Manafort faced blackmail attempt, hacks suggest

[deminks]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/paul-manafort-blackmail-russia-trump-235275

A purported cyber hack of the daughter of political consultant Paul Manafort suggests that he was the victim of a blackmail attempt while he was serving as Donald Trump’s presidential campaign chairman last summer.

The undated communications, which are allegedly from the iPhone of Manafort’s daughter, include a text that appears to come from a Ukrainian parliamentarian named Serhiy Leshchenko, seeking to reach her father, in which he claims to have politically damaging information about both Manafort and Trump.

Attached to the text is a note to Paul Manafort referring to “bulletproof” evidence related to Manafort’s financial arrangement with Ukraine’s former president, the pro-Russian strongman Viktor Yanukovych, as well as an alleged 2012 meeting between Trump and a close Yanukovych associate named Serhiy Tulub.

“Considering all the facts and evidence that are in my possession, and before possible decision whether to pass this to [the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] or FBI I would like to get your opinion on this and maybe your way to work things out that will persuade me to do otherwise,” reads the note. It is signed “Sergii” — an alternative transliteration of Leshchenko’s given name — and it urges Manafort to respond to an email address that reporters have used to reach Leshchenko.

(snip)

In a Tuesday interview, Manafort denied brokering a 2012 meeting between Trump and Tulub, also pointing out that he wasn’t working for Trump at the time.

However, Manafort did confirm the authenticity of the texts hacked from his daughter’s phone. And he added that, before the texts were sent to his daughter, he had received similar texts to his own phone number from the same address appearing to be affiliated with Leshchenko.

(end snip)

drip drip drip

[annabanana]

1. kick . . .n/t

[TubbersUK]

3. K & R n/t

[Orrex]

4. Republicans vow to work quickly to prevent any investigation into this matter

[brer cat]

11. *This*

[pinboy3niner]

5. The story on secret payments to Manafort came out last August

That's when he stepped down as Trump's campaign chairman.

Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?_r=0

Manafort named in Ukrainian probe into millions in secret cash
http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/15/politics/clinton-slams-trump-over-manafort-report/

[Achilleaze]

6. Serhiy Leshchenko: KGOP double-secret black-ops skuzzbag greedhead wanker agent?

[C_U_L8R]

7. If there's video of Trump being pee'd on

by Russian hookers, I'd hate to imagine
what they've got on a character like Manafort.

[Ilsa]

8. K&R. Both Manafort and Trump were/are vulnerable to blackmail.

Is Leshchenko still alive, or has Putin had him murdered yet? Now that this is out there, I suspect he's going into hiding.

[bronxiteforever]

9. Kick

[jmg257]

10. Well Tulub seems like a real darling...

The new Ukrainian authorities have placed the former head of the Cherkasy regional administration, Serhiy Tulub, on the international most wanted list, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has confirmed.

The measure was taken by the Interior Ministry, he said.

Cherkasy’s online news service Procherk reported earlier, citing the acting director of the Cherkasy region’s Department for the Fight against Organized Crime, Serhiy Denysenko, that Tulub had been declared international wanted, and this issue “was currently being handled by Interpol.”

[mahatmakanejeeves]

12. Authors! Authors!

Authors:

Kenneth P. Vogel |  [e-mail] |  @kenvogel

David Stern

Josh Meyer |  [e-mail]

[UCmeNdc]

13. There has to be a Special prosecutor with subpoena powers appointed to investigate Trump's admin

There has to be a Special prosecutor with subpoena powers appointed to investigate Trump's administration Russian Spy contacts.