Patton: Russian Connections Haunt Trump Campaign

(Photo by Gage Skidmore)

Donald Trump has made a number of statements that seen surprisingly sympathetic to Russia and its autocratic president, Vladimir Putin. What could have caused this strange alliance?

"The potential benefits Mr. Trump offers to Mr. Putin have been clearly and repeatedly spelled out by the candidate himself. Russia's most cherished goal is to weaken or destroy NATO; Mr. Trump has called the alliance obsolete. Mr. Putin dreams of reestablishing dominion over the pieces of the Soviet Union. Mr. Trump has said that he might not defend former Soviet republics Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania if Russia invaded, despite their NATO membership. Mr. Putin wants the United States to treat Russia as an equal superpower with its own acknowledged sphere of influence; Mr. Trump has repeatedly praised Mr. Putin and promised to work with him . . .

"One of the few changes in the GOP platform pushed by the Trump campaign was the weakening of language calling for support for Ukraine's current democratic government . . . which Mr. Putin is attempting to destroy." (Editorial, Washington Post, 7/26/2016).

On top of all these friendly gestures to Russia, Trump hired a campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who had been working in Ukraine on behalf of President Viktor F. Yanukovych. Yanukovych was a puppet for next-door neighbor Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin.

Manafort's Rise To Power in Ukraine."Manafort's 2005 entry into Ukrainian politics and finances came when he signed on as an adviser to the steel magnate Rinal Akhmetov, one of Ukraine's richest oligarchs and a key supporter of Yanukovych and the Party of Regions, according to interviews with Ukrainians and Americans who worked with Manafort. . .

"Over time, Manafort's role with the party expanded. He was tasked with rehabilitating the image of the party's leader, Yanukovych, who had been imprisoned twice, according to people familiar with Manafort's work there . . .

"Ukrainian political consultants said that Yanukovych grew to trust Manafort, and that Yanukovych's victory in the 2010 presidential election was considered proof that Manafort's approach was successful." (Tom Hamburger, Dana Priest, and Andrew Roth, Washington Post, 8/18/2016).

Manafort's Scramble for Survival after the Pro-Russian Regime's Fall. In 2014, popular uprisings triggered by Yanukovych' s support for pro-Russian policies caused Yanukovych to flee Ukraine for (where else?) Russia where he remains in exile to this day.

"The developments in Ukraine underscore the risky nature of the international consulting that has been a staple of Mr. Manafort's business since the 1980s, when he went to work for the Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos." (Andrew E. Kramer, Mike McIntire and Barry Meieraug, New York Times, 8/14/2016.)

The nimble Manafort managed to survive the revolt and continued his political work in Ukraine. "Mr. Manafort continued working in Ukraine after the demise of Mr. Yanukovych's government, helping allies of the ousted president and others form a political bloc that opposed the new pro-Western administration. " (Andrew E. Kramer, Mike McIntire and Barry Meieraug, 8/14/2016).

"Ukrainian business registration records reviewed by The Post show that Manafort did not officially close his business in Kiev until April 2016, the month after he joined the Trump campaign." (Tom Hamburger, Dana Priest and Andrew Roth, Washington Post, 8/18/2016).

Manafort Becomes Trump's Campaign Manager. Manafort ended his globe-trotting and returned to the United States when Trump hired him last March to bring stability to a campaign beset by turbulence during the stewardship of former campaign director Corey Lewandowski. To an extent, Manafort was successful, quelling at the Republican National Convention, the efforts of Never Trump dissidents to prevent Trump from gaining the nomination.

Manafort's Political Dealings in Ukraine Cause His Resignation from the Trump Campaign. "Then a wave of reports about Mr. Manafort's own business dealings with Russia-aligned leaders in Ukraine, involving allegations of millions of dollars in cash payments and secret lobbying efforts in the United States, threw a spotlight on a glaring vulnerability for Mr. Trump: his admiration for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia." (Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Martin, New York Times, 8/19/2016).

Secret handwritten ledgers discovered by a Ukrainian anti-corruption unit, show 22 entries indicating that $12.7 million dollars was disbursed from 2007 to 2012 from Yanukovych's pro-Russian party to Paul Manafort.

Eventually, the heat from mushrooming investigations of Manafort's dealings in Ukraine grew too much for Donald Trump, and he asked for and received Manafort's resignation.

Lingering Questions about Trump's Pro-Russian Sympathies. Yet, questions linger. Why does Trump continue to court the favor of Russia? Does he have business dealings there which would be advantaged by an amicable relationship with Vladimir Putin? Of all the potential campaign managers available to Trump, why did he go out of his way to choose one, Manafort, that was friendly with Russia? Even more puzzling, why did Trump not know of Manafort's reputation for suspect financial dealings?

All this does not bode well for the wisdom, judgment, and objectivity of policies and decisions Donald Trump would make as President of the United States.

Gary Patton is the author of two books, Selling Mt. Washington, a political satire, and Outtastatahs: Newcomers' Adventures in New Hampshire, a work of regional humor.