Stay away from Paul Manafort - Washington Examiner

President Trump maintains he never colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, and from everything we’ve seen, we believe him. On the presumption of his innocence, and interested in his success as president, we offer him this advice: Stay away from Paul Manafort.

Manafort is not your friend. Manafort is a shady foreign agent who tried to exploit you. And if he had never been involved in the Trump campaign, there may not be a Russia investigation at all.

To be more precise, President Trump should not consider a pardon of Manafort any time in the near future. Trump should certainly not reprise the Joe Arpaio farce and pardon Manafort outside of the normal process.

We worry about this today because of the new revelation that Manafort’s lawyers briefed Trump’s lawyers on Manafort’s discussions with investigators working for special counsel Robert Mueller. That’s not illegal, but the negative reaction by Mueller’s team suggests this contact broke some trust between Manafort — who has pleaded down some of the fraud and laundering charges against him in D.C. after his 10 convictions in Virginia — and his prosecutors.

Why would Manafort help Trump, another target of Mueller’s investigation, while trying to cooperate with Mueller in exchange for leniency? Commentators have speculated that Manafort is angling for a presidential pardon. When asked about that, Trump said he hasn’t discussed a pardon with Manafort, but he wouldn’t take that possibility “ off the table.”

Trump has repeatedly and publicly disapproved of the prosecution and conviction of Manafort. “I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family,” Trump wrote on Twitter in August. “’Justice’ took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to ‘break’ — make up stories in order to get a ‘deal.’ Such respect for a brave man!”

There is plenty of debate to be had over the proper breadth of Mueller’s probe. But Trump shouldn’t make a mistake about Manafort: The man is trouble, and Trump should get as far away from him as possible.

Manafort made his riches as a foreign agent for Vladimir Putin’s allies and other unsavory regimes. When he joined the Trump campaign, it was not to help Trump so much as to sell access to Trump to his foreign contacts. Manafort was using Trump and simultaneously exposing Trump to the foreign influences that have led to the Russia probe.

Continuing to play nice with Manafort, to speak nicely of Manafort, and to consider a pardon for Manafort raises the question of why Trump feels such loyalty to a foreign agent and convict with deep and unsavory ties to Putin. Trump’s critics will posit that perhaps Trump feels the need to protect Manafort, because maybe Manafort could harm Trump by talking.

Again, we proceed from the assumption that Trump does not have any Russia ties that he needs to hide. If our assumption is correct, Trump shouldn’t protect Manafort, and should keep as far from him as possible.

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