Paul Manafort’s Ties to Russia Are Deeper Than Previously Disclosed
Paul Manafort’s work for pro-Russian causes was a lot longer than was previously reported, and it often involved Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Manafort’s pro-Russian work started as early as 2004 and continued to 2015, the year before he signed on as then-candidate Donald Trump’s campaign chairman.
Manafort worked not only in Ukraine, but also in Georgia and Montenegro.
Congressional investigators are looking deeper into the ties between Manafort and Deripaska, but have declined Deripaska’s offer to testify in exchange for immunity to avoid hindering the FBI investigation.
In the past, Deripaska has commented that his interests are that same as the Russian government’s. Deripaska told the Financial Times in 2007, “I don’t separate myself from the state. I have no other interests.”
He once was banned from traveling to the United States because he was allegedly tied to organized crime in the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s downfall.
Deripaska has denied those reports, and has also denied any financial ties to Manafort.
Manafort Tried To Partner On Real Estate Deal With A Putin Ally And A Russian Mafia Boss
