One of the people who helped bring President Donald Trump to the White House is Paul Manafort, who served as his first campaign manager before he was replaced. With his conviction for tax fraud, bank fraud, and non-disclosure of his foreign bank account in connection with the deal in the criminal case brokered by Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, the question remains whether Manafort will also indirectly contribute to removing the President from the White House.
Who is Paul Manafort?
The lobbyist, political advisor, and lawyer Paul John Manafort Jr. was born on April 1, 1949, in New Britain, Connecticut, and grew up with his parents Antoinette Mary Manafort and Paul John Manafort Sr.
For his education, the political lobbyist attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School, from where he transferred to Georgetown University and then to the Georgetown University Law Center. After completing his education, Manafort practiced law for some time before deciding to enter the political world.
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Much later in his political life, his name became known and more popular for his involvement in the Donald Trump campaign, but he also worked with other former presidents, including Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.
In the run-up to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Manafort turned to Donald Trump, drawing on his experience in helping to win congressional delegates for Trump’s presidential campaign. He was appointed Donald Trump’s campaign manager after the billionaire fired his then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Manafort was not the one to lead the election campaign to the promised land, as he decided to resign due to some internal problems.
Not only did his political activities remain in the United States, but from 2004 to 2010 he also worked as an advisor for the election campaign of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. He was also involved in business with the Ukrainian and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Another important part of his life was his work as a lobbyist inside and outside the United States through the company Black, Manafort & Stone, which he co-founded with Charles R. Black Jr. and Roger J. Stone. He has worked with leaders such as Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi, former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, and former Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko, among others.
Investigations and Trail
When the FBI investigated Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Paul Manafort became a person of interest and his name became widely known to the public. But then investigations against him actually did not begin until 2014. In addition to the FBI, his financial transactions also became of interest to the CIA, the NSA, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Financial Crime of the Treasury Department.
Many investigations were conducted into his transactions, including the Trump campaign investigation. This led to his arraignment and subsequent arrest based on Robert Mueller’s investigation. After his trial in Virginia, Manafort was convicted of tax fraud, non-disclosure of his foreign bank accounts, and bank fraud.
The question now is whether Donald Trump would grant him a presidential pardon.
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Paul Manafort Wife, Daughter, and Family
Paul Manafort comes from a family that immigrated from Italy after his grandfather moved to the United States, where he later founded a construction company. His own father, Paul J. Manafort Sr. was a politician who later became mayor. Unfortunately, which was to be ironic many years later, Senior Manafort was charged but not convicted of perjury charges in a corruption scandal.
In 1978 Manafort married the lawyer Kathleen Bond. Not much is known about her, but her association with Paul produced two children, Jess Manafort and Andrea Manafort. His daughter, Jess, is a film director.
Paul Manafort Net Worth
Manafort, who was born into a rich family, also made a huge fortune for himself through his business, lobbying, and politics. This has helped him and his family to a very wasteful lifestyle.
Apart from that, Paul Manafort is said to have a net worth of $28 million. Even though this is the net worth he is displacing, investigators have reason to believe that his net worth could be much higher, since according to them he has $8 million worth of real estate and a $6 million Trump Tower condo among many other selected properties.
