Trump Aide Paul Manafort Blocked From Miami Flight To Dubai Over Revoked Passport: Report

MIAMI, FL — Paul Manafort, once an adviser to now-former President Donald Trump, was prevented from boarding a Dubai-bound flight from Miami International Airport on Sunday night because his U.S. passport was no longer valid.

He was removed from an Emirates Airline flight to the United Arab Emirates by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, according to CNN.

A spokesperson for Miami-Dade police said that his passport was revoked, and he wasn’t allowed to get on his flight.

Manafort isn’t legally prevented from leaving the country or applying for a new passport, CNBC reported.

The 72-year-old served as Trump’s campaign chair during the 2016 presidential race. After his business dealings in Ukraine came to light, he was removed from this role.

He was later indicted on a broad array of financial crimes as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Manafort was convicted by a jury in August 2018 and later pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington.

In May 2020, Manafort was released from a low-security prison where he was serving a federal sentence of more than seven years amid concerns about the coronavirus. Although Manafort had not served long enough to be eligible for release under the guidelines, the Bureau of Prisons decided to free him because of his age and health vulnerabilities, a person familiar with the matter has said. Trump pardoned Manafort in December 2020.

This story includes reporting from The Associated Press.