To the Editor:

In October of 2005, I arrived in Ukraine as a Peace Corps (PC) volunteer. At that time, PC Ukraine was the largest PC program among served countries. Considering the size of the country and the geopolitical importance of the area, it was not difficult to understand why. I was there to teach English, as were most of my fellow volunteers. Around this same time, Paul Manafort began consulting for the pro-Russian political party which had lost control of the presidency the year prior.

Are you familiar with the Orange Revolution? Victor Yushchenko, a pro-Western candidate, had dared to challenge the ruling pro-Russian party candidate Victor Yanukovych. During the campaign, Yushchenko suffered from a mysterious case of dioxin poisoning. Although his health was greatly weakened and his face was pockmarked from the poisoning, he marched on with his campaign. 

On election night, the pro-Russian candidate, Victor Yanukovych, was declared the winner; however, due to the actions of some brave individuals with knowledge of the vote tally, word quickly spread that the election results were fraudulent. It has been estimated that close to 1 million Ukrainians wearing orange (hence the “Orange Revolution”) took to the streets of the capital demanding that their votes be fairly counted. The government consented to new elections, and this time Yushchenko officially carried the vote. 

Upon his arrival in Ukraine, Paul Manafort became the principle designer of the strategy of the pro-Russian party, sowing the seeds of discontent that would ensure Yushchenko be only a one-term president. Yanukovych, after having been rejected by the Ukrainian people just five years prior, would carry the vote. 

Like any good political consultant, Paul Manafort did what he had to do. And like any good dictator, Victor Yanukovych did what he had to do: eliminating dissension in his government, restricting freedom of the press, and restricting the movements and activities of his political rivals including the imprisonment of his chief political opponent. Four years later, after Yanukovych backed out of a partnership with the European Union due to pressure from the Russian government, thousands of Ukrainians once again took to the streets. But unlike the bloodless Orange Revolution, this time violence erupted as government forces fired upon unarmed protesters.

In the coming days, government resistance would collapse and Yanukovych would flee the country to Russia, where he supposedly resides to this day. Manafort would continue consulting for Yanukovych and his political party for some time after.

Paul Manafort worked against America’s interest in Ukraine, undermining foreign policy objectives of the Bush and Obama administrations and thwarting democratic progress, all while garnering millions of dollars. In August, a jury of his peers convicted him on eight counts of bank fraud and tax evasion. It’s hard to blame President Trump for hiring Manafort as his campaign manager; after all, Manafort was good at what he did. 

The puzzlement for me is why would President Trump defend a convicted felon, deemed guilty by a jury of his fellow Americans. It only furthers the impression that our president has no respect for the rule of law, whether judge or jury, or simply that he indeed has something to hide. Now that Manafort has struck a plea deal regarding the charges he faced in an upcoming second trial, a deal in which he pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy and has agreed to cooperate fully with special counsel Robert Mueller, we shall soon find out the truth.

Bill Covin

Haywood County