Donald TrumpDonald TrumpTrump supporter says he was kicked out of rally “because I’m brown” EXCLUSIVE Bardella: On Steve Bannon and why I’m voting for Hillary Report: FBI, DOJ looking at Manafort in Ukraine investigation MORE’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was asked to resign, the campaign said Friday.
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Trump said in a statement that he was appreciative of Manafort’s work on his campaign and called him a “true professional”.
“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign”.
Manafort’s resignation comes a day after The Associated Press reported that confidential emails from Manafort’s firm contradicted his claims that he had never lobbied on behalf of Ukrainian political figures in the U.S.
Trump’s statement on Manafort did not mention the broader campaign shake-up or the Ukrainian lobbying controversy.
A source within the campaign told CNN that “Manafort told Trump he was becoming a distraction and he wanted to end that”.
Washington Post reporter Robert Costa, who broke the news of Manafort’s resignation, attributed the information to a close friend who said Manafort was leaving “on good terms” and to give recent Trump campaign hires more space. “He helped us get through the primary process, he helped us get through the convention, he did a great job with the delegates”, Trump said. Reports emerged that Manafort’s name was on a ledger showing he was designated to receive $12.7 million in cash payments from the pro-Russian party of former Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych.
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“And I do regret it, particularly where it may have caused personal pain”, he added. Trump has made a number of statements suggesting admiration for how Putin governs despite strained relations with the United States. But Manafort lost influence with Trump because he believed that Trump had to “pivot” to be more presidential. The Trump campaign is still loaded with staff who have ties to Russian Federation. But one thing I can promise you is this: “I will always tell you the truth”. After three staff overhauls in five months, and a campaign operation that’s generally been in disarray for much of the year, Team Trump appears to lack any kind of cohesion or direction – which only reinforces concerns about the kind of White House the amateur candidate would run. “I will not rest until children of every color in this country are fully included in the American Dream”, Trump said.
