Donald Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort Resigns

Donald Trump campaign chairman and former campaign manager Paul Manafort resigned Friday morning.

The Washington Post‘s Robert Costa was the first to report on the resignation, citing an unnamed friend of Manafort. The Trump campaign quickly confirmed the news in a statement.

Trump statement on Manafort resigning: pic.twitter.com/S1OzwEmLsl

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 19, 2016

Manafort was demoted earlier this week in a campaign shake-up that saw GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway installed as campaign manager and Breitbart head honcho Steve Bannon brought on as Trump campaign CEO.

Manafort had long been a controversial figure for his history of working for pro-Russian Ukranian politician Viktor Yanukovych. But that controversy heated up this week amid reports that Manafort was listed on a secret ledger as having received $12.7 million in under-the-table payments, that he played a key role in fomenting pro-annexation sentiments in Crimea ahead of the Russian invasion, and that he illegally funneled foreign cash towards pro-Putin lobbying efforts in the U.S.

[Image via screengrab]
——
>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!