Ex-Trump aide Paul Manafort pulled from plane for revoked passport
Paul Manafort, center, arrives in court in New York, June 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
NEW YORK - Former Trump adviser Paul Manafort was removed from a plane at Miami International Airport before it took off for Dubai because he carried a revoked passport, officials said Wednesday.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta confirmed that Manafort was removed from the Emirates Airline flight without incident Sunday night but directed further questions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. That agency did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday seeking comment.
A lawyer who has represented Manafort did not immediately return a call and email seeking comment Wednesday.
Manafort, 72, led former President Donald Trump's campaign for several months during the 2016 presidential race but was ousted in August of that year after revelations about his business dealings in Ukraine.
Manafort was convicted in federal court of tax and bank fraud charges involving allegations he misled the U.S. government about lucrative foreign lobbying work, hid millions of dollars from tax authorities and encouraged witnesses to lie on his behalf.
Less than a year into his nearly 7½-year sentence, he was released to home confinement in May because of concerns about the coronavirus.
Trump pardoned him just before Christmas of 2020.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.