Paul Manafort hatched ’05 plan to push pro-Putin propaganda in US media

[HomerJS]

You know Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign chairman, the guy with the "limited role"...sigh

So all you Trumpets , still think there's nothing to this Trump connection to Russia thing?

The Associated Press reports that Manafort in 2005 “proposed in a confidential strategy plan… that he would influence politics, business dealings and news coverage inside the United States, Europe and the former Soviet republics to benefit the Putin government, even as U.S.-Russia relations under Republican President George W. Bush grew worse

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/rev...lan-to-push-pro-putin-propaganda-in-us-media/

 

[Meghan54]

But...but....but......Manafort wasn't part of the campaign. No, he was contract staff--janitorial. Yeah, that's it. He was a janitor.

And besides, what about the LEAKS? Who's leaking? That's the important question...not potential collusion between Russia and members of Trump's campaign.

 

[kage69]

Paul Manafort is a Russian asset, Dump an unwitting one. Ignoring all of this, or worse defending it, is practically treasonous IMO.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

I'm willing to bet this is why they suddenly distanced themselves from Manafort claiming he had a limited role. No doubt they reach out to the WH for comment/confirmation on the story.

 

[vi edit]

Mr. I have Nothing to Hide is hiring a crisis consultant...

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobby...ump-aide-manafort-hires-crisis-communications

 

[zinfamous]

Paul Manafort is a Russian asset, Dump an unwitting one. Ignoring all of this, or worse defending it, is practically treasonous IMO.

This is what it shakes down to right now, and is, at best, the absolute least of where we stand and will stand. The absolute least.

And it is quite startling. I don't see how this Administration can survive a year, but the cynic in me reflects on the last treasonous president, Ronnie Ray-gun, undermining his predecessor as a then-citizen to free hostages, then later, as president, trading hostages for more and more weapons. To our sworn enemies. And nothing happened. Further, after Ray-gun's rather unpopular standing at his departure as POTUS, the same GOP went on a re-education blitz to complete re-write the history of this most treasonous criminal who, at worst, was simply an unaware idiot for most of his term (it is completely established, now, that the old fucker was hallucinating or simply unaware of who he was for most of his second term. I am not blaming him or insulting him due to real illness--but he was POTUS. His disastrous presidency still rings in this country)

The GOP fucking loves their treasonous scumbag leaders, and will defend them to the death so long as and "distraction" advances their agenda of destroying the middle class and the poors forever. This country never seems to learn. I think that the continued, targeted erosion of public education is simply a weapon the GOP routinely deploys to ensure that the voting public, where it matters, is so grossly uninformed, and further bred from generation to generation, to maintain pride in their general ignorance, that such voters are simple vessels to swallow the GOP Kool-Aid.

This is where we are.

 

[justoh]

Based on a quick skim through, it seems as though the article rawstory refers to only states that he had proposed (and had) a plan, not that he was the one who had hatched it.

 

[Pens1566]

Manafort has now hired a crisis communications team : http://thehill.com/business-a-lobby...ump-aide-manafort-hires-crisis-communications

Next up, high priced defense attorneys.

 

[zinfamous]

Based on a quick skim through, it seems as though the article rawstory refers to only states that he had proposed (and had) a plan, not that he was the one who had hatched it.

Do you think Robert Mercer, who seemed to control much of the influence (hiring) and money in the Trump campaign is an effective-enough link to look into Manafort, Bannon, and Trump Co's treasonous activity?

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-trump-presidency

...yes, this article deserves its own thread.

 

[justoh]

Do you think Robert Mercer, who seemed to control much of the influence (hiring) and money in the Trump campaign is an effective-enough link to look into Manafort, Bannon, and Trump Co's treasonous activity?

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...hedge-fund-tycoon-behind-the-trump-presidency

...yes, this article deserves its own thread.

I wouldn't know. My expertise is in thread titles.

 

[cytg111]

And tighter relations with russia would actually be a good thing if they werent war mongering all over the international scene..

 

[K1052]

It's kinda amazing to watch this issue eat Trump's presidency. Even if there is no real illegality (though some of Manafort's dealings seem to be testing that) all the deceptions and denials which are being exposed are having almost the same effect on the administration.

 

[interchange]

I wonder how possible it is that Trump had no part in or direct collusion in Russian connections to his campaign (legal and illegal) but rather was easily swayed to enlist the services of several people with overt Russian connections.

Separately, I question whether Manafort's stance or economic conflicts of interest rise to any level of direct concern (other than Trump's bad or negligent judgment). Is there evidence that there was collusion with the Russian government, conspiracy, perjury, etc.?

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I wonder how possible it is that Trump had no part in or direct collusion in Russian connections to his campaign (legal and illegal) but rather was easily swayed to enlist the services of several people with overt Russian connections.

Separately, I question whether Manafort's stance or economic conflicts of interest rise to any level of direct concern (other than Trump's bad or negligent judgment). Is there evidence that there was collusion with the Russian government, conspiracy, perjury, etc.?

It was perhaps a Faustian bargain to gain the office. Mephistopheles in the guise of Manafort offered Trump the world, or at least the most powerful part of it in exchange for favoritism in Manafort's Russian interests. Yes I got the sig

 

[VRAMdemon]

Reporter: "Sean, how do you respond to these allegations about Paul Manafort"
Spicer: "Never heard of him. He doesn't exist. Fake person!"
Reporter: "Manafort was Trump's campaign manager"
Spicer: "No he wasn't. Even if he exists, he was lower than an intern. There may have been some guy named Paul working at the KFC that the President eats at nine times a week."
Reporter: "But here is a picture"
Spicer: "Fake news! Fake picture! Fake reporter! Fake President! Oops, I retract that last one."

Lol!

Remember the secret ledger that recorded former Ukrainian president Yanukovych's corruption? The one with $12.7 million of payments to Manafort?

One of those $750,000 payments is matched by a $750,000 "computer sale" from a shell company in Belize to Manafort's consulting company.

President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, secretly worked for a Russian billionaire to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin a decade ago and proposed an ambitious political strategy to undermine anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics, The Associated Press has learned. The work appears to contradict assertions by the Trump administration and Manafort himself that he never worked for Russian interests.

Manafort proposed in a confidential strategy plan as early as June 2005 that he would influence politics, business dealings and news coverage inside the United States, Europe and the former Soviet republics to benefit the Putin government, even as U.S.-Russia relations under Republican President George W. Bush grew worse. Manafort pitched the plans to Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, a close Putin ally with whom Manafort eventually signed a $10 million annual contract beginning in 2006, according to interviews with several people familiar with payments to Manafort and business records obtained by the AP. Manafort and Deripaska maintained a business relationship until at least 2009, according to one person familiar with the work.

https://www.apnews.com/amp/122ae0b5848345faa88108a03de40c5a

 

[HomerJS]

I wonder how possible it is that Trump had no part in or direct collusion in Russian connections to his campaign (legal and illegal) but rather was easily swayed to enlist the services of several people with overt Russian connections.

Separately, I question whether Manafort's stance or economic conflicts of interest rise to any level of direct concern (other than Trump's bad or negligent judgment). Is there evidence that there was collusion with the Russian government, conspiracy, perjury, etc.?

Paul Manafort had the Republican Party platform changed to weaken NATO's support of Ukraine against Russia

 

[interchange]

Paul Manafort had the Republican Party platform changed to weaken NATO's support of Ukraine against Russia

While I do not like this position and feel it is fairly transparent that it is in line with his personal interests, and more severely find it another significant failing on Trump's part to protect himself from outside interests, I can't say that such a position itself is criminal or evidence of conspiracy. Honestly, I wish I could. It would make things a lot simpler.

 

[momeNt]

Is the fact that he was hired by an ally of Putin to run a pro-Putin campaign a bad thing? Is it not allowable to be a "political mercenary" of sorts?

I'm trying to gauge how we feel as a people about something like this. What are the guidelines that we are basing our judgments on?

 

[interchange]

It was perhaps a Faustian bargain to gain the office. Mephistopheles in the guise of Manafort offered Trump the world, or at least the most powerful part of it in exchange for favoritism in Manafort's Russian interests. Yes I got the sig

Haha I was wondering if anyone would ever comment on it. But I actually came across it from Freud who borrows it from Goethe.

Aside from the story of Faust, I found the idea quite applicable to here. Should one actually know something deeper about what is discussed here, it cannot be told to boys. And there are mostly boys here. Too bad identifying them is also something that cannot be told to boys.

 

[fskimospy]

Is the fact that he was hired by an ally of Putin to run a pro-Putin campaign a bad thing? Is it not allowable to be a "political mercenary" of sorts?

I'm trying to gauge how we feel as a people about something like this. What are the guidelines that we are basing our judgments on?

It has nothing to do with what is allowable or not, it would just be yet another case of a person from Trump's inner circle lying about their connections to the Russian government.

At some point we really have to start wondering why this keeps happening.

 

[momeNt]

It has nothing to do with what is allowable or not, it would just be yet another case of a person from Trump's inner circle lying about their connections to the Russian government.

At some point we really have to start wondering why this keeps happening.

So it's about the lying part/ lack of disclosure. I can accept outrage relating to that. 100% Thanks.

 

[Grooveriding]

I wonder how possible it is that Trump had no part in or direct collusion in Russian connections to his campaign (legal and illegal) but rather was easily swayed to enlist the services of several people with overt Russian connections.

Separately, I question whether Manafort's stance or economic conflicts of interest rise to any level of direct concern (other than Trump's bad or negligent judgment). Is there evidence that there was collusion with the Russian government, conspiracy, perjury, etc.?

I consider it more likely there was direct collusion between the people surrounding Trump and Russia, rather than to Trump directly. The connections are strong among the people surrounding him and his campaign. Many of these individuals are fanatics and saw a Trump win as a way to reform the US to fit their fanatical vision for the country.

The FBI may also now be investigating alt-right fake news websites like Breitbart for their involvement in spreading the fake news stories Russia was creating to hurt Clinton and help Trump's campaign.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...tes-fake-news-bots-donald-trump-a7641826.html

Trump was a long-shot to win from the get go, the fanatics surrounding him wanted him to win badly. It's not a far cry to believe individuals like Trump's former campaign manager; Manafort, with his strong Russian ties would get into bed with Russian intelligence to get whatever advantage they could. It's a win-win situation - for the Trump camp to get him a win, and for Russia in making America a weaker opponent with a patsy like Trump as POTUS. Then there is Bannon as the ex-Breitbart chief and one of the hardcore fanatics who Trump surrounds himself with. He would also have plenty of incentive to make use of a propaganda outlet like Breitbart to push propaganda and fake news for Trump, which is what Breitbart did and continues to do.

 

[hal2kilo]

I'm willing to bet this is why they suddenly distanced themselves from Manafort claiming he had a limited role. No doubt they reach out to the WH for comment/confirmation on the story.

Yea, only chairman of his election campaign all the way to his nomination. Janitor, yea, that's what he was.

 

[hal2kilo]

This is what it shakes down to right now, and is, at best, the absolute least of where we stand and will stand. The absolute least.

And it is quite startling. I don't see how this Administration can survive a year, but the cynic in me reflects on the last treasonous president, Ronnie Ray-gun, undermining his predecessor as a then-citizen to free hostages, then later, as president, trading hostages for more and more weapons. To our sworn enemies. And nothing happened. Further, after Ray-gun's rather unpopular standing at his departure as POTUS, the same GOP went on a re-education blitz to complete re-write the history of this most treasonous criminal who, at worst, was simply an unaware idiot for most of his term (it is completely established, now, that the old fucker was hallucinating or simply unaware of who he was for most of his second term. I am not blaming him or insulting him due to real illness--but he was POTUS. His disastrous presidency still rings in this country)

The GOP fucking loves their treasonous scumbag leaders, and will defend them to the death so long as and "distraction" advances their agenda of destroying the middle class and the poors forever. This country never seems to learn. I think that the continued, targeted erosion of public education is simply a weapon the GOP routinely deploys to ensure that the voting public, where it matters, is so grossly uninformed, and further bred from generation to generation, to maintain pride in their general ignorance, that such voters are simple vessels to swallow the GOP Kool-Aid.

This is where we are.

I like your recollections, they are still deeply etched in my mind to this day.

 

[hal2kilo]

Is the fact that he was hired by an ally of Putin to run a pro-Putin campaign a bad thing? Is it not allowable to be a "political mercenary" of sorts?

I'm trying to gauge how we feel as a people about something like this. What are the guidelines that we are basing our judgments on?

Not if you are working against the interests of the USA.