--- description: Donald Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort denied a report that political leaders in Ukraine earmarked millions in cash for him. title: Donald Trump's Campaign Chief Slams Report on Ukraine Payments image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd520ea900176dc18/6988a25b8e0601214246724d/gettyimages-524993070.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Donald Trump's Campaign Chief Slams Report on Ukraine Payments by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:10 AM CUTPublished: Aug 15, 2016 12:59 PM CUT  Paul Manafort, advisor to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign, checks the teleprompters before Trump's speech at the Mayflower Hotel April 27, 2016 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images Paul Manafort, advisor to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign, checks the teleprompters before Trump's speech at the Mayflower Hotel April 27, 2016 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla—Getty ImagesChip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Maya Rhodan](/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 4:10 AM CUTPublished: Aug 15, 2016 12:59 PM CUT Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort [denied](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/paul-manafort-ukraine-payment-new-york-times-227004#ixzz4HOoM5iUd "undefined") [a New York _Times_ report](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined") that political leaders in Ukraine earmarked millions in undisclosed cash for him. The _Times_ reported that the political party of Ukraine’s pro-Russian former president Viktor Yanukovych set aside $12.7 million in undisclosed payments for the campaign operative. Manafort responded to the report in a [statement sent to NBC News](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/paul-manafort-ukraine-payment-new-york-times-227004#ixzz4HOoM5iUd "undefined") on Monday, calling it “unfounded, silly and nonsensical.” “I have never received a single ‘off-the-books cash payment’ as falsely ‘reported’ by the New York _Times_ nor have I ever done work for the governments of Ukraine or Russia,” Manafort said, adding that any payments he did receive overseas were for his entire political team. “This suggestion that I accepted cash payments is unfounded, silly, and nonsensical.” The [_Times_ report](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined") said anti-corruption officials are investigating the earmarked payments, which were recorded on a secret ledger, though they have not determined whether or not Manafort actually received any cash. Manafort said his work in Ukraine ended after the 2014 parliamentary elections. The Hillary Clinton campaign has also responded to the report, saying the report raises questions about the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. “Given the pro-Putin policy stances adopted by Donald Trump and the recent Russian government hacking and disclosure of Democratic Party records, Donald Trump has a responsibility to disclose campaign chair Paul Manafort’s and all other campaign employees’ and advisers’ ties to Russia and pro-Kremlin entities,” the [statement reads](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cp5z6hnWcAEx3pV.jpg "undefined"). [Read the _Times_ story here](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?%5Fr=1 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4452164/donald-trump-paul-manafort-ukraine/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4452164/donald-trump-paul-manafort-ukraine/"},"headline":"Donald Trump's Campaign Chief Slams Report on Ukraine Payments","datePublished":"2016-08-15T12:59:25.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T04:10:07.000Z","description":"\"Unfounded, silly, and nonsensical\"","url":"https://time.com/4452164/donald-trump-paul-manafort-ukraine/","keywords":["2016 Election","Ukraine","russia","2016 Election topic","2016","Election 2016","Donald Trump","Paul Manafort"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd520ea900176dc18/6988a25b8e0601214246724d/gettyimages-524993070.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd520ea900176dc18/6988a25b8e0601214246724d/gettyimages-524993070.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GOP Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Gives Foreign Policy Address In DC","caption":"GOP Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Gives Foreign Policy Address In DC","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4452164/donald-trump-paul-manafort-ukraine/","name":"Donald Trump's Campaign Chief Slams Report on Ukraine Payments"}}]}] ```