 Paul Manafort |
Paul Manafort, Trump's indicted former campaign manager, and his right-hand man Rick Gates approached 5W Public Relations CEO Ronn Torossian in 2012 to ask if he would work for them without registering with the Justice Dept. and agreeing to be paid via offshore accounts, according to Business Insider.
Torossian, who declined comment to O’Dwyer’s, told BI that he either met or spoke with Manafort and Gates multiple times to discuss a PR campaign “for billionaires and the Ukraine government.” They acted “like they controlled the government of Ukraine,” he said.
The 5W chief turned down potential Manafort/Gates work, telling BI that he “was uncomfortable” about dodging the Foreign Agents Registration Act and receiving payment from offshore accounts.
Torossian has represented ex-Trump advisor Felix Sater, Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Eric Trump’s foundation.
Manafort and Gates have pleaded not guilty to charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller.
Those charges include failing to file reports from foreign bank accounts and filing false or misleading statements about their lobbying work.
Tricia McLaughlin, the combative spokesperson for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is leaving her post.
While finding the right solution to a problem is still important, the work that differentiates effective communications leaders is problem-finding—identifying the real risk before it becomes visible, reputational or irreversible.
Orchestra has recruited Deepika Sandhu for the senior VP-legal & crisis communications slot.
Apologies are often seen as a weakness or as proof that a leader has lost control of the narrative. But Donald Trump's failure to apologize after he posted—and then deleted—a video with a racist clip of Barack and Michelle Obama shows how flawed this mindset is.
Tim Allan, communications director for embattled British prime minister Keir Starmer, has quit as the Jeffrey Epstein scandal has engulfed Ten Downing Street.
