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AP has an exclusive, and it's a doozy. Follow the money and you find out there are a million reasons to link Paul Manafort to Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Okay, one-point-two million. Dollars. But who's counting, really? The Associated Press, that's who:
Last August, a handwritten ledger surfaced in Ukraine with dollar amounts and dates next to the name of Paul Manafort, who was then Donald Trump's campaign chairman.
Ukrainian investigators called it evidence of off-the-books payments from a pro-Russian political party — and part of a larger pattern of corruption under the country's former president. Manafort, who worked for the party as an international political consultant, has publicly questioned the ledger's authenticity.
Now, financial records newly obtained by The Associated Press confirm that at least $1.2 million in payments listed in the ledger next to Manafort's name were actually received by his consulting firm in the United States. They include payments in 2007 and 2009, providing the first evidence that Manafort's firm received at least some money listed in the so-called Black Ledger.
He can say "fake news" all he wants, but the bank records line up with the ledger. Always, always, follow the money. And one more thing:
