Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, received $10 million per annum as part of a contract in 2006 to promote the Putin administration’s interests inside the U.S., Europe, and the former Soviet republics.
A consulting strategy proposed to close Putin-ally Oleg Deripaska in 2005, reveals that Manafort planned to influence political interests, business and news coverage on behalf of the Kremlin.
"We are now of the belief that this model can greatly benefit the Putin government if employed at the correct levels," Manafort declared. The endeavor "can refocus, both internally and externally, the policies of the Putin government."
Deripaska and Manafort signed a contract in early 2006, and records of wire transfers obtained by The Associated Press document million dollar payments to Manafort’s account. This evidence refutes Manafort’s earlier assurances that he worked for Deripaska’s personal businesses, not “representing Russian political interests."
An FBI probe and two Congressional inquiries continue to scrutinize whether the Trump campaign and its partners collaborated with Moscow to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
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