Consider Roger Stone, a virtual carbon copy of Cohn. Stone had a long history as a Trump lobbyist and adviser, so it was not surprising that Trump turned to him last summer as his campaign was ramping up. Stone is the quintessential “dirty trickster,” who actually worked alongside Cohn for a time. He dabbled in his own Watergate intrigue (including hiring an operative to infiltrate the McGovern campaign) and continues to idolize Richard Nixon, for whom he worked after Nixon resigned. Stone dabbles in conspiracy theories and threats (such as promising to publicly release the hotel room addresses of delegates). Ted Cruz has speculated that Stone planted the National Enquirer smear story (in which Stone is quoted on the record). He proved a little too much for Trump. Although Trump and Stone parted ways on the official campaign last August, Stone now runs a super PAC for Trump. (CNN no longer allows him on the air after Stone’s racist tweets came to light.)

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It was not surprising that Trump next hired Corey Lewandowski, someone who had never run a presidential campaign and who was infamous for bullying employees, temper tantrums and even a run-in with the law — before he got to Trump’s organization. Trump either did not bother to vet Lewandowski or was happy to find a new Roy Cohn figure.

When Lewandowski inevitably displayed his lack of impulse control and lack of technical expertise, Trump went hunting for a replacement. He found someone with many of the same afflictions. Consider what we have found out about Paul Manafort:

He was a fixer for seedy characters. The Post reports: “Over a 40-year career as a lobbyist and political consultant, Manafort and his firms have advised, in no particular order, a business group tied to Ferdinand Marcos, the dictator of the Philippines; Viktor Yanukovych, the ousted Ukrainian president and ally of Vladimir Putin; and Lynden Pindling, the former Bahamian prime minister who was accused of ties to drug traffickers.” He had his own run-in with the law. As The Post notes, a firm he co-founded “was investigated by a congressional panel in 1989 for its role in obtaining millions of dollars in federal grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to rehabilitate a low-income housing complex in New Jersey. … During the investigation, Manafort acknowledged that the work he performed in return for consulting fees could be termed ‘influence peddling.’ ” His personal behavior is, well, not altogether wholesome. He was caught following on Twitter “the Midtown bondage and swinger’s club Decadence.” The excuse seems worse than the crime: “Well, he’s new to technology,” said Stone.

Nor is Manafort dazzling anyone with political acumen. Rather than setting out to fix Trump’s insufficient delegate organization, Manafort is making bizarre and distasteful accusations, claiming that Cruz’s organization uses “Gestapo tactics.” He seems bent on insulting delegates, casting them as pawns of powerful insiders. (“And do I know the 25, 30-year-old delegates? No. Do I know the people who push buttons in a lot of these states? Yes.”)

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Has anything in the Trump organization changed? Not yet, according to people on the ground. (The Associated Press reports: “Former South Carolina Republican Chairman Katon Dawson, who has been publicly neutral in the race, said he’s seen no difference in Trump’s delegate strategy since Manafort’s hire. Said Dawson, a veteran national GOP strategist, ‘He’s not a household name or miracle worker by any stretch.’ “)