Another cheeky article by Chris Lehmann on the workings of influence peddling low-life, this time a tale of Manafort’s fate somewhat accidentally undone by a convergence of folks spinning round Maria Butina, NRA super fan. The piece also points to one from the Daily Beast on the gun doll herself.
You can’t write this stuff. Lehmann describes of the type of career path both Manafort and Butina have chosen. His point is to remind us that for every sleazy politician, banker, oligarch, there’s some creep out there willing to make it good. In this rendering, the deep state looks less like an entrenched star chamber and more like a collection of grifters and con artists working overtime to network habitual thieves and gangsters and keep the money rolling. The roll call in this piece alone is worth the price of admission, and you gotta admit, the girl has a great smile.
