Paul Manafort Met With Russia-Linked Associate During Campaign
Donald Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort met with a Ukrainian business associate with Russian ties during the height of the 2016 campaign, according to a new report by the Washington Post.
Manafort’s business associate Konstantin Kilimnik served in the Russian army and has deep ties to Russia.
Kilimnik and Manafort met in August at a cigar bar in New York City.
Kilimnik met with Manafort twice during the time that Manafort ran Donald Trump campaign. According to a statement by Kilimnik’s attorney, he and Manafort spoke about the conflict in Ukraine as well as unpaid client bills.
Kilimnik worked for Manafort running the Ukraine office for Manafort’s consulting practice for 10 years. Senate Intelligence Committee investigators are looking into whether Kilimnik had a role in the Russian election interference.
According to the Washington Post, “Kilimnik’s name also appeared this spring in a previously undisclosed subpoena sought by federal prosecutors looking for information “concerning contracts for work . . . communication or other records of correspondence” related to about two dozen people and businesses that appeared to be connected to Manafort or his wife, including some who worked with Manafort in Kiev. The subpoena was issued by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia, where, until recently, Manafort’s business was headquartered. The subpoena did not specify whether it was related to the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the U.S. election or a separate inquiry into Manafort’s business activities. Investigators in the Eastern District of Virginia have been assisting with the Russia investigation.”
Manafort has a long history of working for pro-Russian groups in Ukraine.
The Senate committee is also investigating the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russian election interference.
You can read the full Washington Post report here.
[image via screengab]
