Friday, August 19, 2016

Paul Manafort leaves Trump campaign amid reports of his ties to pro-Russian group in Ukraine.

Courtesy of Politico: 

Paul Manafort on Friday resigned as Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, after the Republican presidential nominee earlier this week announced a new leadership structure for his campaign. 

“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign. I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success," Trump said in a statement. 

The Trump campaign is trying to spin this as nothing more than a change of direction, however that does not pass the smell test.

Just yesterday this new information was reported concerning Manafort's ties to a pro-Russia group in Ukraine:

A firm run by Donald Trump's campaign chairman directly orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's ruling political party, attempting to sway American public opinion in favor of the country's pro-Russian government, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. Paul Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law. 

The lobbying included attempts to gain positive press coverage of Ukrainian officials in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Associated Press. Another goal: undercutting American public sympathy for the imprisoned rival of Ukraine's then-president. At the time, European and American leaders were pressuring Ukraine to free her. 

Gates personally directed the work of two prominent Washington lobbying firms in the matter, the emails show. He worked for Manafort's political consulting firm at the time. 

Manafort and Gates' activities carry outsized importance, since they have steered Trump's campaign since April. The pair also played a formative role building out Trump's campaign operation after pushing out an early rival. Trump shook up his campaign's organization again this week, but Manafort and Gates retain their titles and much of their influence. The new disclosures about their work come as Trump faces criticism for his friendly overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Damn! Can this plot get any thicker?

Right now I have a vision of Vladimir Putin slamming his fist down on a giant oaken desk and muttering "Curses, foiled again!" in his thick Russian accent.

69 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:14 AM

    'Can this plot get any thicker?'

    Yes. There's apparently some Ukrainian money that was 'hidden' in New York real estate.

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/context--4

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:32 AM

      I wonder what money is soon to be 'hidden' in (tacky, over-priced, white-elephant) AZ real estate.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:04 AM

      Let's hope the plot keeps thickening. One wonders exactly how Trump and Manafort are associated. How much exactly does Trump owe Russian oligarchs. How much money was stolen from the Ukrainian people and dumped with Trump. There's much much more to this story and hopefully Manafort will be under investigation now for being an undeclared ergo illegal foreign lobbyist. When the US is done with the lot of them, I hope Ukraine gets its shot. Lock them up, lock them up, lock them up.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:04 AM

      "The Making of Donald Trump": David Cay Johnston on Trump's Ties to the Mob & Drug Traffickers

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym_ARL41kBM

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xc0EpF49vE

      Trump is the scum of the earth. This man has been following him for years and just published a book that details his dealings with the mob, drug dealers, lies to grand juries and so much more. WELL WORTH the listen. Not too long and thoroughly gobsmacking!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:33 AM

      https://youtu.be/uoeHDeQiMuE?list=PLwGWKa1lSrs6hMNoT8hTCJaLw2eKXPxNj

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:37 AM

      8:32am

      I daresay the paltry amount that the Palins are asking for their desert trash heap would find any interest in people seriously looking to hide money. 2.3 million, give me a break, the people that Trump hangs with don't even give that small amount any consideration.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous1:21 PM

      A $2.3M house would not be about money laundering. It would be about payola. I daresay it makes a lot more sense than suggesting than someone actually ponied up that kind of $$$ for a legit purchase of that POS house.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous8:22 AM

    Everybody chant ...

    Lock Him Up, Lock Him Up, Lock Him Up!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:05 AM

      Let's put away the whole corrupt, treasonous gang of Trump traitors!

      LOCK THEM UP! LOCK THEM UP!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:09 AM

      Lock all of them up

      Delete
  3. abbafan8:27 AM

    Gryphen - I'm glad that this story is growing long legs! Perhaps this may be the catalyst that warrants a thorough investigation by the DOJ and the FBI. As I have stated previously, if it is proven that Manafort tried to influence American opinion related to the Russian annexation of the Crimea, and if The Donald's pro-Russian views are a direct result of being beholden to Russian financiers and money men, then this is outright treason! Trump should be disqualified from the candidacy, and there needs to be a grand jury indictment for him and Manafort! It doesn't get any dirtier than this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:32 AM

      EXACTLY!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:06 AM

      Yeah . . . but . . . Benghazi. sigh - where's Trey Gowdy when there is some real dirt to dig?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:28 AM

      Many have noted that projection is a classic hallmark of mental illness. Ergo "little Marco," "Crooked Hillary," "Lying Ted," etc. But it's also a classic M/O of bullying: the best defense is a good offense. With someone like Drumpf it is a challenge to figure out where shitty personality ends and mental illness begins. Either way, any time he is blasting away, we know exactly where his Achilles heels are. Sometimes it just takes a while to figure out the details.

      Delete
    4. Leland12:01 PM

      You forget, 10:06 that the weasels aren't Democrats.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous8:52 AM

    For all of tRump's bullshit about his management skills and ability to hire the best people I sure hope he's served up a steaming helping of shit covered crow over this.

    Trump campaign chair Manafort organized protesters who threw rocks at US troops
    https://www.rawstory.com/2016/08/trump-campaign-chair-manafort-organized-protesters-who-threw-rocks-at-us-troops-report/

    I say take both tRump and Manfart in for some serious waterboarding (and much worse) to make sure we get to the bottom of this. Manafart because he's at the center of it, and tRumpy for hiring him and shooting his mouth off about how great water boarding (and much worse) is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous8:54 AM

    As well as .... "Tax Evasion, Money Laundering, And Illegally Providing Funds For Lobbyists"
    You know a presidential candidate by those he chooses to surround him or herself with. Nuf said.

    ReplyDelete
  6. abbafan 8:27 AM wrote: … if The Donald's pro-Russian views are a direct result of being beholden to Russian financiers and money men, then this is outright treason!

    This makes it more important than ever that Trump release his tax returns. He must PUT OUT, or BOW OUT.

    http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/281194-dem-senator-offers-bill-to-require-candidates-to-release-tax-returns

    Bill would require nominees to release tax returns

    Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) introduced a bill Tuesday that would require presidential nominees to release their tax returns.

    The bill comes as likely GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump continues to refuse to release his tax records.

    Trump has said he won't release them until he is done being audited by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). But the IRS has said nothing prevents anyone from releasing their own returns, including an audit.

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2016/05/25/senate-bill-would-require-presidential-candidates-including-tax-to-release-tax-returns/#410d08f57b3f

    Senate Bill Would Require Presidential Candidates, Including Trump, To Release Tax Returns

    There is no law that says that a presidential candidate must release his or her individual tax returns to the public, but at least one member of Congress thinks there should be. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) has introduced a bill which would require presidential nominees to release recent tax returns.

    The bill, called the Presidential Tax Transparency Act, would require a presidential candidate to release the most recent three years of tax returns to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) within 15 days of becoming the nominee at the party convention. If the candidate refuses to comply, the Treasury Secretary would provide the tax returns directly to the FEC for public release.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous9:08 AM

    Now SarahPac's misuse of funds and betraying of her supporters needs to be investigated and grow legs.

    A look through FEC filings for Sarah PAC throughout the years shows the bulk of the money—largely from small donors —has been spent disproportionately on the people who run the PAC as well as fundraising efforts and direct mail.

    For example, in 2010, the first election cycle after Palin’s unsuccessful bid for vice president, Sarah PAC raised $5.7 million, spent about $4.4 million, of which $467,000 went to conservative candidates.

    The numbers from 2012 aren’t terribly different: $5 million raised, $5.1 million spent, $298,500 went to candidates.

    And in 2014, SarahPac raised $2.8 million, spent $3.1 million with $205,000 of the haul going to candidates.

    But Sarah PAC’s website tells a different story, claiming that small fraction of spending has made all the difference

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:09 AM

      What is the source of this quote?

      Please provide the link.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:38 AM

      What's the basis for claiming funds were misused? Has SarahPAC broken any laws? Been challenged by the FEC to explain its spending?

      (Don't walk into a trap here. Just noting the hypocrisy of complaining that what someone you don't like is doing is wrong or unethical when no laws have been broken.)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:34 AM

      SarahPAC is only one of many that spend most of their cash on administration and very little on candidates. It's not illegal. The FEC has no guidelines regarding how much should be spent on candidates so the major portion of PACs spend money hiring family members (Mike Huckabee) or extraordinary amounts on direct mail (ALL of them), which is very expensive, and on hiring friends and associates to administrate the fund (again ALL of them), often paying them exorbitant amounts.

      Travel is another popular expenditure and there is a wide range of acceptable reasons for travel that fall within the legal guidelines for PAC expenditures.

      PACs are basically a free-for-all and SuperPACs (Independent Expenditure Committees) are an even bigger black hole, free from most regulations except that their creators are not allowed to have any contact with the actual candidates their fund supports, but as Colbert showed us years ago, there are so many ways around that.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:57 AM

      10:38 That's the problem with these PACs. Nothing is illegal though many are morally questionable.

      As to Palin it is horribly wrong to take money from anyone but especially older fixed income people under false pretenses. Verges on elder abuse. Knowing someone more trusting than most can easily be manipulated.

      Heres just a short list. Taking money under the pretense she was running for president. Taking money under the pretense that it would be handled conservatively. Taking money under the pretense that a lot of it would go to support conservative candidates

      The list goes on. So it may be totally legal but is seriously immoral.

      Plus also too. Talking about moral. Palin pretends to be a pious Christian solely because Christian are so gullible and trusting. How low on the moral scale is that???

      Delete
    5. Anonymous12:12 PM

      Except, 10:38 AM - Palin was found to be unethical by the Alaska Legislature just before she quit!

      How quickly people forgot the negative history of Palin in Alaska!


      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:39 PM

      11:57 AM - exactly correct. It IS immoral, while she touts her "God" in doing so. What a bunch of crap.

      "What's in it for us," and why her stupid Christmas book was exactly that. She lives NONE of what she preaches.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous9:13 AM

    Is Russia funding Trump's campaign?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:30 AM

      Russia has been funding Trump himself for years. US won't lend him money any more; they've been burned too many times. It's one of several reasons why Dirty Donny can't release his taxes.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous9:13 AM

    FUCK THIS:
    http://freethinker.co.uk/2016/08/19/female-genital-mutilation-will-reduce-lechery-in-russia/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous9:18 AM

    MANAFORTSKI VY UVOLENY

    Manafortski You're Fired

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:22 PM

      "I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today".

      I think that pretty much explains it all.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous9:18 AM

    @8:14 AM - thanks for that site - may be the intro to the take down of Drumpf. We can only hope. Hard to tell just how interwoven Drumpf is with Putin and we may never know but some of the veil seems to be getting lifted. Let's hope its quick enough.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous9:20 AM

    David Axelrod
    David Axelrod – Verified account ‏@davidaxelrod

    Manafort is done. (Or is it Donetsk?)

    With these serial firings, the @realDonaldTrump campaign is beginning to feel like The Apprentice!

    7:26 AM - 19 Aug 2016

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous9:24 AM

    The guy sounds like a gangster. Have you ever listened to him talk? Gangster.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:48 AM

      I was just going to reply that I always thought Mafia when I saw or heard him.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:06 AM

      The guy sounds like a gangster. Have you ever listened to him talk? Gangster.

      Who does? Trump or Manafort?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:37 AM

      Yeah, and of another era.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous1:11 PM

      After the prominence of Paul Manafort, I made the long jump that he was of Russian descent. He is not, he is Italian. His mother was probably from Sicily. Manafort is not an Italian name, right?

      dowl

      Delete
  14. Anonymous9:36 AM

    Republicans aren't the only ones abandoning Trump...

    http://a.disquscdn.com/get?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2FFlEn5Bf.gif&key=Zq6o40CQ4JSOnKdDGvJqfQ&w=600&h=463

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous9:36 AM

    “Trump’s new ad is nothing short of despicable. It vilifies immigrants as criminals, staying in line with the entirety of Trump’s anti-immigrant, fear-mongering campaign. The ad is the latest example of why Trump would be a divisive leader who would push policies antithetical to American values, from mass deportation to discriminating against Americans based on where we’re from or what religion we practice.”

    http://www.politicususa.com/2016/08/19/trumps-heinous-tv-ad-draws-censure.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:52 AM

      All total, theTrump ad managed to jam seven lies into 30 seconds. Trump is airing an ad that tells a lie to voters once every four seconds.

      http://www.politicususa.com/2016/08/19/fact-check-devastates-trump-ad-averages-1-lie-4-seconds.html

      Delete
  16. Anonymous9:39 AM

    He does talk like a member of the mob. Don't forget that Trump is suppose to have had mob connections throughout his business career in NYC!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous9:39 AM

    Hillary for America Statement on Trump’s Teleprompter Regret

    https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/statements/2016/08/18/hillary-for-america-statement-on-trumps-teleprompter-regret/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous9:41 AM

    "Who's the rotten tooth that needs to be pulled?"

    Manafort you are the weakest link

    GOOD BYE

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous9:44 AM

    DONALD TRUMP: SEX, LIES & VIDEO TAPES - 2016

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=4rx6Ho60u_8

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous9:50 AM

    Ok it's official. I now think trump is running to distract from hillarys problems. Cruz would've been the nominee and he would've been a threat to her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:20 AM

      Nope.

      I think Jeb would have been a threat if the Republican field was only a few and Jeb came out the winner.

      Then, maybe Kasich.

      When all those crazies started diluting the brand neither had a chance. I'm relieved Kasich lost but at least he and Jeb were fairly normal adults. And way too mainstream to compete against the crazies but just enough to draw voters had they won.

      I imagine the RNC is now rewriting their rules so that they have more control over the number and quality of those that run in the Republican primary.

      The Democrats did it right, sorta. Only three, then two. It would have been a disaster for them if no one ran against Hillary.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:17 AM

    Who didn't see this coming?

    I think this only reinforces Michael Moore's hypothesis. That this is just a hyped media campaign gone wrong.

    Trump's campaign is being run by media people: Ailes and Bannon; Fox and Breitbart. Neither know anything about political campaigns. Certainly not on a national level.

    Where is the news that Reince Priebus has finally given up and washed his hands of Trump, cut off the funding and pulled his people out? That's what I want to hear. Once he's done that, Trump is truly finished.

    I just hope it isn't before at least the first debate. I want to see if Chicken Donnie goes through with it, what he says and how he behaves.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:42 AM

    Reince has no balls whatsoever. He can't do a thing.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous10:46 AM

    This is O/T, but I have to comment on the fact that Trump was down in LA with temps at almost 90 and humidity at 63-65%, and he still kept his jacket on. Everyone else had short sleeves and Pence removed the jacket he had on when getting off the plane and had short sleeves, but Trump kept the cap on that he always wears in order to ensure that no one ever sees his true baldness, and he had on the jacket, and under that jacket he had on long sleeves with cuff links. I didn't catch if he was wearing French cuffs, which he often does. You could see that his white shirt was a thick cotton one and he had a white T underneath. All those layers in temps that, according to various weather sites, ranged during his three hours there between 85 and 89 degrees. I had bet my husband that Trump still wouldn't take off his jacket in public, and I was right. No way was that blimp going to remove the jacket that hides his body no way was he going to roll up his sleeves like everyone else who shows up at disaster areas does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:32 PM

      Why bother to be in Louisiana? Was he telling them how he'd make Louisiana great again? That it was all the fault of the Mexicans? Muslims caused the flood?

      Maybe he's going to build a wall. A whole bunch of walls.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:12 PM

      Southerns hate New Yorkers.

      The only thing he has in common with them is the bubba hat. That is why all those uneducated slobs are attracted to Trump.

      Delete
  24. Anonymous11:00 AM

    It seems like he sent his kids on vacation just in time to bring in his no managers. Maybe the kids don't agree with the new direction? Maybe Jared expected to get the position?

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous11:14 AM

    I don't recall the exact site, but I read something about the super pack created recently by 2 foreign lawyers and friends living in ca and ny. Maybe it is his media company in Hollywood. Also the property that was sold in florida by trump to the foreign business man that sells fertilizer?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:25 AM

      http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/19/us/politics/robert-mercer-donald-trump-donor.html

      Delete
  26. Anonymous11:19 AM

    The twit tweeted!

    Sarah Palin ‏@SarahPalinUSA 10m
    Good for Trump; the WIMPY thing for a boss to do is NOT can someone when it just isn't working out. It's all about accountability.
    -------
    Oh, is that right, $arah? Says the one who quit to AVOID accountability and said you were exonerated of ethics charges when, in fact, you were found guilty.

    As far as canning someone because "it wasn't working out," it wasn't working out for YOU because of the color of their skin and Walt was divorcing your sister. STFU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:24 AM

      It was actually Mike Wooten that was divorcing her sister. Walt Mohegan was the head of public safety whom she could not convince to fire Wooten so she fired him.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:32 PM

      Thank you for the correction.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous1:11 PM

      SARAH TOAD AND OTHERS IN HER
      ADMINISTRATION CONSPIRED TO HAVE WOOTEN FIRED.

      Walt Mohegan was the head of public safety whom she could not convince to fire Wooten so she fired him.

      AND THEN

      Monegan was fired.

      AND THEN

      When Halsro and others started asking questions

      THE PALIN ADMINISTRATION THEN LIED ABOUT IT

      WHEN THE INVESTIGATIONS STARTED THE PALIN ADMINISTRATION STALLED

      Then came McCaint.



      Delete
  27. Anonymous1:24 PM

    Right now Trump's at a rally in a 93% white area in MI and he just said that if he wins he will get 95% of the African Amer. population after 4 years. Accused Hillary of being a racist like he did yesterday. He keeps talking about blacks (and assuming that all blacks are poor and inner city) but there are only a few black people there (I haven't seen them, but they're pry there). He's still wearing his hat from this morning in Louisiana and you can't see his eyes. He's still got on his jacket and white shirt. Never had a tie on today. He made a comment that people can probably tell "by how I'm dressed" that he had just toured the LA devastation. A few seconds later, he adjusted one of his cuff links on his sleeve wrist.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4:43 PM

      If he's using his private plane I'm sure it has a shower, plus is fully stocked with shirts, undershirts, jackets, etc. They all look similar so people won't notice he's changed clothes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:21 PM

      Right, this is his winning statement to African Americans:

      “What do you have to lose? You’re living in poverty. Your Schools are no good. You have no jobs.”

      http://www.politicususa.com/2016/08/19/arrogant-boast-donald-trump-stumbled-perfect-hillary-clinton-trap.html

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:07 PM

      Wow, the Kellyanne Conway reboot version of Trump is so improved!!!! /s

      Delete
  28. Anonymous4:02 PM

    I don't know. I wouldn't rule out that just because Trump demoted Manefort, that they still aren't in cohorts with Putin. Did you notice Donald getting cocky lately despite being lower than Hillary in the polls? And Putin too, was getting active over there. Something's up. Hmmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous4:12 PM

    And now he's got Kelly Ripka running his campaign, not a good sign, folks, not good at all. Today he was photo oping with Samaritans Purse giving out toys to people who need shelter, food and water while addressing the black community, the only problem was, he was in a lily white talcum powder neighborhood.
    What happened to "I don't pivot, I am what I am"? He was sticking to the teleprompter like it was Melania's leg (on a day she wasn't bleeding from everywhere).

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous9:42 PM

    PAUL MANAFORT YOUR LIFE MAY BE IN DANGER

    You and your family may want to consider joining the Witness Protection Program with the United States Marshall Service

    The Pro-Russian group in Ukraine, Russian Mafia or Government and certain members of the Trump campaign may be worried about how much you know and consider you a risk.


    About 95% of witnesses in the program are "what we call criminals". They may be intentional criminals, or people who are doing business with criminals. A witness who agrees to testify for the prosecution is generally eligible to join the program, which is entirely voluntary.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous9:47 PM

    One down, couple more to go

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous4:42 AM

    If Manafort can provide evidence that Trump or individuals in the Trump organization or campaign was or is involved with the Russians or foreigners hacking Americans then Manafort should be able to get protection if he provides evidence against individuals involved with hacking.

    The United States Attorney General may provide for the relocation and protection of a witness or potential witness of the federal or state government in an official proceeding concerning organized crime or other serious offenses

    ReplyDelete
  33. Anonymous4:47 AM

    Republicans prep ‘break glass’ emergency plan as Trump tumbles

    Republicans, worried about preserving their House and Senate majorities in the face of fierce headwinds, are accelerating their plans to distance themselves from Donald Trump – and may soon concede, if only implicitly, his defeat.

    Party strategists are mapping out blueprints for down-ballot candidates, in TV ads and on the campaign trail, to present themselves as checks on a Hillary Clinton presidency. It’s an approach that would essentially admit a Trump loss. In interviews, nearly one dozen Republican operatives said they had begun poll-testing the idea – which one labeled a “break glass in case of emergency” strategy - to gauge how the public would react to it....

    Read more at
    http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/republicans-prep-break-glass-emergency-plan-as-trump-tumbles-227217

    ReplyDelete

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