The sudden resignation Friday of Donald Trump’s campaign chairman put renewed emphasis on revelations about his past work on behalf of Ukraine’s pro-Russian political leaders, including his firm’s role directing a covert Washington lobbying operation that would have required him under federal law to disclose his efforts to the Justice Department. Manafort has now “resigned”, but Trump’s own praise of Putin and his invitation to Russian hackers to conduct espionage against the US remain.
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Trump said in a statement he had accepted Manafort’s resignation and praised his “great work”, but did not offer an explanation for the departure. “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”.
Democrat presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s campaign team has seized on Manafort’s departure, claiming it was another example of Trump’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Breitbart News executive Stephen Bannon will now take over for Manafort, as well as veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway.
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. Corey Lewandowski was his first campaign manager to go, which occurred when Manafort came aboard.
“Trump and he don’t have chemistry”, the aide said. A cooling relationship with Trump turned hot last weekend when the candidate erupted, blaming Manafort for a damaging newspaper article detailing the campaign’s internal travails, according to three people briefed on the episode.
Trump, who has been accused of offending Mexicans, Muslims, immigrants, the disabled and fellow Republicans such as John McCain during his 14-month presidential campaign did not specify which comments he regretted and said at one point that journalists have often taken him “out of context”. The Podesta Group lobbied lawmakers in Washington for positions favored by the pro-Russian group.
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, told Fox News in an interview that will air Sunday that his father anxious questions about Manafort’s past were taking attention away from the billionaire’s presidential bid.
“I think Donald Trump ought to really investigate this and where his chief adviser, what his association with the Russians are”, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of IL told CNN’s Jake Tapper earlier this week.
“Michigan is going to end up with lots of empty buildings all over the place unless you elect Donald Trump president”, he said. “It’s just the beginning”, Mook said.
“I think my father didn’t want to be, you know, distracted by whatever things Paul was dealing with”, Eric Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo.
The Trump campaign said Friday that Rick Gates, Manafort’s deputy, would now serve as its liaison to the Republican National Committee.
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“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”.
