Manafort in talks to return for the Republican National Convention
Paul Manafort, a top adviser to Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign who was pardoned by the former president at the end of his term in the White House, is in talks to return to help with the Republican National Convention, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
No decision has been made yet on Mr. Manafort’s possible role at the party’s convention in Milwaukee, and discussions have been going on for several months.
Mr. Manafort’s possible involvement was first reported by The Washington Post.
A campaign spokesman for Trump and Mr. Manafort did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr. Manafort, 74, was deeply involved in the 1996 Republican Party convention when Bob Dole was nominated, and he also worked the convention in support of Ronald Reagan. Mr. Trump brought him in to help with delegates during his 2016 bid, but Mr. Manafort quickly took control of the campaign after Mr. Trump’s original campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was ousted.
Mr. Manafort was fired by Mr. Trump later that summer. He became entangled in the federal investigation into whether Trump’s campaign had ties to Russian officials; Investigators said, among other things, that he shared campaign poll data with a Russian connected to intelligence services there.
Mr. Manafort tried for months to fend off charges brought against him by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. Trump publicly praised him for initially refusing to cooperate with investigators and compared him favorably to Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.
“Unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to ‘break’ – make up stories to get a ‘deal,’” Mr. Trump posted on Twitter about Mr. Manafort in August 2018. ‘What respect for a brave man!’
Mr Manafort was found guilty in late August 2018 of a series of financial crimes, including tax and bank fraud.
In September 2018, Mr. Manafort pleaded guilty to additional charges brought by Mr. Mueller and agreed to cooperate. But as the case progressed, Mr. Mueller said that Mr. Manafort had not been honest in his cooperation, violating the plea deal.
Mr. Trump pardoned Mr. Manafort over the federal investigation late in his presidency, and the two have remained in regular contact, according to several people familiar with their relationship.
Mr. Manafort was also charged in New York State with mortgage fraud, but these ultimately fell under a double jeopardy law because they were similar to some federal charges.
The lawyer who represented Mr. Manafort in that case, Todd Blanche, now represents Mr. Trump in three of the former president’s four criminal cases. Mr. Manafort is among those who recommended Mr. Blanche to Mr. Trump, according to two people briefed on the matter.