Up North Progressive

Donald Trump and the media have had a rocky relationship for months. Much to everyone’s delight the media has done their part to report about the dumpster fire Trump campaign. Reporters gleefully dug up the fact that Trump tossed Corey Lewandowski for Paul Manafort, and that Manafort suspiciously worked pro-bono for the Trump Campaign. In April we learned about Paul Manafort was a partner in a consulting firm that tried to improve the image of some of the most repulsive authoritarian rulers on the planet, the most recent addition to Manafort’s portfolio of tyrants being disgraced former President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych.

Wild speculation that members of Trump’s campaign staff could possibly be on the Kremlin payroll gave us the story that a week before the Republican National Convention, Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page spent time in Russia. When he returned, the Trump campaign insisted the Republican Party Platform change their stance on Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine, including the illegal annexation of Crimea.

When Wikileaks released DNC emails the day before the Democratic National Convention, and smug libertarian rapist Julian Assange gloated over the fact the DNC email servers were compromised by Russian hackers, it became obvious to anyone paying attention that the Kremlin had a stake in who won the White House in November. A week later, when Trump begged Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s 30,000 emails, the people who were paying attention became alarmed and disgusted with Donald Trump.

As Republicans refused to endorse Trump, and some said they wouldn’t vote for him in November, Trump continued his diatribe against the press. The Washington Post, CNN and the New York Times among many others have all been the subject of Trump’s haiku-like tweets accusing them of lying, making things up, and threatening to pull their credentials to his campaign. Then Trump rally attendees also vented at the press to show their support for Trump.

Trump supporter swings by the press pen in Kissimmee, FL to let us know we’re number one!! pic.twitter.com/WzUPBal7nW

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) August 12, 2016

Here’s the funny thing about the media: If you insist on smacking at that hornet’s nest with a stick, the hornets will eventually come after you. People Magazine jumped into the swarm with their story about Ivanka Trump taking a break from her dad’s campaign, and raising her four month old baby to take a holiday in Croatia with Putin’s girlfriend, Wendi Deng Murdoch. This doesn’t look the least bit suspicious at all, right? Ivanka and Wendi have actually known each other for years, and it was Wendi that introduced Ivanka to her husband. It should also be shared that Wendi Deng Murdoch emphatically denies she’s in a relationship with the Russian president. As if that matters at this point, right? This is the 2016 election, and nothing matters.

And if that wasn’t crazy enough to end the week, Late Sunday night on August 14, Corey Lewandowski got the jump on everyone and tweeted this New York Times article about Paul Manafort, the guy who took his job on the Trump Campaign, still secretly working for Yanukovych after all these years and being paid millions to do it.

Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump’s Campaign Chief https://t.co/7bh7iIHHaY

— Corey Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) August 15, 2016

Euromaidan has been over for a couple of years, but the investigation into the corruption of the Yanukovych administration is ongoing. If it’s true Manafort was secretly paid millions to continue his work in Ukraine aiding pro-Russian politicians to regain power, what are the chances he’s working for the Kremlin to get Trump elected? Why would Manafort maintain an office in Kyiv when his client left the country over two years ago?
Manafort released a statement early Monday morning denying all of the allegations against him. In the election year where literally nothing matters, it may take more for this story to really pick up steam. Adam Weinstein tweeted that it will.

Speaking as someone who has a story coming this week: This is just the beginning for Manafort. It gets worse. https://t.co/5KTUsIHbX1

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) August 15, 2016

It will be fun to watch and see which news source beats the others to report more on Trump’s Kremlin connections.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump continues to whinge about the media being unfair and lacking facts (meaning only publishing articles that make him look good) and has a “Mainstream Media Accountability” survey on his campaign website.