Paul Manafort — a top advisor to Donald Trump who previously worked for Ukrainian oligarchs with ties to Vladimir Putin — balked at questions from Andrea Mitchell as to whether those relationships present conflicts of interests, particularly as Trump is expected to receive classified national security briefings once he becomes the official GOP nominee.
“The fact that you in the past have represented in your business life, some of these Russian allies in Ukraine, those who are close to Vladimir Putin, pro-Russian forces. Do your past clients or current clients conflict in any way with the classified intelligence briefings that Donald Trump, as the nominee, is going to get?” Mitchell asked Manafort, who was appearing on MSNBC Friday.
“Well I have no other clients except for Trump to start with, and I’m not getting the briefings, he’s getting the briefings,” Manafort said.
“And what about your past clients?” Mitchell followed up.
“I don’t have anymore clients,” Manafort said tersely.
Mitchell continued to press: “Do you have any conflicts, do you think, because of the people you represented in the past?”
But, Manafort brushed off the question again, saying, “No, I don’t represent them anymore.”
He then dodged her next question: “And on those classified briefings, they would not be shared with you? You wouldn’t be in the room?”
“I have no expectation of any of that being shared with me,” Manafort said.
