Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, has decided to step down from his unpaid role as an adviser for the 2024 Republican National Convention, as reported by the New York Times.
Initially, Manafort was planned to join the Republican Party in an advisory position for the presidential nominating convention, but this move has faced criticism. The Washington Post reported that Manafort has resumed his work as an international consultant after being convicted in 2018 on various charges related to his previous activities.
In a statement released by the Trump 2024 campaign, Manafort, a seasoned Republican campaign strategist, mentioned that he was providing advice and suggestions to the former president for the upcoming convention on a voluntary basis. However, he expressed frustration with the media’s attempts to use him as a distraction to harm President Trump’s campaign by bringing up old news, stating that he will support Trump from the sidelines in other ways.
Manafort, 75, had served as Trump’s campaign manager for a brief period in 2016 but was replaced amidst reports of his connections to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Following a grand jury indictment as part of Robert Mueller’s investigation, Manafort was convicted of tax and bank fraud, as well as obstruction of justice, leading to a prison sentence of 73 months. Trump eventually pardoned Manafort towards the end of his presidency.
The 2024 Republican National Convention is set to take place from July 15-18 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
