LEGAL/PAUL MANAFORT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A Chicago bank chairman has been indicted in Manhattan on a charge that he issued millions of dollars in high-risk loans to President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in an effort to obtain a senior position in the administration, federal authorities said on Thursday [5-23-19]. Prosecutors said the chairman, Stephen M. Calk of Federal Savings Bank, pushed the bank to give Mr. Manafort $16 million in loans in 2016 in exchange for help in procuring an appointment for Mr. Calk. Just after the election, Mr. Calk, 54, sent Mr. Manafort a list of 10 positions ranked in order of preference, including Treasury secretary, commerce secretary and defense secretary, according to the indictment unsealed in Federal District Court. At the time, Mr. Manafort was trying to stave off foreclosure on several properties and desperately needed capital, the indictment said.”
–Benjamin Weiser and William K. Rashbaum, “Banker Accused of Arranging $16 Million in Loans to Manafort to Gain High-Level Trump Post,” The New York Times online, May 23, 2019