donald trump presidential candidate whose campaign boost officials former soviet bloc country.ukrainian government officials try help hillary clinton undermine trump publicly question fitness office also disseminate document implicate top trump aide corruption suggest investigate matter back away election help clinton ally research damage information trump advisers politico investigation found.a ukrainian-american operative consult democratic national committee meet top officials ukrainian embassy washington effort expose tie trump top campaign aide paul manafort russia accord people direct knowledge situation.the ukrainian efforts impact race help force manafort resignation advance narrative trump campaign deeply connect ukraine foe east russia far less concert centrally direct russia allege hack dissemination democratic emails.the ukrainian antipathy trump team alignment clinton trace back late 2013. country president viktor yanukovych manafort advise abruptly back european union pact link anti-corruption reform instead yanukovych enter multibillion-dollar bailout agreement russia spark protest across ukraine prompt yanukovych flee country russia putin protection.in ensue crisis russian troop move ukrainian territory crimea manafort drop radar.manafort work yanukovych catch attention veteran democratic operative name alexandra chalupa work white house office public liaison clinton administration chalupa go work staffer consultant democratic national committee dnc pay 412,000 2004 june 2016 accord federal election commission record though also pay clients time include democratic campaign dnc arm engage expatriate democrats around world.a daughter ukrainian immigrants maintain strong tie ukrainian-american diaspora u.s. embassy ukraine chalupa lawyer train 2014 pro bono work another client interest ukrainian crisis begin research manafort role yanukovych rise well tie pro-russian oligarchs fund yanukovych political party.in interview month chalupa tell politico develop network source kiev washington include investigative journalists government officials private intelligence operatives consult work dnc past election cycle center mobilize ethnic communities include ukrainian-americans say trump unlikely presidential campaign begin surge late 2015 begin focus research expand include trump tie russia well.she occasionally share find officials dnc clinton campaign chalupa say january 2016 months manafort take role trump campaign chalupa tell senior dnc official come trump campaign felt russia connection chalupa recall expect paul manafort involve election say chalupa time also warn leaders ukrainian-american community manafort putin political brain manipulate u.s. foreign policy elections politiconow ukraine president poroshenko scramble repair damage russia meddle spark outrage american body politic u.s. intelligence community undertake rare move publicize find matter president barack obama take several step officially retaliate members congress continue push investigations hack hard line russia already view washington america lead foreign adversary.ukraine hand traditionally enjoy strong relations u.s. administrations officials worry could change trump whose team privately express sentiments range ambivalence deep skepticism poroshenko regime sound unusually friendly note putin regime.poroshenko scramble alter dynamic recently sign 50,000-a-month contract well-connected gop-linked washington lobby firm set meet u.s. government officials strengthen u.s.-ukrainian relations revelations ukraine anti-trump efforts could set back efforts things seem go bad bad ukraine say david a. merkel senior fellow atlantic council help oversee u.s. relations russia ukraine work george w. bush state department national security council.merkel serve election observer ukrainian presidential elections date back 1993 note irony ukraine russia take opposite side 2016 presidential race give past ukrainian elections widely view washington foreign policy community proxy war u.s. russia seem u.s. election may see surrogate battle kiev moscow merkel say politico oops ukraine catch collude democrats help hillary win election…president poroshenko scramble repair damage trump