AGENDA 21 RADIO

By Nick Arama

The trial of Paul Manafort is well underway and one of the main things that the Mueller prosecutors are trying to do is tar him with connections to Ukrainian oligarchs who have connections to Russia. But a picture that just dropped shows how challenging that effort may be.

Manafort isn’t charged with anything having to do with collusion or the election. In fact, he’s only charged with things that occurred prior to his working for Trump.

He’s charged with money laundering, failure to file reports of financial accounts overseas and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. Most of this has to do with work he did for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, a pro-Russia candidate.

From Conservative Tribune:

The Mueller team has tried to use Manafort’s ties to Russia as part of a campaign of innuendo in the courtroom, a tactic that has drawn considerable irritation from the presiding judge. Among the things brought up by the prosecution are a loan from Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and financial accounts abroad controlled by Konstantin V. Kilimnik, who prosecutors allege has ties with Russian intelligence.

All of this, mind you, took place before Manafort became involved in the Trump campaign, where his tenure was roughly the amount of time it takes an avocado to get ripe. Let’s also note that Manafort — a former Reagan campaign worker and lobbyist — was mostly foisted upon Trump by the Republican establishment after the two sides came to the uncomfortable realization, at a late point in the primary process, that they were stuck with one another.

In the collusion conspiracy theory involving Manafort being some kind of pivotal figure, the fact that Yanukovych was pro-Russia figures heavily.

So that’s why this photo and the history behind it is kind of ironic.

This is Yanukovych and Mueller meeting in Kiev when Mueller was the head of the FBI.

The meeting in Kiev took place two months after the Boston Marathon bombing, according to The Daily Beast, and centered around counterterrorism operations.

“Ukrainian-American cooperation efficiently develops in many spheres of mutual interest,” Yanukovych said during Mueller’s trip, according to a Facebook post from the time by the Ukraine Embassy.

“Your visit is very interesting for Ukraine and relations between our law enforcement bodies have established good traditions of cooperation and communication in the course of 20 years. I am confident that there is a potential for further broadening of cooperation.”

At the meeting, the Ukrainian leader said that he was very close to signing an agreement with the European Union.

“There are some preparations left but I hope that we will fulfill everything and sign the agreement,” Yanukovych said during the meeting, according to The Daily Beast. The agreement, which The Daily Beast describes as “a key focus of Paul Manafort’s lobbying work for Yanukovych” — was never signed.

So Manafort was working on one of the points that Mueller and Yanukovych discussed that would seem to draw the Ukraine closer to the European Union (and presumably more away from Russia).

The look is, to say the least ironic.

This is the same guy that Tony Podesta is also supposed to be connected to through his lobbying efforts. Podesta’s firm was also named in the Manafort indictment and NY federal prosecutors are looking into his case, according to reports.

And this on top of the Mueller team being scolded by the judge about trying to make links to oligarchs that have nothing to do with the charges.

On Monday, the judge in Manafort’s case told lead prosecutor Greg D. Andres that he didn’t want to hear any more speculation about why oligarchs might have wanted to pay the lobbyist for his advice, instead advising him — as The New York Times says the judge frequently has — to “go to the heart of the matter.”

“Judge, we have been at the heart of the matter,” Andres said, exasperated.

That’s the heart of the matter for the Mueller team, apparently — and it’s why so many Americans are so skeptical.