Former Trump Campaign Chair Hires Crisis Communications Team Over Russian Ties

Paul Manafort, who was Donald Trump's campaign chairman for several months last year before being dismissed over Russian connections, has hired a crisis communication team.

Via The Hill:

The move comes as Manafort faces scrutiny over possible ties to Russia centered on his past consulting work for officials in Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's pro-Russia government.

Manafort’s new spokesman is Jason Maloni, a former vice president at Levick who formed his own firm, called JadeRoq, late last year.

“Paul retained me recently because he was getting a lot of media inquiries. Having some support in this area allows folks like you to get your answers faster and allows him to focus on other matters,” Maloni said in an email.
FBI Director James Comey on Monday confirmed publicly that law enforcement is investigating possible ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia. Manafort is widely believed to be among the targets of that investigation.

The White House, curiously, has begun to put some space between Manafort and Team Trump. Yesterday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer described Manafort as someone who “played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time.”