Paul Manafort, Trump’s Former Campaign Chairman, Returns to the Republican Arena

Paul Manafort, the longtime Republican strategist who was chairman of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign, helped stave off efforts to thwart his nomination at the convention, went to prison and was pardoned by Mr. Trump, has begun advising efforts for the Republican National Convention.

Mr. Manafort, for decades a lobbyist who worked with foreign governments and had extensive experience with past Republican conventions, was present last week for meetings in Milwaukee, where the July convention will take place, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Mr. Manafort’s involvement with the convention has been expected for weeks, as Trump advisers have discussed bringing him on to help with the event — in an unpaid capacity — and it has already generated controversy.

Mr. Manafort did not respond to a message seeking comment. A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign and the R.N.C. did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Mr. Manafort, 75, was an adviser for Bob Dole’s presidential campaign in 1996 and managed the Republican convention that year. He was brought on to Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign in the spring as the candidate was facing an effort to deprive him of the delegates necessary to become the nominee at the convention.

Mr. Manafort’s involvement with Mr. Trump’s campaign was relatively short-lived. In August 2016, he was ousted in part over headlines about his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Later, Mr. Manafort was ensnared in the investigation by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, into ties between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.

Mr. Manafort was one of only a few Trump advisers who were sentenced to prison. Mr. Trump praised him for not cooperating with the government investigation