Paul Manafort, the convicted Republican strategist who was pardoned by President-elect Donald Trump in 2020, has assembled a group of advisers for Trump 2024 with the aim of securing consulting opportunities for far-right political parties in Europe and South America, according to a report.
The New York Times, referencing documents and interviews, reported that Manafort engaged in discussions to assist a billionaire supporter of Marine Le Pen, the head of France’s far-right Rassemblement National, and sought out potential connections in Ukraine, where his pro-Putin behavior has attracted the attention of U.S. authorities.
A memorandum promoting Manafort’s team—featuring Trump’s 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita and his 2024 pollster Tony Fabrizio—was recently shared in Kyiv, as reported by the Times, where it generated considerable interest.
Manafort informed the Times that he has been approached “by multiple parties in Ukraine,” but claimed he has “never put forward a proposal on any matter to anyone in Ukraine.”
LaCivita stated that he and Fabrizio “are not presently under contract” with Manafort’s team, emphasizing that “effective political consultants from both right and left often undertake political consulting internationally.”
Throughout his extensive consulting career, Manafort has lobbied for various contentious foreign entities, including the former leader of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, the former leader of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko, and the pro-Russian administration of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
In connection with his dealings in the latter case, he was sentenced to 47 months in prison for bank and tax fraud in 2019. Oligarchs allied with Yanukovych lavished Manafort with tens of millions of dollars, and even after Yanukovych’s regime fell in 2014, he maintained connections with them and other pro-Kremlin figures.
His indictment was part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election, leading to an additional 43-month sentence when it was discovered he had lied to investigators in violation of a plea deal.
The Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee concluded in 2020 that Manafort’s links to individuals with Russian intelligence backgrounds during his time as Trump’s campaign manager “posed a serious counterintelligence risk.”
Nonetheless, Trump’s electoral win in November has rejuvenated Manafort’s prospects in global consulting, as noted by his associates and rivals in discussions with the Times.
A proposal sent to French billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin, who intends to invest $150 million over the next decade in far-right parties in France—including Le Pen’s—proposed to “develop an innovative and comprehensive campaign strategy” to target voters and employ opposition research to undermine rivals.
Stérin’s associate Arnaud Rérolle conveyed to the Times that he had a conversation with Manafort, whose team agreed to furnish the proposal. However, they chose not to enter into a contract with his team.
Manafort may also consider Peru, where the Times reported he conversed with a representative of Lima Mayor Rafael López Aliaga last month. Aliaga leads the conservative Popular Renewal and is a likely presidential candidate for 2026.
