Manafort denies any contact with Russia

Paul Manafort, who used to serve as Trump's campaign chairman, told Axios in an emailed statement he has never spoken with Russian Government officials and that any claims he has are political attempts to "discredit" him or Trump's presidency:

I had no role or involvement in the cyberattack on the DNC or the subsequent release of information gained from the attack, and I have never spoken with any Russian Government officials or anyone who claimed to have been involved in the attack. The suggestion that I ever worked in concert with anyone to release hacked emails or sought to undermine the interests of the United States is false.