Paul Manafort
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Former Trump campaign chairman needed to avoid being seen as a 'rat' in prison.
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The government called them "FSB pawns" for allegedly cooperating with Russian efforts to destabilize Ukraine.
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This is your TPM afternoon briefing.
Word on the street (or, rather, Axios) is that President Trump is going to issue a wave of pardons today as a grand gesture of Christmas clemency to some of his closest friends and family.