Posted on 04/02/2016 9:39:46 AM PDT by conservativejoy
In public, Donald Trump is standing behind embattled campaign manager Corey Lewandowski as he faces battery charges for grabbing a reporter. But behind the scenes, Lewandowski's role in the campaign is shrinking.
In early March, Lewandowski ceded authority over many hiring decisions to a lower-ranking staffer. In recent days, the campaign’s press office has been overruling his decisions about issuing credentials for campaign events. Going forward, Trump’s just-named convention manager, Paul Manafort, is expected to take a leading role not just in the selection of delegates, but in the remaining primaries themselves, according to three people on or close to the campaign.
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. The shift is, in part, a natural outgrowth of the campaign’s maturation. But according to sources close to the campaign, it’s also at least partly the result of long-simmering concerns among some members of Trump’s inner circle about Lewandowski’s lack of national experience, his perceived unwillingness to challenge Trump and his brash temperament.
Those concerns got renewed attention this week, when Lewandowski was charged by police in Jupiter, Fla. with criminal battery related to a March 8 altercation with a reporter then working for the conservative Breitbart News.
“I’m not saying Corey’s going to be fired or anything because I don’t think he’s going to be, at least not at this juncture,” said a person involved in Trump’s campaign. “But Mr. Trump’s listening to other people now. The crew’s expanding. The inner circle is not what it used to be.”
Neither Lewandowski nor the campaign spokeswoman, Hope Hicks, responded to requests for comment.
Lewandowski’s once-outsized grip on the campaign began loosening soon after voting started this winter, when National Political Director Michael Glassner’s title was changed to deputy campaign manager, a change billed as a promotion.
“The move to deputy campaign manager was not something Corey wanted to happen because it put someone in line as a successor in case he had to leave,” said the person involved in Trump’s campaign. “It was an odd move to go from national political director to deputy anything.”
The move sparked enduring resentment towards Glassner among Lewandowski’s loyalists on the campaign, including the many friends he hired from his home state of New Hampshire and a number of his fellow alums of the Koch Brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity.
On March 2, the campaign promoted Stuart Jolly — another former AFP employee brought on by Lewandowski who had served as Southeast political director — to national field director, giving him primary authority over the hiring and firing of field staff.
Trump’s candidacy has consisted largely of high-octane rallies, and Lewandowski has been a near-constant presence at Trump’s side as the businessman tours the country in his private jet, often making it difficult for other campaign staff and Trump allies to communicate directly with the candidate, who carries a cell phone but does not regularly communicate by email himself.
“It’s hard to get things to Mr. Trump. It’s hard to get things around Corey unless you know one of the kids,” said the person involved in Trump’s campaign.
Four people close to the Trump family and campaign say the concerns about Lewandowski’s temperament and certain aspects of his performance extend deep into Trump's inner circle.
Lewandowski, a former New Hampshire state marine patrol officer, has a history as a confrontational anti-establishment figure stemming from his work running the failed 2002 reelection campaign of Sen. Bob Smith of New Hampshire, who was on the outs with the GOP after running for president as an independent two years earlier. Lewandowski cemented his anti-establishment bona fides during his time at Americans for Prosperity, where he antagonized some Republicans.
That reputation may compromise the campaign’s fledgling effort to court the Republican National Committee, its officials and members, one Trump friend suggested.
People close to Trump “have voiced concerns that Trump is not going to be able to win over the party apparatus if they have someone like Corey running the show,” the friend said.
Between March 15 and Trump’s reemergence on the campaign trail this week in Wisconsin, the businessman spent several days at Mar-a-Lago, one of the few places where Lewandowski remains far from his side.
During this period, Trump hired Manafort as convention manager, a move first reported by he New York Times on Monday. Manafort, is a longtime associate of Roger Stone, Trump’s friend and adviser, who left the campaign in August as Lewandowski consolidated control, but continued to serve as a surrogate for Trump and to consult with him.
Manafort has quickly taken charge of his own fiefdom in Washington, and is planning to hire a team of his own, which is likely to include several veterans of the 1976 Republican National Convention – the party’s last convention at which the presidential nomination was contested -- though he remains below Lewandowski on the organizational chart.
“He technically still reports to Corey and Corey technically still has the title,” according to a person familiar with Manafort’s role.
On March 8, Lewandowski was involved in an altercation with Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, who alleged Lewandowski roughly grabbed her following a press conference at Trump’s golf club in Jupiter, Florida. Lewandowski tweeted that Fields was “delusional” and that he had never touched her.
But on Tuesday, Jupiter police released security camera footage showing Lewandowski grabbing fields and announced that Lewandowski had been arrested on a criminal battery charge. Lewandowski and the campaign both maintain Lewandowski’s innocence.
On Tuesday Lewandowski was scheduled to appear on Fox News’ the O’Reilly Factor but the campaign scrapped the appearance.
Trump has forcefully defended his campaign manager in the face of mounting criticism. Trump even blamed Fields for the incident, threatening to file charges against her, saying she grabbed him and that a pen she held in her hand could have been a dangerous weapon.
Privately, Lewandowski’s authority has continued to wane.
Following scrutiny of the campaign’s habit of denying press credentials to reporters whose coverage displeases the candidate and his staff, the press office has overridden Lewandowski’s decisions about issuing press credentials, according to the person involved in Trump’s campaign.
Many news organizations, including POLITICO, have had reporters excluded from Trump’s rallies and events, often after publishing stories critical of the candidate or his aides.
Paul Manafort? Paul Manafort? Where have I heard that name?
A senior aide to Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump helped a scandal-plagued Ukrainian oligarch with ties to political and criminal figures in Russia park millions of dollars in offshore real estate investments, according to documents released as part of a federal racketeering suit.
The lawsuit, brought by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, accused U.S. political consultant Paul Manafort of complicity in a complex scheme of retaliation against Tymoshenko and her political allies for impeding the business interests of Ukrainian gas tycoon Dmitry Firtash.
…
Tymoshenko claimed that CMZ and other Manafort-run firms were backed not just by Firtash but also by Semion Mogilevich, a Ukrainian national deeply involved in Russian organized crime. Tymoshenko’s lawsuit referred to Mogilevich as a “silent partner” in Group DF.
Mogilevich is “involved in weapons trafficking, contract murders, extortion, drug trafficking, and prostitution on an international scale,” according to the FBI.
In a meeting with the American ambassador to Ukraine in late 2008, Firtash “acknowledged ties to Russian organized crime figure Seymon Mogilevich, stating he needed Mogilevich’s approval to get into business in the first place,” according to a State Department cable released by Wikileaks.
“Firtash acknowledged that he needed, and received, permission from Mogilievich when he established various businesses, but he denied any close relationship to him,” according to the cable.
Firtash is currently wanted by the FBI, which has sought to extradite him to the U.S. on bribery charges since his 2014 apprehension in Austria.
The Trump campaign did not respond to questions about its knowledge of Manafort’s work for Firtash, or the latter’s alleged criminality or ties to the Russian mob. Efforts to reach Manafort were not successful.
And
In 1989, Manafort was hauled in front of a congressional panel for allegedly working to steer funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development into a slum-like New Jersey real estate development. Manafort, caused a stir then on the Hill with a tart defense of his profession. “You might call it influence-peddling,” he said, according to reports. “I call it lobbying.”
This is the perfect addition to the Trump team. A political fixer with strong ties to the Russian mob and various dictators. What could possibly go wrong?
This is political BS.
This is the perfect addition to the Trump team. A political fixer with strong ties to the Russian mob and various dictators. What could possibly go wrong?
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Maybe Paul Manafort could ride into Cleveland, Ohio in the middle of the pack of Trump’s Motorcycle Gang! Think of the optics for the pantywaists in the GOPee! This is going to be fun! Got to buy more popcorn! ;-)
One reason that Corey has hung on this long is the fact mentioned that he doesn’t confront Trump.
Trump desperately needs a strong campaign manager who WILL confront him and steer him away from his frequent snafus.
But he doesn’t like people who confront him or people who are smarter than him.
This is the media cartel loudly proclaiming: See what we did! See, we count, we had an effect on Trump’s campaign.
See, we are relevant!!
They are trying to show that they are still in charge.
Thanks for the background on Manafort. I had no idea. Time will tell if this is a plus or a minus. Lewandowski needed to be scaled back some. He has a tendency to impulsively grab people in order to control their movements. I’m not talking about the Michelle Fields incident which was kinda nothing, but there have been other moments, filmed moments when he should have called for Secret Service to act.
Paul Manafort is the best “vote getter” in the business, and an excellent addition to the Trump Team. To stop Cruz’s delegate-stealing dead in his tracks.
Newt praised Manafort as the “best in the business” and his work on behalf of Ford, Reagan, both Bushes and Bob Dole.
Let’s see...that’s about all the Republican WINNERS for the past 30 years, isn’t it?
A sensible move which any leader would make. Same holds true in a military attack. This election is all out war. Fight it like one.
bs
Far as I’m concerned you’re wasting bandwidth I’m voting Trump.
Good enough at his job that he is considered an expert and hired world wide !
Newt praised Paul Manafort, recently hired for the job, as the “best in the business” and mentioned his work on behalf of Ford, Reagan, both Bushes and Bob Dole.....Republican WINNERS the past 30 years.
Ergo, we might conclude, Paul Manafort is the best “vote getter” in the business, and an excellent addition to the Trump Team.
Finally, I can agree with ONE thing you posted.
But he doesn’t like people who confront him or people who are smarter than him.
Aw crap. You had to blow it, didn't you?
“In 1989, Manafort was hauled in front of a congressional panel for allegedly ...”
THREE THINGS to consider:
1. in 1989 WHO controlled the House and Senate?
2. what does the word ‘allegedly’ mean? Do you know?
3. could the answer to 1), above, have anything to do with the allegations cited?
Gotta wonder if posters read the articles, much less understand them, before posting. Maybe posters think they’ve got a ‘gotcha’ against the OTHER candidate?
altura you are delusional. Trump didn’t succeeded by surrounding himself with ass kissers. And the fact that he is taking advice from Sen Sessions kinda blows your argument out of the water.
This is ‘politico’
ignore them
Trump could promote him to top adviser and politico would say he was ‘removed from his current post’
Still, Trump needs to reel it back a notch. He needs to get out of the personal and get back to policy.
<><> don't lie to him
<><> don't embarrass him
<><> don't steal from him
I would imagine he/s bringing some of that to his campaign.
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