Paul Manafort resigns as chairman of Donald Trump campaign

Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort has resigned, in the latest convulsion to sweep a candidacy reeling from poor poll numbers and self-inflicted controversy. Within hours of Trump apologising for “pain” he had caused with outspoken remarks on the trail and a reshuffle that brought in a new team above him in New York, the veteran political strategist announced he would be leaving the campaign entirely. Manafort however was also under mounting scrutiny of his own as more details emerged of his role in advising foreign politicians, including Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych. His departure clears the way for Breitbart News executive Steve Dannon to assume full control of day-to-day operations, after he was appointed chief executive alongside new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday. The resignation, which contradicts claims he would stay on earlier in the week, is the second moment Trump has exercised is famed slogan “your fired” – following the ousting of his original campaign manager Corey Lewanadowski in Lewandowski is now thought to likely to make a comeback within the constantly shifting Trump inner circle as he shares much of the same approach to “letting Trump be Trump” as Dannon is believed to favour. At the first public event since the reshuffle in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday, a personal wifi hotspot belonging to “Corey” could be seen among the small list of online identities present. The rally was dominated however by a surprise change of tack for Trump, who said for the first time that he “regretted” misspeaking in the past and acknowledged his behaviour may be eclipsing the campaign’s core message. It suggests Conway and Dannon may be attempting to use the reshuffle to draw a line under a summer of controversy and relaunch the campaign with a focus more squarely on attacking Hillary Clinton rather than defending its past behaviour. Manafort had been brought in to replace Lewandowski with the blessing of senior figures within the Republican establishment who regarded him as a safe pair of hands who could help professionalise the campaign. However, his close connections to Russia, at a time when Trump is trying to criticise Clinton for taking money from foreign donors for the family foundation, were proving a growing problem. Trump is also felt to have felt increasingly surrounded by party operatives who do did not share his anti-establishment brand of politics and, as polls plunged, the 67-year-old Washington consultant proved yet another lightning rod for a tempestuous campaign. In a statement Trump suggested he role had peaked as an adviser during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where rival Ted Cruz had threatened to lead a revolt, but this time, offered no regret for the departure. “This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign,” said a statement from the Trump campaign issued on Friday morning. “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 Trump camp insisted that the hiring/promotion was neither the “shakeup” everyone said it was, nor a demotion for Manafort. Manafort has been the subject in the last two weeks of multiple reports exploring his work as a lobbyist for a pro-Kremlin political party in Ukraine, work that the Associated Press reported extended to stealth donations to US lobbying firms – illegal under federal law.

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