Some people in Ukraine would really like to have a chat with Trump’s former Campaign Chair.
Ukrainian Prosecutors want to question Paul Manafort in connection with a Corruption Investigation and have made repeated requests for assistance from U.S. Authorities.
Officials in Ukraine have made multiple attempts to secure U.S. assistance in questioning Manafort, including letters sent to FBI Director James Comey. These requests began in 2014, but haven’t resulted in any testimony from Manafort.
Manafort is wanted for his involvement in a Case in which Viktor Yanukovych, the Pro-Russian candidate whose Presidential Campaign was guided by Manafort, really did “lock her up.” The her being Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Manafort’s man Yanukovych helped to Frame and Jail Tymoshenko in a scheme involving Russian access to Ukrainian Oil and Gas.
When the United States became upset over the Jailing of Tymoshenko and considered Sanctions against Ukraine, Manafort helped draft a plan to secure help from a high-powered Law Firm in New York City. It’s what that firm did, and the $1 million it was paid, that is the subject of the latest in a series of requests for a few words with Manafort.
Prosecutors told the U.S. Authorities that their Investigation had "established that the well-known American political strategist Paul Manafort is implicated in the relationship between the Skadden Arps. firm and the Justice Ministry of Ukraine." Of Manafort, "was likely the person who advised representatives of the former Government of Ukraine to hire the law firm and was present during talks about this issue."
Right now, Manafort isn’t facing charges in this case, but it’s far from his only Legal issue.
Why the United States hasn't moved to make Manafort available to Ukraine under a Treaty of Mutual Assistance is unclear. The final letter was dated September 2016: Ukraine's Prosecutor General, the equivalent of a U.S. Attorney General, sent a letter directly to FBI Director James Comey asking for clarification for why the U.S. Authorities would not help.
The actions in question happened before Manafort was Trump’s Manager. In fact, it’s not clear when, or even if, Manafort’s Association with Pro-Russian forces in Ukraine ended. Several of Manafort’s actions in Ukraine continue to be the subject of potential attention from Courts.
Actions such as arranging Protests that Putin used as an excuse for Invasion. The Senior Ukrainian Prosecutor alleges that in 2006 Manafort orchestrated a series of Anti-Nato, Anti-Kiev Protests in Crimea, led by Viktor Yanukovych’s Pro-Russian Party of Regions, now a designated a Criminal Organization. The Protests forced planned Nato Exercises there to be cancelled.
Trump's Campaign Chairman helped a Pro-Russian Governing Party in Ukraine secretly routed at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington Lobbying firms in 2012, and did so in a way that effectively obscured the Foreign Political Party's efforts to influence U.S. Policy. Arranging a “riot” in which U.S. Marines were attacked: “We had rocks thrown at us. Rocks hit Marines. Buses were rocked back and forth. We were just trying to get to our base.” And taking more than $12 million in off the Books Cash, Government Investigators examining Records have found his name, as well as Companies he sought business with, as they try to untangle a Corrupt Network they say was used to loot Ukrainian Assets and influence Elections during the Administration of Manafort’s main Client, former President Viktor F. Yanukovych.
That last claim is already thought to be at the center of an FBI Investigation into Manafort. So perhaps the answer to “why won’t you let us question Manafort about his second-hand involvement in misappropriating $1 million” is “because we’re about to indict him for a lot more than that.”
It appears that Manafort may have been Blackmailed using knowledge of not just his under-the-table funds for helping out Russian interests in Ukraine, but also for arranging a meeting between Trump and a Pro-Russian Ukrainian official. The White House did not respond to a question about whether Trump had met with Tulub, a hunting buddy of Yanukovych’s who had served as part of the Government when Yanukovych was Prime Minister.
None of this has stopped Manafort from seemingly trying to secure Ukraine for Putin, and he’s not the only one on the Trump team working to that end. A new story explains that a Group of Trump Operatives, including Lawyer Michael Cohen and former Campaign Manager Manafort, along with a Pro-Putin Ukrainian Parliamentarian named Andrii V. Artemenko and a Mr. Sater are pushing President Trump on a 'Peace Plan' for Russia and Ukraine.
The Manafort–Artemenko–Cohen Plan ended up on Flynn’s desk shortly before he left office.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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