Former Trump adviser Paul Manafort was removed from a plane at Miami International Airport before taking off for Dubai because he was carrying a revoked passport
MIAMI — Former Trump adviser Paul Manafort was removed from a plane at Miami International Airport before it took off for Dubai because he was carrying a revoked passport, officials said Wednesday.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta confirmed that Manafort was removed from the Emirates Airline flight without incident on Sunday evening, but directed further questions to US Customs and Border Protection. That agency did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday seeking comment.
A lawyer who represented Manafort did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment on Wednesday.
Manafort, 72, led former President Donald Trump’s campaign for several months during the 2016 presidential race, but was ousted in August of that year after revelations about his business dealings in Ukraine.
He was later charged with a wide range of financial crimes as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Trump campaign ties to Russia. He was found guilty by a jury in August 2018 and later pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington.
In May 2020, Manafort was released from a low-security prison where he was serving a federal sentence of more than seven years amid concerns over the coronavirus. Although Manafort did not serve long enough to be eligible for release under the guidelines, the Bureau of Prisons decided to release him due to his age and health vulnerabilities, a person familiar with the matter said. case. Trump pardoned Manafort in December 2020.
The removal of Manafort was first reported by the Knewz.com website.
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The name of US Customs and Border Protection has been corrected in this story.
ABC News
