Report: Paul Manafort may try to leave the United States within days
Paul Manafort is trying to carry out one last overseas political consulting gig before he’s inevitably forced to decide whether to flip on Donald Trump or rot in prison. That job is in Iraq, and he’s working directly against the interests of the United States. Moreover, it’s now being reported that Manafort might actually try to leave the U.S. within days, raising the question of whether he’s looking to flee.
In a New York Times story which buries its own lede all the way down in the ninth paragraph, Paul Manafort’s Kurdish employers are holding a vote on an independence referendum on Monday – and Manafort may use it as an excuse to leave the country: “Mr. Manafort himself may return to the region in the coming days for the vote, according to the advocates” (link). Let’s think this through, because it sure sounds like he may be trying to use this gig as an excuse to flee before he can be indicted or arrested.
It was suspicious enough that Manafort took the job right around the time Special Counsel Robert Mueller informed him that he was going to be indicted on very serious crimes. Instead of cooperating with the Trump-Russia investigation to try to get himself out of trouble, Manafort instead decided to take a legally questionable overseas gig which only serves to make him look even more guilty on the previous overseas gigs he’s taken. This new gig is not only lining his pockets, it’s also set him up with a convenient excuse to leave the United States for work purposes, just before he can be indicted.
So now we wait to see how this plays out. If Paul Manafort does try to leave the country, will he be stopped at the airport? Is he already barred from flights leaving the United States as a result of his imminent indictment? In light of this news, will Robert Mueller go ahead and have Manafort arrested to prevent him from fleeing? Stay tuned.
