not, I regret it. For the protection of AP and its licensors, content may not be copied, altered or redistributed in any form. Please see our terms of service for more information.
