Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort Resigns
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Donald Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigned from the campaign on Friday.
In a statement, Trump said Manafort offered his resignation Friday morning. Trump praised Manafort and called him a "true professional" and thanked him for his "great work."
"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," Trump said.
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Manafort is stepping down in the wake of a campaign shake-up, as well as revelations about his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that Manafort's firm orchestrated a covert Washington lobbying operation on behalf of Ukraine's then-ruling political party.
Manafort and his deputy, Rick Gates, never disclosed their work as foreign agents as required under federal law.
Earlier in the week, the campaign added two new top officials to the campaign in a move widely seen as a demotion for Manafort.
The billionaire real estate mogul named Stephen Bannon of the conservative Breitbart News website as chief executive officer and promoted pollster Kellyanne Conway to campaign manager.
At the time, the campaign said Manafort would retain his title, but it was unclear if his role had changed.
At the time, the campaign said Manafort would retain his title, but it was unclear if his role had changed.
Manafort took over the reins following the departure of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski in June. He joined the campaign in March.
News of the resignation came just moments before Trump touched down in Baton Rouge to tour catastrophic flood damage in Louisiana. Trump supporters were exuberant to see him along with vice presidential nominee Mike Pence.
The Trump supporters were also dismissive of President Barack Obama, who has taken heat in conservative media for playing golf on Martha's Vineyard instead of coming to Louisiana.
As CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer reported, Trump was intent on showing a different side of himself by visiting the flood victims, and if in the process it showed up Democrats, so much the better.
In response to the attack on Obama for remaining on vacation, Trump allowed for himself what for him was a general rebuke of presidential priorities.
"It shouldn't be," he said.
But Trump's high-profile visit did little to mask the continued turmoil in his campaign.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's campaign pounced on Manafort's resignation, saying it was not the end of th estroy.
"You can get rid of Manafort," said Clinton campaign Manager Bobby Mook, "but that doesn't end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin."
Trump has also released his first ad of the general election, which claims that "In Hillary Clinton's America, the system stays rigged against Americans."
Meanwhile, Trump's rival released a new ad, calling out Trump for not releasing his tax returns.
"Either he's not anywhere near as wealthy as he says he is or there's a bombshell in Donald Trump's taxes," Mitt Romney is quoted as saying in the ad.
Clinton was not without problems Friday either. The email scandal continued to dog her campaign, with details emerging from her interview with the FBI showing that she claimed former Secretary of State Colin Powell advised her to use a persona email account.
In a statement, Powell said he used a personal AOL account for unclassified messages and said it, "vastly improved" communications within the department.
Meanwhile, CBS News has confirmed that the Clinton Foundation will no longer accept donations from foreign governments and corporations if she wins the presidential election.
Former president Bill Clinton will also resign from the board.
The foundation has proved controversial for Clinton, with her campaign denying that foundation donors received special treatment while she was Secretary of State.
Clinton has no campaign events on Friday. She was off the campaign trail celebrating Bill Clinton's 70th birthday.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
