Epstein Secrets

, had a long career of work for leading Republicans, including presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. But by the time he became Donald Trump's campaign chairman in 2016, Manafort was best known for his work on behalf of foreign political leaders, including several with distinctly autocrati

se, 2016), http‘Wfreedomhouse otglreport/heedom•world/free- dom•vmrl47I116t 3. See, among others, Steve Rosenberg, 'Russian Media's Love Affair with Trump:British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), November 2, 20161 4. Javier Corrales, "Autocratic Legalism in Venezuela,' Journal of Democracy 26, na 2 (Ap

yed a clear preference for Republi- can candidate Donald Trump and disdain for Clinton.3) For Putin, the

ce the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Donald Trump's favor? The answer to that question may never be

vil Society in Russia,' Human Rights Watch, February 24, 2017, Ittps://www.hrw.org/ news/2017/02/24/briefine-shrinkine-spacecivil-society-russia. 10. Tanya Lokshina, 'Russia Civil Society Deemed 'Undesirable,- Open Democracy, May 20, 2015, https://www.hrw.ore/ news/7015/05/20/ressian.rivil.sociev-deemed-undesir

se made famous by the former secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, “a known unknown.” Just as likely he co

toParty: Courtesy Ena and Ines Talakic Anatoly Kucherena: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko Snowden’s first appearance in Russia: Human Rights Watch, Tanya Lokshina Anna Chapman: AP Photo/Sergei Karpukhin, Pool, File Poitras, Greenwald, and Mills: Kevin Winter/Getty Images | | Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.indd 3

l Society in Russia,” Human Rights Watch, February 24, 2017, https:/Awww.hrw.org/ news/2017/02/24/briefing-shrinking-space-civil-society-russia. 10. Tanya Lokshina, “Russia Civil Society Deemed ‘Undesirable,” Open Democracy, May 20, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/ news/2015/05/20/russian-civil-society-deemed-undesira

reedom House Chapter 6 Flacks and Friends Did the Russian government attempt to surrepti- tiously influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election in Donald Trump's favor? The answer to that question may never be definitively known. There is, neverthe- less, a critical mass of evidence that Kremlin-allied forces

t-truth era,” in which lies and distortions carry as much weight as facts. Clearly, at least some of this hand-wring- ing was a partisan reaction to Trumps victory. But it followed an election in which the winning candidate falsely claimed, among other things, that the balloting was rigged against him, t