On Friday, Paul Manafort resigned as Trump’s campaign chairman, following the restructuring of the leadership structure of the campaign.
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The New York businessman brought Manafort into the campaign in March to organize the Republican nomination, including the prospect of a delegate challenge by “Never Trump” opponents.
Law enforcement officials told CNN the investigation included the work of Manafort’s firm, although they said he was not the focus of the probe.
Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort walks off the floor of the Republican National Convention last month after talking to reporters.
Manafort, who was the chairman and chief strategist for the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign, had been criticized for his close ties to the Russian government and ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort’s friends said privately that he urged core staff members he brought on to remain with the campaign.
Manafort had presided over a period in which Trump had fallen behind in opinion poll numbers in the race against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for the 8 November election.
Most polls show Trump trailing Clinton significantly among black voters. Some 23 percent would not side with either candidate.
With his exit, Trump’s new team will try to shape his campaign the best way it can. “Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success”, Trump said.
Manafort has said he’s “never received a single ‘off-the-books cash payment”‘ and that all money paid to him was for work in Ukraine by his political team for functions such as polling and television advertising.
Lewandowski had advocated a “Let Trump be Trump” strategy, while Manafort, a veteran of Republican politics, had tried to get the NY tycoon to tone down his harsh rhetoric.
Despite the Trump campaign insisting Manafort’s position had not changed when Bannon came on board and Conway was promoted, it was not clear how or why the three would work in such similar positions.
“You can get rid of Manafort, but that doesn’t end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin”, campaign manager Robby Mook said in a statement.
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it can not prove Manafort actually received the money.
“Too many cooks in the kitchen”, Feehery said.
His advisers have counselled him to run a more disciplined race, not trigger needless controversies through off-the-cuff remarks or get distracted by real or imagined slights and insults.
It is mind boggling that anyone who has been watching Donald Trump throughout the course of this campaign could believe for one second that he is capable of expressing honest regret.
Reading from a teleprompter, he told supporters in North Carolina that he had sometimes misspoken.
“And I do regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain”, he added.
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But it seems it was an appointment that both Trump and Manafort came to regret. The FBI, Justice Department and State Department declined to comment.
