Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigns
the Guardian from London
Donald Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort has resigned, in the latest convulsion to sweep a candidacy reeling from poor poll numbers and self-inflicted controversy, reports the Guardian from London. Within hours of Trump apologising for the pain he had caused with his outspoken remarks on the trail and a reshuffle that brought in a new team, Manafort announced he would be leaving the campaign entirely. The veteran political strategist has been under mounting scrutiny of his own as more details emerged of his role in advising foreign politicians, includingUkrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych. His departure clears the way for Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon to assume full control of day-to-day operations, after he was appointed chief executive alongside new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday. The resignation, which contradicts claims he would stay on earlier in the week, is the second moment Trump has exercised his famed slogan youre fired following the ousting of his original campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, in June. Lewandowski is now thought to likely make a comeback within the constantly shifting Trump inner circle, as he favours the same approach of letting Trump be Trump as Bannon is believed to. The rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, was dominated however by a surprise change of tack for Trump, who said for the first time that he regretted misspeaking in the past and acknowledged his behaviour may be eclipsing the campaigns core message. It suggested Conway and Bannon may be attempting to use the reshuffle to draw a line under a summer of controversy and relaunch the campaign with a focus more squarely on attacking Hillary Clinton rather than defending its past behaviour.
Manafort first joined the campaign as an unpaid advisor in March after Trump had been repeatedly outmaneuvered in the delegation selection process by rival Ted Cruz. The veteran operative, who helped Gerald Ford win the last contested convention in American history in 1976, soon used that foothold to expand his mandate. Within weeks, he effectively replaced former campaign manager Lewandowski, who was disdained by many within the party establishment as well as the Trump family.
Manafort had been brought in to replace Lewandowski with the blessing of senior figures within the Republican establishment who regarded him as a safe pair of hands who could help professionalise the campaign. However, his close connections to Russia, at a time when Trump is trying to criticise Clinton for taking money from foreign donors for her family foundation, were proving a growing problem. Trump is also felt to have been increasingly surrounded by party operatives who do did not share his anti-establishment brand of politics and, as polls plunged, the 67-year-old Washington consultant proved In a statement issued on Friday, Trump suggested Manaforts role had peaked as an adviser during the Republican national convention in Cleveland, where rival Ted Cruz had threatened to lead a revolt, but this time offered no regret for the departure. This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign, said a statement from the Trump campaign issued on Friday morning. I am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate and convention process. Paul is a true professional and I wish him the greatest success. Despite Manaforts departure from the campaign, his close aide Rick Gates has not left yet. Gates, who worked with Manafort in Ukraine and joined him on the Trump campaign in March, was still described as the one of the four leaders of the campaign by Conway earlier this week along with Manafort and Bannon.
