Paul Manafort targeted for blackmail shortly befo...

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1 Paul Manafort targeted for blackma shortly before Ukraine ties forced h out of Trump campaign TRAVIS GETTYS 23 FEB 2017 AT 09:05 ET 1 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

2 Paul Manafort speaks to NBC News (screen grab) DON'T MISS STORIES. FOLLOW RAW STORY! P aul Manafort was apparently the target of a possible Russian blackmail attempt when he served as Donald Trump s campaign chairman. The undated messages which have been hacked and then recently circulated b hacktivist collective were sent to an iphone belonging to Manafort s daughter i an attempt to reach her father, reported Politico. One text message appears to have come from a Ukrainian parliamentarian named Serhiy Leshchenko, who claimed to have bulletproof evidence of a nancial arrangement between Manafort and Ukraine s former pro-russian president Vikto Yanukovych. 2 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

3 The message also claimed to have strong evidence that Trump met in 2012 with Serhiy Tulub, a close associate of the Ukrainian strongman Yanukovych. Considering all the facts and evidence that are in my possession, and before possible decision whether to pass this to [the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine] or FBI I would like to get your opinion on this and maybe your way to wo things out that will persuade me to do otherwise, the message reads. The message urges Manafort to reply using an address that reporters have used to communicate with Leschenko, according to Politico. Manafort, who joined the Trump campaign in March and left in August due to his ties to Yanukovych, con rmed the authenticity of the texts that had been hacked from his daughter s phone. He told Politico that he had received similar texts to his own phone, from the sam address, before his daughter had gotten any. Manafort said the messages began arriving shortly before the New York Times reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine had obtained documents allegedly showing $12.7 million in cash payments intended for Trump then-campaign chairman. He resigned two days later from the Trump campaign, although he denies receivi off-the-books payment from Yanukovych s party and claims he was never contact by Ukrainian or American authorities about the documents. The FBI and ve other law enforcement and intelligence agencies are investigatin possible links between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. Manafort, along with Trump campaign advisors Carter Page and Roger Stone, has been identi ed by the New York Times as the subject of the multiagency investigation. 3 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

4 Trump administration of cials and the president s business associates to resolve t Russia-Ukraine con ict. Manafort told the website he hadn t responded directly to any of the texts and instead passed them along to his lawyer. The messages hacked from his daughter s phone rst surfaced a couple of weeks ago on the so-called dark web, according to Politico. Cybersecurity experts are relatively unfamiliar with the hacktivist group that revealed the texts sent to Manafort s daughter, and the hack appears to be intend as retribution against Trump s policies. A former U.S. military intelligence cybersecurity analyst told Politico the group seems like randos, rather than associated with any nation-state. Report typos and corrections to NEXT ON RAW STORY > corrections@rawstory.com Mike Pence claims liberal activists are in ltrating GOP town halls in speech about gutting Obamacare By commenting, you agree to our terms of service and to abide by our commenting policy. READ COMMENTS - JOIN THE DISCUSSION 4 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

5 SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Get the best of Raw Story, delivered daily Address SIGN UP NEW STORIES Mike Pence claims liberal activists are in ltrating GOP town halls in speech about gutting Obamacare Pipeline ghts move from Dakota prairie to Louisiana bayous 5 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

6 Paul Manafort targeted for blackmail shortly befo... US WORLD SCIENCE TECH MEDIA You re sick : Caitlyn Jenner slams weak bullies like AG Jeff Sessions who pick on kids Upset at Trump, Mexico voices worry and irritation to US envoys Bernie Sanders warns Republicans worried about protests: You haven t seen anything yet 6 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

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8 56 Years Ago, Eisenhower Warned Americans Of "The Unwarranted In u... TRUMP NEWS You re sick : Caitlyn Jenner slams weak bullies like AG Jeff Sessions who pick on kids Upset at Trump, Mexico voices worry and irritation to US envoys 8 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

9 asked FBI to kill Trump-Russia stories: CNN California lawmakers release environmental bills in attempt to thwart Trump Watch Reince Preibus cringeworthy reaction to Steve Bannon patting his leg US education secretary Betsy DeVos calls Obama transgender guidelines overreach 9 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

10 NEW VIDEOS Mike Pence claims liberal activists are in ltrating GOP town halls in speech about gutting Obamacare You re sick : Caitlyn Jenner slams weak bullies like AG Jeff Sessions who pick on kids 10 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

11 SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER Get the best of Raw Story, delivered daily Address SIGN UP 11 of 11 02/23/ :34 PM

Internet gadfly Kim Dotcom admits FBI document... document on Seth Rich is bogus b he won t delete it TRAVIS GETTYS 30 MAY 2017 AT 08:47 ET

Internet gadfly Kim Dotcom admits FBI document... document on Seth Rich is bogus b he won t delete it TRAVIS GETTYS 30 MAY 2017 AT 08:47 ET Internet gad y Kim Dotcom admits document on Seth Rich is bogus b he won t delete it TRAVIS GETTYS 30 MAY 2017 AT 08:47 ET 1 of 10 05/31/2017 07:32 PM Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom (Marty Melville/Agence