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Paul John Manafort Jr. is an American lobbyist, political consultant, former lawyer, and convicted felon. A long time Republican Party campaign consultant, he joined Donald Trump's presidential campaign team in March 2016, and was campaign chairman from June to August 2016. He was convicted of tax and bank fraud in 2018 and forfeited his license to practice law in January 2019. Manafort has served as an adviser to the U.S. presidential campaigns of Republicans Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bob Dole. In 1980, he co-founded the Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm Black, Manafort & Stone, along with principals Charles R. Black Jr., and Roger J. Stone, joined by Peter G. Kelly in 1984. Manafort often lobbied on behalf of foreign leaders such as former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, former dictator of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, former dictator of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko, and Angolan guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi. Lobbying to serve the interests of foreign governments