General Discussion

kentuck

(111,106 posts) Sat Aug 18, 2018, 09:36 AM Aug 2018

How close is Donald Trump to Paul Manafort?

In my opinion, they are much closer than what is portrayed on the television.

They have known each other since the 1980's, it has been reported.

Somebody introduced both of them to money-laundering. Although Trump likes to say that Manafort only worked for him for a very short time, Manafort was instrumental in getting their Party platform changed and making money in the process, as well as getting Donald Trump nominated as their candidate for President.

Most likely, both of them are acquainted with Wilbur Ross, who was the VP in a Cyprus bank which handled large loans. This was one of the major banks for the Russian oligarchs to launder their money through. Many would be surprised if Donald Trump was not involved in that little money-making operation.

It is my opinion that Trump is more worried about the Manafort trial than he is about Omarosa, or charges against Don Jr, or the testimony of Michael Cohen. Simply because Manafort has the map to most of Trump's investment and fortune.

8 replies

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Highlight:

How close is Donald Trump to Paul Manafort? (Original Post) kentuck Aug 2018 OP

Trump is more worried about his accountant spelling the beans than beachbum bob Aug 2018 #1

arent they LIKE best friends? Backwoodsrider Aug 2018 #2

Thick as thieves C_U_L8R Aug 2018 #3

Never forget, Pence was Manafort's pick. Phoenix61 Aug 2018 #4

From a purely political standpoint... kentuck Aug 2018 #6

True Phoenix61 Aug 2018 #8

Cheeto thinks the only person who could take him down is Manafort FakeNoose Aug 2018 #5

The NYT had an article discussing this back in 4-2017... Princess Turandot Aug 2018 #7

beachbum bob

(10,437 posts)

1. Trump is more worried about his accountant spelling the beans than

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 09:39 AM

Aug 2018

Manafort. Mueller had the guy coming in front of the grand jury.

Backwoodsrider

(764 posts)

2. arent they LIKE best friends?

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:03 AM

Aug 2018

Like Come and Mueller?

I love Trumps projection laced verbiage

C_U_L8R

(45,004 posts)

3. Thick as thieves

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:03 AM

Aug 2018

Phoenix61

(17,006 posts)

4. Never forget, Pence was Manafort's pick.

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:08 AM

Aug 2018

Twitler trusted Manafort enough to let him pick his running mate. Manafort wanted Pence bad enough he lied about the plane being out of service to give Pence an extra night to convince Twitler he should pick him for VP. I've always wondered about the relationship between Pence and Manafort.

kentuck

(111,106 posts)

6. From a purely political standpoint...

Reply to Phoenix61 (Reply #4)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:16 AM

Aug 2018

Pence would have been a logical choice to capture the evangelical vote for the Republicans. That may have been a strategic move/

Phoenix61

(17,006 posts)

8. True

Reply to kentuck (Reply #6)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:27 AM

Aug 2018

But I think it had more to do with either Manfort thinking Pence was either too stupid to figure out what was going on or completely wiling to be complicit to help spread the love of Jesus to all those Russians. Can't you just see Manafort explaining how if he lets Russia help Twitler win that will put him, Pence, in the position of being able to bring salvation to so many Russians. It would explain why Pence is so willing to turn a blind eye to Twitler's behavior.

FakeNoose

(32,659 posts)

5. Cheeto thinks the only person who could take him down is Manafort

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:09 AM

Aug 2018

... that's why I'm certain Manafort is expecting a pardon, no matter what. That's also the reason he'll never flip, IMHO.

When the Steele dossier first came out and everybody was reading and discussing it on Buzzfeed and Gawker Media (this is before the inauguration, probably December 2016 or so) I know that I read something to that effect. I can't find the article now, and God I wish I had saved it. It was a direct quote from Trump or somebody very close to Trump, "If anybody can take me down it's Paul Manafort. I'm protecting him no matter what."

I still want to find that article and when I do, I will post it here on DU. Gawker Media is out of business now and their archives are hard to get into. The new owner who purchased the company doesn't control the archives, and I don't think it's available online any more.

Princess Turandot

(4,787 posts)

7. The NYT had an article discussing this back in 4-2017...

Reply to kentuck (Original post)

Sat Aug 18, 2018, 10:23 AM

Aug 2018

I think they were only acquainted with each. If they were close associates, he would not have approached a 3rd party to make his pitch to Trump, or even needed to prepare the pitch that he did.

It was Manafort who insinuated himself into the Trump campaign, for reasons of his own. (Money, of course. And he might have been on a mission...)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/08/us/to-charm-trump-paul-manafort-sold-himself-as-an-affordable-outsider.html
...
But it was Mr. Manafort who initiated the process for getting a job on the campaign, the documents show. It began when he sent two succinct memos to Mr. Trump through Thomas J. Barrack Jr., a mutual friend.
...
Mr. Manafort, for his part, was eager to join up: At the time, he had told another friend, who was also close to the campaign, that he was eager to get back into the game of presidential politics.
...
In five single-spaced pages of punchy talking points, Mr. Manafort showed how as a onetime lobbyist he had adeptly won over rich and powerful business and political leaders, many of them oligarchs or dictators, in Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines and Pakistan.

He began by telling the candidate he lived on an upper floor of Trump Tower. This was no trivial point: It signaled his wealth and a willingness to work 15-hour days in a building that housed both his lavish apartment and Mr. Trump’s bare-bones campaign. It also meant Mr. Manafort had already put his money — in the form of an apartment purchase — into Mr. Trump’s brand, which meant a lot to the candidate, a transactional developer and politician, aides said.
...

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