Title: What Did Ex-Trump Aide Paul Manafort Really Do in Ukraine?
Headings: What Did Ex-Trump Aide Paul Manafort Really Do in Ukraine?
What Did Ex-Trump Aide Paul Manafort Really Do in Ukraine?
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Content: Paul Manafort, who was Trump's campaign chief from May to August 2016, spent nearly a decade as a consultant to Ukraine's Party of Regions and its standardbearer, Viktor Yanukovych. Backed by Russian-leaning oligarchs, the party opposed NATO membership and spouted anti-Western rhetoric that once helped fuel violence against American marines. Its reign ended when Yanukovych fled to Russia after bloody street protests against his personal corruption and pro-Moscow actions. Paul Manafort speaks during a primary night event at the Trump National Golf Club Westchester in Briarcliff Manor, New York, U.S., on June 7, 2016. Victor Blue / Bloomberg via Getty Images file
Manafort has always said he tried to Westernize the party and steer it towards a democratic model, and denies any part in anti-NATO messaging, but Ukrainian critics and U.S. diplomats who served in Kiev aren't so sure. Manafort also earned millions doing private business deals with some of the oligarchs who backed the party. As NBC News previously reported, federal officials say that the money Manafort earned from both the party and the oligarchs — and what he did with it — are part of what has drawn the attention of investigators. New details keep emerging as U.S. and Ukrainian officials piece together Manafort's contacts and payments in Ukraine from 2004 to 2014. Manafort Goes to Ukraine
Manafort, the son of a wealthy Connecticut builder, had worked as a lobbyist and as an aide for Republican presidents before his stint in Ukraine. He had built a reputation for repackaging controversial foreign leaders for U.S. consumption.