Paul Manafort was part of Donald Trump's team in the 2016 election. He faced serious legal issues for money-related crimes. Trump later pardoned him. Now, there's talk of Manafort joining Trump's next campaign.
Impressive Resume
Manafort has been in politics for a long time, mostly with the Republican Party. He led Trump's campaign but was removed in August 2016. He got into trouble because of his connections to Russia. This caught the attention of Robert Mueller, who was investigating Russia's involvement in the election. Manafort was accused of hiding money he earned from lobbying for politicians linked to Russia, like Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovych. He was also accused of lying about his dealings with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian with ties to intelligence.
According to The Washington Post, a Senate committee found that Manafort's role in the campaign allowed Russian intelligence to gather information on Trump's team.
Presidential Pardon
In 2018, Manafort was found guilty of eight charges linked to Mueller's investigation and was sentenced to nearly eight years in prison in early 2019. However, Trump pardoned him in December 2019, just before leaving office. The White House claimed Manafort was a victim of unfair treatment due to what they called “blatant prosecutorial overreach” in the investigation, which they described as a witch hunt.
According to recent reports, Trump is eager to bring Manafort back into his 2024 campaign team, considering him for a role in fundraising and the Republican National Convention in July. Although discussions are ongoing, it's not certain if Manafort will officially join the campaign. It's also unclear why Trump would want to rehire him, given the issues Manafort caused during his previous stint in the White House.
Perhaps Trump empathizes with Manafort, as he himself has faced legal troubles regarding his finances and has been charged with crimes related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and retain classified information after leaving office.
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