As you’ve probably heard, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort is in a bit of a bind these days, legally and financially. Reportedly under investigation for possibly violating money laundering and tax laws, as well as for failing to disclose foreign lobbying on behalf of pro-Russian interests, Manafort’s Virginia home was raided in July by federal agents who took binders full of documents and copies of his computer files; special counsel Robert Mueller followed up with an ominous warning that he plans to indict Manafort. In response, Manafort recently shook up his legal team, trading in for attorneys who just happen to specialize in “complicated financial crimes.” And white-shoe lawyers do not come cheap. Luckily, Manafort recently landed a new consulting gig: helping to “administer and promote a referendum on Kurdish independence from Iraq,” which the United States opposes.

The New York Times reports that Manafort has been working with allies of the leader of the Kurdish region since this summer, possibly around the same time the feds raided Manafort’s house. With a referendum scheduled for Monday, the U.S. government and others in the international community fear it could “further destabilize Iraq, damage the coalition fighting the Islamic State, and potentially spark violence in disputed areas.” A spokesman for the son of Iraqi Kurish leader Masoud Barzani, who serves as the head of the security council for his father’s government, told the Times that Manafort had been hired to “assist in the referendum and in the aftermath of the referendum.” A spokesman for Manafort, Jason Manoli, said that his boss “does not discuss his current or future clients.” When asked if Manafort would be disclosing his work and the source of his income to the Justice Department, as required under the Foreign Agents Registration Act if one is lobbying the American government on a foreign client’s behalf, Maloni said, “If his work requires registration with FARA, Mr. Manafort will comply with the law.”

Manafort’s most recent gig would not be particularly unusual in the Beltway, if not for the fact that the former Trump campaign manager was recently reported to have offered to give a Putin-connected Russian billionaire “private briefings” on the 2016 presidential race:

The Kurdistan Regional Government had paid millions to Washington lobbying firms with deep connections to both Democrats and Republicans, including more than $1.5 million over the last three years, according to Justice Department records. But it has also worked to build support for independence from think tanks and scholars who might be willing to vouch for the referendum’s fairness, and use it to win bipartisan support in Washington for Kurdish independence, according to people familiar with the outreach.

Mr. Manafort agreed to assist with the referendum, including a planned push for Western recognition, after he was approached several months ago by an intermediary for Mr. Barzani’s son, Masrour Barzani, according to two people familiar with the arrangement. Mr. Manafort has traveled to the region since then to advise the Barzanis’ allies on the referendum, according to Kurdish independence advocates. One of Mr. Manafort’s lieutenants is in Erbil preparing for the referendum, and Mr. Manafort himself may return to the region in the coming days for the vote, according to the advocates.

Shockingly, not everyone believes this new consulting gig is a great idea. “Someone at the center of a controversy about Russian subversion of a U.S. presidential election and who has been warned that he will be indicted is not without handicaps as an advocate,” former American diplomat Peter W. Galbraith told the Times. “But, look, on the other hand, they’re a foreign country who wants to get international recognition, and if you can get somebody who is close to the president of the United States to be your advocate, then that could help.”