Two weeks after Paul Manafort secured a multi-million dollar loan from Federal Savings Bank he recommended the bank’s CEO for several high-level posts in the Trump administration, newly released emails show.
Manafort had served as Trump campaign chairman for a time but was not involved in the campaign at the time the emails were written.
The correspondence was presented as part of the investigation being conducted by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. In relation to that investigation Mueller has indicted Manafort on a slew of charges including tax fraud, money laundering and lying to the FBI.
The emails were released last night by Mueller before the prosecution rested its case in the trial against Manafort. Manafort’s defense rested its case today without calling a single witness.
In the emails, Manafort writes to President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and recommends Federal Savings Bank’s CEO, Stephen Calk, be made the Secretary of the Army. The email was written on November 30, 2016, nearly three weeks after Donald Trump won election as president.
“Jared,
I am attaching resumes of 3 individuals who should be a part of the Trump Administration. All are supporters since before the nomination was secured and have been active in the campaign.
The 3 indivituals [sic] are people who I believe advance DT agenda. They will be totally reliable and responsive to the Trump White House.
I am available to give you details on the work they did in the campaign or on their backgrounds.
Stephen Calk
Calk was active supporter of campaign since April. HE served on the National Economic Policy
Advisory Committee for Trump campaign and has made over 40 television interviews during the course of the General Election. His background is strong in defense issues, management and finance. His preference is Secretary of the Army.
Recommended Position: Secretary of the Army”
Manafort goes on to recommend alternative positions for Calk including undersecretary positions at the Department of the Treasury and a deputy secretary position at the Commerce Department.
“On it!” Kushner responds.
Records show that two weeks prior to that email exchange Manafort secured a $9.5 million loan from Calk’s bank. The day before the loan closed, Calk emailed a “memo” outlining his qualifications for the Army secretary post, as well as a summary of the support Calk gave then-candidate Trump during the campaign.
The memo was prepared at Manafort’s request.
It also included a list of “perspective rolls” Calk wanted in the Trump administration, as well as a list of perspective ambassadorships Calk wanted. Both lists of positions were in rank order. The U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Spain were Calk’s top five coveted U.S. ambassadorships.
Calk was ever offered any role on his preferred lists in the Trump administration.
The evidence is particularly damaging to the Trump White House though, because it shows a willingness to entertain the trading of senior-level posts in the administration to individuals who helped secure millions of dollars in funding to senior members of the campaign.
Many experts believe the Mueller investigation is trying to leverage evidence it has against Manafort into evidence of wrongdoing against other members of the Trump campaign and even the president himself.
The judge in Manafort’s case, Judge T.S. Ellis, instructed both the prosecution and the defense to prepare to deliver closing arguments to the jury beginning 9:30 A.M. ET on Wednesday. Both sides are to keep their closing remarks to a maximum of two hours per Ellis’ instructions.
According to that schedule the jury could begin deliberations in the case as early as tomorrow night.
Photo by Federal Savings Bank