Ignatius: Key to Mueller investigation is Manaforts finances
When August 2016 began, Paul Manafort was about 11 weeks into his job as chairman of Donald Trump’s campaign. But despite the political tumult, Manafort found time that month to meet at a swank Manhattan cigar bar with someone the FBI has suggested has ties to Russian intelligence.
By the time August ended, Manafort was gone — having resigned after allegations that he had received millions of dollars “off the books” to support pro-Russia figures in Ukraine. On the very day he was forced out, the financially strapped Manafort created a shell company that received $13 million in loans over the next few months from people or financial institutions with links to Trump.
The machinations of that August illustrate why Manafort is a central figure in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. And they show why the probe has deep roots — in evidence already made public, cases filed and plea deals won — that will persist even if Trump moves to fire Mueller.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to tax and bank-fraud charges and making false statements, and his attorneys have argued that Mueller’s allegations are outside his jurisdiction in the Russian election-meddling probe.
Mueller’s team fired back in a court hearing last Thursday. “He [Manafort] had long-standing ties to Russia-backed politicians,” said Justice Department attorney Michael Dreeben. “Did they provide back channels to Russia? Investigators will naturally look at those things.”
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