Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign chairman, worked closely with a Russian intelligence officer who may have played a part in the hack and release of Democrat emails during the election, Politico reports.
The link between Manafort and the Russian officer was released Tuesday in a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report.
According to Politico, it is the most detail that U.S. officials have gone in describing a longtime Manafort associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, as an agent of the Russian government.
The finding was part of the Senate committee’s fifth and final installment of its report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Manafort was sentenced to 7 years behind bars after he was found guilty of tax fraud and conspiracy. He was sent to prison in March 2019. Due to coronavirus concerns, he was sent home to serve out the rest of his sentence in May. His scheduled release from prison was Nov. 4, 2024.