Paul Manafort, the chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign who has been linked to a pro-Russia lobbying scandal, has resigned.
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In a statement Friday morning, Trump said that Manafort offered his resignation. “I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process”.
“It’s probably a good move, and I’m sure he’ll continue to work with Trump, maybe in an informal role”, he said.
It continued: “When the Centre became a client, it certified in writing that ‘none of the activities of the Centre are directly or indirectly supervised, directed, controlled, financed or subsidized in whole or in part by a government of a foreign country or a foreign political party.’ We relied on that certification and advice from counsel in registering and reporting under the Lobbying Disclosure Act rather than the Foreign Agents Registration Act. I have never received a single “off-the-books cash payment” as falsely “reported” by The New York Times”. “I don’t know all the ins and outs, but Donald Trump is still the one running for president”. When previously asked if Paul Manafort would remain in his position, Trump had confirmed that he would.
Manafort also said in a statement earlier this week that he never performed work for the governments of Ukraine or Russian Federation. In a statement, Trump praised Manafort’s work on the campaign and called him a “true professional”.
Manafort has said that any payments he received for his consulting work “were for my entire political team: campaign staff (local and international), polling and research, election integrity and television advertising”. Trump has made a number of statements suggesting admiration for how Putin governs despite strained relations with the United States. These charges were based on alleged entries in a ledger belonging to Yanukovych.
“Well, look it’s obviously a hard thing for anybody when they change jobs and have a position that they’ve been so invested in for a long time and really put their heart and soul into something, to not be part of it, particularly when you’re this close”, Lewandowski told CNN’s Kate Bolduan on “At This Hour”.
“Trying to find that sweet spot where Donald could be Donald, but you can also put together the formal structures and the professional aspects of the campaign was a lot tougher for one person to do”, he said.
Earlier this week, Trump brought in a new campaign chief executive and campaign manager after a disastrous stretch in which the bombastic real estate mogul fell behind Hillary Clinton in both national and battleground state preference polls. But you had two of these things in concert. “But I do think he lets a few things get him off track”.
Despite this explanation from the campaign, however, some are speculating that Paul Manafort’s exit comes in response to a loss of influence over the candidate and the campaign. It is a development that people inside the campaign expected following the recent additions of Bannon and GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway.
Paul Manafort, adviser to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign, checks the teleprompters before Trump’s speech at the Mayflower Hotel April 27.
“Manafort has had an easy rapport with Conway and Bannon in meetings this week but was inclined to leave to give them room to develop and execute their own strategy, the aides said.”
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The departure of Paul Manafort came as Trump tried this week to reset his unorthodox bid for the White House after falling behind Clinton in opinion polls for the November 8 election.
