In the annals of American political sleaze, few figures are quite as remarkable as Paul Manafort, the former lobbyist, campaign operative and chair of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. Given the ignominy of Manafort’s fall and the extraordinary scale of his corruption, one might have thought even Trump wouldn’t want to touch him with a 10-foot pole.
But apparently, Trump wants to involve Manafort in the 2024 campaign. The Washington Post reported that discussions are underway for Manafort to have a role advising the former president as he seeks to take back the White House. (The Post’s report has not been independently verified by MSNBC or NBC News.) Four anonymous sources “described the hiring as expected and said Trump was determined to bring Manafort back into the fold.”
Given the ignominy of Manafort’s fall and the extraordinary scale of his corruption, one might have thought even Trump wouldn’t want to touch him with a 10-foot pole.
Perhaps Trump is motivated by nothing more than a firm belief in the possibility of redemption. But I doubt it. It’s not as though Manafort is such a brilliant strategist that no other GOP operative could match his insights and skill. And with the inevitable bad press that will accompany Manafort’s hiring, what does Trump have to gain?
There may be private reasons we can’t determine, but one thing is clear: Hiring Manafort would be a provocation, a way to simultaneously tweak Trump’s enemies (including the media) and signal his supporters that he is unconstrained — by rules, laws or even shame. If and when Trump does hire Manafort, his supporters will treat the resulting criticism not as legitimate questions about Trump’s judgment but as proof of his greatness. Because as Trump has shown again and again, shamelessness is a kind of superpower.
While a complete description of Manafort’s misdeeds could fill volumes, a brief reminder is in order. Long before the Trump campaign, Manafort was known as…
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