FBI agents searched one of the homes of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and it occurred the same morning that the president was busy making news on Twitter.
Manafort’s spokesman Jason Maloni confirmed the search on Wednesday, noting that Trump’s former staffer cooperated.
“Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well,” Maloni said in a statement on Wednesday.
Manafort, who has denied any wrongdoing, has been a subject of an ongoing FBI investigation into his dealings in Ukraine. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating Manafort as part of his probe into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Maloni didn’t specify when the raid occurred, but the Washington Post reported that it happened on the morning of July 26. The date is also when Trump sent a series of tweets bashing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who the president has publicly said he regrets hiring because he recused himself from the Russia investigation.
Trump tweeted that he would ban transgender people from the military on the same morning, which many political watchdogs assumed was simply designed to be a distraction against something larger.
Check out some of Trump’s July 26 tweets:
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
….victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
…big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
Manafort stepped down as chairman of the Trump campaign following the GOP primaries, shortly after Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway were added to the staff. Last summer, the AP reported that Manafort oversaw lobbying work that could have benefited the Ukrainian government. The lobbying was reportedly an attempt to promote a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party’s interests in Washington.