President Trump’s former campaign chairman acknowledged on Wednesday he had worked for a Russian billionaire about a decade ago, but he denied a report suggesting the lobbying efforts served Russian political interests. The AP reported early Wednesday that Manafort worked for aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin and proposed a political strategy to undermine anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics. The report said the revelation may contradict assertions by the Trump administration and Manafort himself that he never worked for Russian interests. But Manafort noted his advocacy for Deripaska predated his own association with Trump’s campaign and suggested his services did not amount to lobbying for Russian interests. Manafort left the Trump campaign in August after it was revealed the longtime operator had worked for the pro-Russian party of ex-Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych.

Source: Fox News March 22, 2017 12:45 UTC