REMINDER: Yes, the Paul Manafort trial is about collusion. (1/9) themoscowproject.org/dispatch/manaf…
Today’s trial is about alleged financial crimes from mostly before he joined the Trump campaign, but make no mistake: Those crimes form a key part of the collusion question. (2/9) themoscowproject.org/dispatch/manaf…
Manafort made a fortune colluding with Russia to support Kremlin-backed politicians in Ukraine, only to see his favored candidate and patron ousted in 2014. (3/9) themoscowproject.org/explainers/eve…
That left him basically broke, unable to pay his massive debts to Kremlin-linked Russian oligarchs because so much of his money was in illegal offshore accounts. (4/9) theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
His finances were so bad he reportedly checked into a mental-health facility—then, suddenly, decided to force his way onto the Trump campaign, where he worked for free, ultimately becoming campaign chairman. (5/9) theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…
Then, he turned around and apparently began selling access, including private briefings to Oleg Deripaska, a Kremlin-linked aluminum tycoon suing Manafort for almost $20 million. (6/9) theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
He was also reportedly in constant communication with Konstantin Kilimnik, a former Russian spy with whom he had worked extensively in Ukraine, whom Mueller has also indicted. (7/9) nbcnews.com/news/us-news/m…
(He also allegedly got a big loan in exchange for the promise of a plum gig in the Trump administration, which, yes, will likely come up in the trial that started today.) (8/9) chicagotribune.com/business/ct-bi…
In other words, after his gig peddling influence and colluding with Russia in Ukraine collapsed, Manafort jumped on the Trump campaign and apparently … began peddling influence and colluding with Russia. (9/9) themoscowproject.org/dispatch/manaf…
