Former Trump Campaign Chair Paul Manafort Linked To Putin Interests: AP

In an exclusive report Wednesday afternoon, the Associated Press said that former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort secretly worked for a Russian billionaire in order to advance interests of President Vladimir Putin. The AP report says Manafort, who stepped down last year after his dealings with Russian operatives in the Ukraine became public, "proposed an ambitious political strategy to undermine anti-Russian opposition across former Soviet republics."

According to the AP:

Manafort pitched the plans to Russian aluminum magnate Oleg Deripaska, a close Putin ally with whom Manafort eventually signed a $10 million annual contract beginning in 2006, according to interviews with several people familiar with payments to Manafort and business records obtained by the AP. Manafort and Deripaska maintained a business relationship until at least 2009, according to one person familiar with the work.

In his press briefing Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer backed off his previous claims that Manafort served a "limited role" in the Trump campaign. Spicer acknowledged Wednesday that Manafort had a longer and more significant role in the campaign than he previously recognized but pointed to ostensible ties between Hillary Clinton campaign staff and Russian entities.

Spicer said he could not answer whether or not the president would have hired Manafort had he known the extent of his ties to foreign governments, including Russia and Putin. "Maybe, maybe not," he said, displaying frustration with the line of questioning.

Manafort resigned from his position in Trump's campaign last August.

Read the AP exclusive here.

Photo credit: Carolyn Kaster/ AP File