Paul Manafort: With his name in the news, here’s what you need to know

The name, Paul Manafort, continues to surface in news reports. Sources on the Senate Intelligence Committee told CNN that the Committee wants “all the potential Trump associates who allegedly spoke with Russian officials to testify before the committee.”

And that would include Paul Manafort.

Also on the potential witness list: Michael Flynn, former National Security Adviser; and Carter Page, a former campaign advisor. FBI Director James Comey was on Capitol Hill meeting eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives, the so-called Gang of Eight, who have access to highly classified information.

Who is Paul Manafort?

Paul Manafort is widely recognized as one of the top GOP political strategists who spent most of his time as an operative behind the scenes.

But last year, Paul Manafort agreed to take on a more public role when he participated in the presidential campaign of Donald Trump by agreeing to lead Mr. Trump’s efforts at the Republican National Convention should Mr. Trump not receive enough delegates to clinch the nomination outright.

But when Mr. Trump accomplished that, Paul Manafort’s experience and political adroitness led to his ascension to the position of campaign manager for the Trump’s campaign. And his role and visibility expanded in a big way. He ran the campaign and involved in nearly every aspect–from long-range strategic planning to the day-to-day.

After putting the Trump campaign on its path to victory, Manafort resigned. But he continued to have influence on the Trump campaign and on the man who’d become President of the United States.

Though Manafort’s back in the spotlight again amid reports that he and other senior Trump advisers were in regular communication during the campaign with Russians–an allegation Manafort emphatically denies–Manafort has an impressive background that the media rarely reports.

His first big break came in 1976, when Paul Manafort worked with James A. Baker when he served as the delegate hunt coordinator for eight states for the President Gerald Ford Committee.

Paul Manafort would later serve as the southern coordinator for Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign and the deputy political director at the Republican National Committee from 1978 and 1980. After the elections, he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the U.S. Government’s development finance institution, mobilizes private capital to help solve critical development challenges and in doing so, advances U.S. foreign policy. Because OPIC works with the U.S. private sector, it helps U.S. businesses gain footholds in emerging markets, catalyzing revenues, jobs and growth opportunities both at home and abroad. OPIC achieves its mission by providing investors with financing, political risk insurance, and support for private equity funds.

Paul Manafort also advised the presidential campaigns of George H.W. Bush in 1988 and Bob Dole in 1996.

“During the Dole convention, colleagues nicknamed Manafort “the Count” after the Count of Monte Cristo for his dashing manner and winning ways,” writes Fortune magazine.

But now he’s facing tough questions and he’s under investigation.

As Fortune put it “Sharp blades are pointing at his throat, and we’ll soon see if this skilled political swordsman can duel his way out of this new potential scandal.”