Putin > Yanukovych > Manafort > Trump
These are pretty clear cut relationships. Now Manafort has been demoted just ahead of two news items which reveal how deeply Manafort was/is involved with promoting Russian interests in Kiev and DC. The first story deals with $2.2 million secretly routed to DC based lobbying firms in clear violation of federal law.
The second deals with Manafort’s work to sabotaged US interests in Ukraine which has landed Manafort on a list of war criminals who are now wanted in the Ukraine in connection with the Russian invasion and seizure of the Crimea.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign chairman helped a pro-Russian governing party in Ukraine secretly route at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012, and did so in a way that effectively obscured the foreign political party’s efforts to influence U.S. policy.
The revelation, provided to The Associated Press by people directly knowledgeable about the effort, comes at a time when Trump has faced criticism for his friendly overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It also casts new light on the business practices of campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Under federal law, U.S. lobbyists must declare publicly if they represent foreign leaders or their political parties and provide detailed reports about their actions to the Justice Department. A violation is a felony and can result in up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
