By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The federal investigation of President Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, began as far back as 2012 because of suspicions of money laundering and serious questions about his relationship with the Ukrainian regime close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The probe centered on at least 13 wire transfers between 2012 and 2013 that were flagged by U.S. financial institutions as suspicious, Buzz Feed reports.
Authorities were trying to determine whether Manafort concealed money transfers or helped the Ukrainian regime launder money as part of potentially corrupt dealings.
The banks’ “suspicious activity reports” were focused on five offshore companies linked to Manafort: Global Endeavour Inc., Lucicle Consultants Ltd., and three others that appear to have no current contact information.
A longtime political operative, Manafort took over Trump’s campaign in May 2016 before he was forced to resign amid a firestorm of criticism over his dealings with the notoriously corrupt former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.
On Monday morning, Manafort surrendered to FBI officials after the first charges were approved as part of the widening special counsel investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia.
