Trump enlists convicted former campaign manager for 2024 election bid

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to bring Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager convicted of hiding income from lobbying for pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians, onto his election team, according to "The Washington Post." Manafort, who also had connections with a Russian intelligence agent, is said to be involved in fundraising and organizing the Republican Party's election convention in Milwaukee this July, where Trump is expected to be officially named the party's candidate for the November presidential election.

Paul Manafort, who led Trump's election campaign for several months in 2016, was dismissed for failing to disclose his lobbying activities for pro-Russian figures in Ukraine, including former President Viktor Yanukovych. In 2018, as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, Manafort was convicted of tax fraud for concealing earnings from his work in Ukraine. Although Trump pardoned him in 2020, investigations uncovered that Manafort had shared sensitive campaign information with Konstantin Kilimnik, a confirmed Russian intelligence agent.

"The Washington Post" mentions that Trump values Manafort for his unwavering loyalty throughout his legal troubles and time in prison.