“Four years after receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump for crimes related to foreign lobbying, Paul Manafort is again seeking business from political interests abroad,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Manafort, who led Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign for a few months, has assembled a team of consultants who helped run Mr. Trump’s 2024 effort and is looking to advise campaigns for opposition and far-right political factions in Latin America and Europe.”

“Mr. Manafort has discussed working for a French billionaire supporting anti-immigration politicians including Marine Le Pen, as well as an ultraconservative Peruvian mayor seen as a possible presidential candidate. Mr. Manafort has even engaged with interests in Ukraine, the country where his work for Russia-aligned interests led to his downfall.”

Just after the election results came in, David Plouffe took a dig at President Biden: “We dug out of a deep hole but not enough.”

He then deleted his X account.

“The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday finalized a $6 million fine for a political consultant over fake robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice, urging New Hampshire voters not to vote in that state’s Democratic primary,” Reuters reports.

James Carville has made no qualms about his dislike of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and on his podcast promised to “deal with him” after the November election.

Said Carville: “He’s somebody that must be dealt with, and must be dealt with in real terms.”

He also called Fetterman “one of the great backstabbers in modern Democratic politics.”

“Stephen Bannon, the longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, will have to report to federal prison on Monday after the Supreme Court rejected his final effort to stave off a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress,” the New York Times reports.

“After pleading guilty to money laundering and obstruction of justice, Paul Manafort, the globe-trotting political consultant and former campaign chairman for Donald Trump, asked for leniency in his sentencing, telling a federal judge five years ago that he was nearly 70 years old, struggling with health concerns and remorseful for his actions,” the Washington Post reports.

“The judge rejected his entreaties in the spring of 2019, ordering Manafort to remain behind bars for more than seven years. Less than two years later, however, Manafort’s criminal record was wiped clean when Trump pardoned him. He was among the dozens of allies, extended family members and former campaign staffers allowed to walk free.”

“With his freedom, Manafort hardly retired to a quiet home life. Instead, the longtime power broker — briefly brought low by the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election — reengaged in international consulting.”

Adam Kinzinger: “This morning my wife informed me about a tweet from Nick Ayers, former good guy staffer of Mike Pence, making some typical alt right-pedophile-dem-and-the Republicans-were-peaceful-on-Jan-6 garbage message. Yet another one bites the dust. Nick Ayers was one of the good guys. But in the world of politics, campaign staff need money, and only the Trumpers are paying right now.”

Donald Trump’s allies are warning Speaker Mike Johnson through other House Republican lawmakers not to associate with GOP operative Jeff Roe, who is the top strategist for the super PAC backing Ron DeSantis, Punchbowl News reports.

“A political consultant closely tied to the effort to elect Tim Scott president repeatedly used the N-word when he was playing a card game with friends,” a video obtained by Politico shows.

“Precision Strategies, a leading Democratic consulting firm with close ties to the White House, has taken the first step toward becoming a union shop for some of its employees,” Axios reports.

“The Trump campaign has sent a warning shot to the Republican Party’s House campaign arm and some of its most prominent digital consultants: Stop using the former president’s image and likeness in your fundraising pitches or you will pay,” Politico reports.

“In a letter sent on Thursday afternoon to the National Republican Campaign Committee and ten GOP consulting firms, Trump’s top two campaign officials, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, said the former president may not endorse candidates who used firms that were fundraising off of Trump without his consent.”

“The Republican staffer who accused conservative stalwart Matt Schlapp of sexual assault and filed a lawsuit against him for nearly $10 million has filed a separate suit against another top GOP operative alleging defamation,” Politico reports.

“Speaking of my mom… Our relationship is great now.”

— Claudia Conway, in an interview with Bustle about Kellyanne Conway, while adding that she still hates Donald Trump and won’t vote for Republicans.