KNIFE TWIST

Eric Trump: Dad Didn’t Want Manafort’s ‘Baggage’

Donald’s son explains campaign chief’s exit.

Hours after Paul Manafort announced his resignation from the Trump presidential campaign Friday, the GOP nominee’s son strongly suggested to Fox News that the former chairman was actually fired. “My father didn’t want to be, you know, distracted by whatever things Paul was dealing with,” Eric Trump told Fox Business News anchor Maria Bartiromo, before praising the ex-campaign chief for his “amazing” work in getting Trump to the Republican National Convention. Although he did not explicitly specify the “distractions,” the Trump son was alluding to various reports connecting Manafort to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, lobbying firms, and foreign cash transfers. “My father just didn’t want to have the distraction looming over the campaign and, quite frankly, looming over all the issues that Hillary is facing right now,” Trump reiterated to Fox Business.