Earlier this morning Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, resigned from his post.
Speculation Manafort was entangled in a pro-Russian lobbying scheme made headlines earlier this week and was cited as a possible reason for his campaign resignation.
That speculation has turned into a full-on federal investigation.
The backstory:
Also implicated in the probe — the Pedesta Group. You know the same Podesta’s that advise the Clinton’s?
CNN reported:
FBI and Justice Department prosecutors are conducting an investigation into possible US ties to alleged corruption of the former pro-Russian president of Ukraine, including the work of Paul Manafort’s firm, according to multiple US law enforcement officials.The investigation is broad and is looking into whether US companies and the financial system were used to aid alleged corruption by the party of former president Viktor Yanukovych.Manafort, who resigned as chairman of Donald Trump’s campaign Friday, has not been the focus of the probe, according to the law enforcement officials. The investigation is ongoing and prosecutors haven’t ruled anything out, the officials said.The probe is also examining the work of other firms linked to the former Ukrainian government, including that of the Podesta Group, the lobbying and public relations company run by Tony Podesta, brother of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.Anti-corruption investigators in Ukraine have alleged Yanukovych and members of his party ran a corrupt regime. He fled to Russia following a public uprising in 2014.The FBI, Justice Department and Manafort declined to comment. A Washington attorney who represents Manafort and Yanukovych didn’t respond to a request for comment.The Podesta group issued a statement saying it hired lawyers to examine its relationship with a not-for-profit organization linked to the ousted Ukrainian regime.
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