“Trump has just told our foreign enemies in court filings that he is FINANCIALLY VULNERABLE and compromised and that our NATIONAL SECURITY and foreign policy is For Sale.” Looks like PAUL MANAFORT WILL BROKER the RUSSIAN part.

“He's told the world that he has a potential security risk. That he is a president for sale.”

“We have a white house for sale.  We have a president for sale. 

A presidential candidate for sale who has told the world that he is in such dire financial shape that the entire financial Services community in America and globally has turned their back on him.”

“You know what that sounds like to our enemies?  You know what that sounds like to foreign agents around the world?  That's a target. That is somebody that we can turn. That is somebody that needs money and will do anything in desperation including sacrificing on the altar of his desperation American foreign policy and American Security."

“Manafort worked for Trump in 2016 before being ousted and later convicted of tax and bank fraud felonies as part of Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into RUSSIAN interference in the 2016 elections. He served time in prison before receiving a pardon in the final days of Trump’s time in office…

The hiring of Manafort would be likely to revive discussion of RUSSIAN’S involvement in the 2016 elections, which Mueller concluded was “sweeping and systemic.” Mueller also found that Manafort shared internal Trump campaign polling data with a longtime associate who the FBI assessed had ties to RUSSIAN intelligence.

A bipartisan Senate committee that investigated RUSSIAN interference in the 2016 elections concluded that Manafort’s receptivity to RUSSIAN outreach was a “grave counterintelligence threat” that had made the 2016 campaign susceptible to ‘malign RUSSIAN influence.”

“Manafort was found guilty of hiding millions he made lobbying on behalf of pro-RUSSIAN Ukrainian politicians in overseas bank accounts, then falsifying his finances to get loans when his patrons lost power. He was originally sentenced to about four years in prison but was released early to home confinement due to the coronavirus before he was pardoned by Trump.

During the 2016 campaign, Manafort also allegedly shared Trump campaign polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a RUSSIAN who the U.S. government said had ties to RUSSIAN intelligence. The special counsel accused Manafort of lying to the FBI about his interactions with Kilimnik, even after Manafort had said he would cooperate and provide truthful information.

Manafort also allegedly worked with Kilimnik to spread RUSSIAN disinformation that it was actually Ukraine that interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections.

In a report issued in 2020, the Senate bipartisan committee that investigated RUSSIAN interference found that “Manafort’s presence on the Campaign and proximity to Trump created opportunities for RUSSIAN intelligence services to exert influence over, and acquire confidential information on, the Trump Campaign.”

Before joining Trump’s orbit, he owned multiple properties in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., drove luxurious cars and spent millions on fancy clothes and rugs. But Mueller found that he had “no meaningful income” when he agreed to work for Trump for no salary in 2016 and instead intended to find ways to monetize his newly prominent role in the presidential campaign, including with former clients in Ukraine.”

“Manafort has since written a book called “Political Prisoner” and defended Trump, attacking the Justice Department and other Trump critics.”

FROM:

The Washington Post

Trump may enlist Paul Manafort, who was criticized for RUSSIAN ties

The former campaign manager was pardoned by Trump for bank and tax fraud convictions and accusations he hid millions he made consulting for pro-RUSSIAN Ukrainian politicians

Josh Dawsey

Updated March 18, 2024 at 12:24 p.m. EDT|Published March 18, 2024 at 5:00 a.m. EDT