Paul Manafort arrived at President Trump’s 2016 campaign under conditions that would be hard for any campaign to refuse: an experienced hand at securing convention delegates who was happy to work free. Many in the Republican establishment were still wary of joining Trump’s campaign; that Manafort, having worked for the campaigns of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. At some point in this period, Manafort provides Kilimnik with polling data both from the Trump campaign and publicly available elsewhere. Also in April, The Washington Post asks the Trump campaign about Manafort’s ties to Deripaska. Manafort provided the Trump campaign with a vision for a greatly expanded effort, including more hiring and spending, according to ABC News.

Source: Washington Post February 08, 2019 16:12 UTC