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Paul Manafort Jr.American lobbyist, political consultant and lawyer
Date of Birth: 01.04.1949
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Paul Manafort: A Political Operative under Fire
- Education and Early Career
- Lobbying for Foreign Interests
- Investigation and Charges
- Legal Consequences
- Personal Life
Paul Manafort: A Political Operative under Fire
Born on April 1, 1949, in New Britain, Connecticut, Paul John Manafort Jr. is an American lobbyist, political consultant, and attorney. With Italian heritage, his grandfather immigrated to the United States in 1907 and established a construction company in 1919. Manafort's father, Paul John Manafort Sr., served in the US Army's engineering unit during World War II and held elected mayoral positions in New Britain from 1965 to 1971.
Education and Early Career
Manafort graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School, now defunct, in 1967 and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University in 1971. He subsequently obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974.
In 1980, Manafort co-founded the lobbying firm Black, Manafort & Stone (BMSK) with Charles R. Black Jr. and Roger J. Stone. Later, in 1984, Peter G. Kelly joined BMSK. Manafort also advised in the Republican presidential campaigns of Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bob Dole.
Lobbying for Foreign Interests
Manafort's work has frequently involved representing controversial foreign political leaders. Among them were former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, former Zaire dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, and Angolan guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi.
In the case of Pakistan-backed disinformation operations, Manafort allegedly received $700,000 between 1990 and 1994 from the Kashmiri American Council. The FBI, however, discovered that the funds originated from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). A former ISI representative claims Manafort was aware of the operation's nature.
Under this arrangement, Manafort produced a documentary film while posing as a CNN reporter interviewing Indian officials. Lobbying for foreign governments requires registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), but Manafort had not registered as of June 2, 2017. On June 27, 2017, Manafort retroactively registered his lobbying firm as a 'foreign agent.'
Investigation and Charges
Manafort has faced investigations from numerous federal agencies. The FBI reportedly opened a criminal investigation in 2014 into Manafort's business dealings with Yanukovych. From 2012 to 2014 alone, Manafort's firm received $17 million from Ukraine's Party of Regions.
Concurrently with his work for Ukrainian interests, Manafort acquired four high-end properties in the United States totaling $11 million between 2006 and early 2012. As of 2017, he had an outstanding mortgage of $12 million on another home. One of these properties was acquired with a $6.6 million loan that significantly exceeded its value, obtained from a Chicago bank.
The bank's CEO, Stephen Calk, was a supporter of Donald Trump's campaign and remains a member of Trump's Economic Advisory Council. In July 2017, Calk appeared before New York prosecutors questioning him about loans issued to Manafort during the 2016 presidential campaign. Significantly, the funds received by Manafort reportedly constituted nearly a quarter of the bank's equity at the time.
On October 30, 2017, Manafort and his business associate Richard W. Gates III surrendered to the FBI after being indicted on 12 charges. These included conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, failing to report foreign bank accounts, failing to register as 'foreign agents,' making false and misleading FARA filings, and lying to investigators.
In March 2017, the Associated Press reported that Manafort received $50 million from Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska to promote Vladimir Putin's interests. Deripaska sued the agency, claiming the report was false.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges. According to The Los Angeles Times, Gates has reached a plea deal, agreeing to plead guilty to fraud and testify against Manafort.
Legal Consequences
Manafort was initially placed under house arrest with GPS monitoring. However, on June 15, 2018, his bail was revoked, and Manafort was sent to jail for violating house arrest conditions and, according to US Special Counsel Robert Mueller III, attempting to tamper with witnesses.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the additional charges against him. As of June 2018, he awaits trial while in custody at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia.
Personal Life
Manafort has been married to Kathleen Bond Manafort since August 12, 1978. Kathleen is an attorney who graduated from the George Washington University Law School.
The couple has two daughters: Jessica, a film producer, and Andrea Shand, an attorney.
