It’s suddenly becoming more clear why Donald Trump decided to shake-up the leadership within his struggling campaign as Hillary Clinton maintains double-digit leads in key battle ground states.
Days after it was revealed campaign chairman Paul Manafort was being investigated by Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities for allegedly taking over $12 million in payments from pro-Russian groups the latest allegations are much more damning.
The Associated Press is reporting Manafort helped direct $2.2 million to U.S. lobbyists from Ukraine.
Rough day for Paul Manafort… https://t.co/p0skYdNx0x pic.twitter.com/JdwSsSj0hY
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) August 17, 2016
But that may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Manafort’s questionable dealings in Eastern Europe.
The Times out of the United Kingdom reports not only was Manafort taking money from pro-Russian groups but he may of helped lay the groundwork for Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
https://twitter.com/JGreenDC/status/765902621022584832
Viktor Yanukovych is of course the ousted former president of the Ukraine who was heavily in favor of broader relations with Russia and seen by some as puppet of Vladimir Putin.
Not only does all of these potential revelations shed light on the Trump campaign shakeup but Trump’s outlandish praise for Putin and the Russian government.
Wednesday morning, the Trump campaign dropped a bombshell saying Breitbart chief Steve Bannon would be named the campaign’s CEO while advisor Kellyanne Conway was promoted to campaign manager. Manafort remains as campaign chair however this marks the second time within the past few months Trump would make a big changes within his own campaign. As we know, Manafort eventually took over for former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski who was no stranger to controversy himself.
Trump too may be getting himself prepared just in case he has no other choice but to let Manafort go if the campaign continues to struggle and/or the Russian scandals continue to mount.