Trump advisers Manafort and Gates waged covert influence campaign for previous Ukraine ruling party
Thu, 18 Aug 2016

The emails show Gates personally directed two Washington lobbying firms, Mercury and the Podesta Group, between 2012 and 2014 to set up meetings between a top Ukrainian official and senators and congressman on influential committees involving Ukrainian interests. Gates noted in the emails that the official, Ukraine's foreign minister, did not want to use his own embassy in the United States to help coordinate the visits.

https://archive.is/qh5wK