WASHINGTON — A firm run by Donald Trump's campaign chairman — who resigned early Friday — directly orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's then-ruling political party, attempting to sway American public opinion in favor of the country's pro-Russian government, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. Paul
Emails Reveal Trump Advisers Illegally Acted As Foreign Agents For Pro-Russian Group, Waging Covert Influence Campaign
Manafort’s and Gates’ lobbying activities carry outsized importance as they played a formative role building out Trump’s campaign operation after pushing out early rival, Corey Lewandowski. The new disclosures about their work come as Trump faces criticism for his friendly overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin.