Paul Manafort Was an Agent of Ukraine, Not Russia.. By Andrew C. McCarthy

[mystery-ak]

   Paul Manafort Was an Agent of Ukraine, Not Russia
By Andrew C. McCarthy

March 9, 2019 6:30 AM




Paul Manafort Was an Agent of Ukraine, Not Russia
By Andrew C. McCarthy

March 9, 2019 6:30 AM

Paul Manafort arrives at a hearing at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., January 16, 2018. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
He is a scoundrel, but he was never a Kremlin operative.

Paul Manafort, the clandestine agent of Russia at the heart of the Trump campaign’s “collusion” scand — oh, wait.

Have you ever noticed what Paul Manafort’s major crime was? After two years of investigation, after the predawn raid in which his wife was held at gunpoint, after months of solitary confinement that have left him a shell of his former self, have you noticed what drew the militant attention of the Obama Justice Department, the FBI, and, ultimately, a special counsel who made him the centerpiece of Russia-gate?

According to the indictment Robert Mueller filed against him, Manafort was an unregistered “agent of the Government of Ukraine.” He also functioned as an agent of Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine’s president from 2010 to 2014, and of two political parties, the Party of Regions and its successor, the Opposition Bloc.

more
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/03/paul-manafort-worked-for-ukraine-not-russia/

[edpc]

Not so fast. There are still avenues related to Russia still under investigation and under seal.


In Closed Hearing, a Clue About ‘the Heart’ of Mueller’s Russia Inquiry

A closer look at the transcript, released late Thursday, shows that the prosecutors have been keenly focused on discussions the two men had about a plan to end the conflict that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea in 2014. Persuading the United States to ease or end the American-led sanctions imposed to punish Moscow for its aggression has been a primary goal of Russian foreign policy.

According to the transcript, which was heavily redacted, Mr. Manafort and Mr. Kilimnik repeatedly communicated about a so-called peace plan for Ukraine starting in early August 2016, while Mr. Manafort was still running Mr. Trump’s campaign, and continuing into 2018, months after Mr. Manafort had been charged by the special counsel’s office with a litany of crimes related to his work in the country. The prosecutors claim that Mr. Manafort misled them about those talks and other interactions with Mr. Kilimnik.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/10/us/politics/manafort-mueller-russia-inquiry.html


Supreme Court rules against foreign company in Mueller mystery case

The courthouse mystery began to unfold last summer when the company — identified only as a corporation owned by country A — resisted a grand jury subpoena, arguing that it's beyond the reach of U.S. law. But the company was found in contempt of court for refusing to comply and was ordered to pay a fine for every day it resisted.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-rules-against-foreign-company-mueller-mystery-case-n956381