Only problem: Manafort approached Trump through Thomas Barrack. Not disputing that Manafort was a plant, simply that Roger Stone is not only an idiot, but an idiot that didn't have as much influence as he claimed to. nytimes.com/2017/04/08/us/…
Manafort apparently came out of nowhere, quite literally, and tried repeatedly through multiple mutual acquaintances to get a job on the campaign during the primary season. Dude had been out of pres politics for awhile; he was playing unregistered foreign lobbyist for 8 years.
My theory, which again isn't against but more weirdly parallel to yours, is that Manafort and Gates were acting in tandem with the Podesta in a game of rigging the last few (3? more?) elections in favor of unregistered foreign lobbyists.
They'd each get embedded in their respective Dem or GOP campaigns, get their candidate the nomination, then the winner would sell exclusive access to the loser, a complete win-win situation.
First time around Obama screwed up their game, but they made do with Hillary's consolation prize of the State Department. This is where the most horrendous shit like Uranium One went down. 2012 they presumably skipped, to get ready for 2016.
2016 they made sure the game was perfect, because the winner would get to be IN the oval office as Chief of Staff or some other high-access position. Podestas had the Clinton nomination locked up, Manafort hopped onboard the Trump campaign, Papasmurf with Carson's, etc.
Then, shit went wrong. The Steele dossier. See, I'm reasonably certain that jackass Podesta KNEW about the Steele dossier, but never read the damn thing. It was a smear piece produced by Fusion GPS, he'd seen hundreds of those, who the hell cares, amiright?
Wrong. Because whoever Steele got his information from 2nd or 3rd hand, had Manafort's name ALL OVER IT. Whoops. Suddenly Podesta's partner in crime, Manafort, got ejected from the Trump campaign. There goes THAT scam. Better hope Hillary wins, he'll make it up to Manafort later.
Aaaaand she didn't. And their use of the Steele dossier to get the FISA on Trump's campaign was revealed. And now here we are in the stink of it. Sorry, that spun longer than I thought. /end
