Top Trump campaign manager resigns, continuing shakeup
For the second time in the last two months, Donald Trump’s top election advisor is out as the businessman’s campaign continues to flail.
Paul Manafort, Trump’s campaign chairman, resigned on Friday morning, the Trump campaign said.
“This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” Trump said in a statement. “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.”
The news comes just two days after Trump appointed media firebrand Steve Bannon, chairman of the far-right Breitbart News website, his new campaign chief executive. Kellyanne Conway, a veteran political campaign operative, was appointee the new campaign manager.
The dramatic shakeup comes amid sagging poll numbers for Trump, as Hillary Clinton has led him in every national poll for about the last month. His cratering poll results have caused Republicans to increasingly worry that the election is already out of reach.
Manafort, a longtime political operative, has faced his own questions about his prior work on behalf of a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. The New York Times on Wednesday reported that anti-corruption investigators had found a secret ledger showing Manafort was designated to receive $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments.
Manafort took over control of the Trump campaign after the firing of then-campaign manager Corey Lewandowski two months ago.
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