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| | occupation = Republican political strategist and media consultant | | occupation = Republican political strategist and media consultant | ||
| | years_active = 1983-present | | years_active = 1983-present | ||
| | known_for = ] adviser<br />] campaign adviser<br />] campaign manager<br />] adviser<br />] |
| known_for = ] adviser<br />] campaign adviser<br />] campaign manager<br />] adviser <br />] campaign adviser <br /> Radio Talk show host on ] | ||
| | notable_works = | | notable_works = | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Michael R. Caputo''' (b. 1962<ref name=hernandez />) is a Republican political strategist and media consultant. Caputo grew up in ], ] |
'''Michael R. Caputo''' (b. 1962<ref name=hernandez />) is a Republican political strategist and media consultant. Caputo grew up in Big Tree<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nymag.com/news/features/jon-bon-jovi-buffalo-bills-2014-7/index3.html|title=Jon Bon Jovi Is the Most Hated Man in Buffalo|work=NYMag.com|access-date=2017-07-28}}</ref>, a neighborhood by the NFL ] stadium, in the Southtowns of ] Caputo gained public relations experience with the ]. He became enamored with ] while serving in the military and became a Republican, later working for politicians including ]. He worked for government and private organizations in support of ] programs in Central America, South America, and Afghanistan. Caputo then went to work for the ] as assistant director of the ]. He served as director of media services on the campaign for president ] in the ]. | ||
| Caputo moved to ] in 1994 after the fall of the ], and was an adviser to ] and helped elect Yeltsin to a second term as ]. He worked for ] in 2000 where he helped |
Caputo moved to ] in 1994 after the fall of the ], and was an adviser to ] and helped elect Yeltsin to a second term as ]. He moved back to the United States in 2000 to co-found an internet focused public relations company. He worked for ] in 2000 where he helped CEO ] explain the company's purchase and control of the independent ]. Later, he moved to Ukraine to work on a candidate's campaign for Parliament. | ||
| In 2001, Caputo joined the national telecommunications company Allegiance Telecom as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. When the company filed bankruptcy in 2003, he moved to South Florida where he lived aboard a tugboat with a parrot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://buffalonews.com/2016/03/05/the-radical-adventures-of-conservative-radio-host-mike-caputo/|title=The radical adventures of conservative radio host Mike Caputo|last=Sandra Tan|date=2016-03-05|website=The Buffalo News|access-date=2017-07-28}}</ref> A devoted ] fan, he named his bird after the down on his luck character August West from the band's popular song Warf Rat. | |||
| ⚫ | Caputo |
||
| In Florida, Caputo's work on high-profile campaigns drew attention because of his trademark use of volunteers in chicken suits and deploying strippers outside a debate.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/theres-something-fowl-in-north-miami-6531413|title=There's Something Fowl in North Miami|last=Alvarado|first=Francisco|date=2009-04-28|work=Miami New Times|access-date=2017-07-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.cltampa.com/home/article/20721590/town-criers|title=Town Criers|work=Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay|access-date=2017-07-28|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | Caputo returned to the Buffalo area to work as campaign manager for ] in his 2010 bid for ]. He was profiled in a piece by '']'' where he was credited with Paladino's political success in garnering the Republican nomination in the ]. In 2015, Caputo joined the ] campaign, and was put in charge of the New York Republican Primary. After a major win in New York, Trump invited Caputo to headquarters to serve as a Senior Adviser for communications. He left the campaign after publicly voicing his approval for the replacement of campaign manager ] with ]. In July 2017, Caputo testified as a witness before ] as part of their investigation into ]; he denied ties to Russia while working on the Trump campaign. | ||
| ==Early life and education== | ==Early life and education== | ||
| Caputo was born in 1962 to father Raymon Caputo.<ref name=hernandez /><ref name=sandratan /> He spent the bulk of his early years in ], in the region known as ]. |
Caputo was born in 1962 to father Raymon Caputo.<ref name=hernandez /><ref name=sandratan /> He spent the bulk of his early years in the suburbs of ]. Caputo garnered early public relations work situated in ] while with the ], which he joined directly after finishing high school.<ref name=sandratan /><ref name=hernandez /> Subsequent to his experiences in the Army, he enrolled at the ] in 1983 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986.<ref name=sandratan /> Caputo gained admiration from ] during his military service after the president signed legislation giving him a pay raise of ten percent on his Army pay; from there forward he paid close attention to the Reublican party and conservative politics.<ref name=sandratan /> | ||
| He was employed by Republican politicians such as Congressman ].<ref name=hernandez /> |
He was employed by Republican politicians such as Congressman ].<ref name=hernandez /> Through politics, he gained experience in crisis managment.<ref name=hernandez /> Caputo was mentored by ] in the ways of political consulting, and served briefly early on as Stone's personal driver.<ref name=hernandez /><ref name=sandratan /> He learned from Stone that political campaigns could be turned into wins for candidates if the public found them entertaining.<ref name=hernandez /> Caputo was influenced by ] and ], and has written about his views supporting safeguarding the environment.<ref name=hernandez /><ref name=sandratan>{{citation|url=http://buffalonews.com/2016/03/05/the-radical-adventures-of-conservative-radio-host-mike-caputo/|work=]|access-date=June 8, 2017|date=March 5, 2016|title=The radical adventures of conservative radio host Mike Caputo|first=Sandra|last=Tan}}</ref> | ||
| ==Career== | ==Career== | ||
| ===Reagan Administration and Bush campaign=== | ===Reagan Administration and Bush campaign=== | ||
| During the ], Caputo |
During the ], Caputo worked in support of the Reagan Doctrine foreign policy agenda.<ref name=hernandez /> He worked with public and private groups to provide public relations support for Reagan's agenda in ] and in Central America.<ref name=sandratan /> After his work for the Reagan Administration, he worked for President ] for his campaign in the ].<ref name=sandratan /> His position was director of media services on the 1992 Bush campaign.<ref name=dailybeast>{{citation|access-date=June 8, 2017|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-and-russia-all-the-moguls-men|work=]|title=Follow the Money: Trump and Russia: All the Mogul's Men|date=November 7, 2016|first=James|last=Miller}}</ref> Prior to his work on the Bush campaign, he served the ] as assistant director of the ].<ref name=dailybeast /> | ||
| ===Russia |
===Russia public relations consultant=== | ||
| After the fall of the ], Caputo established residence in Russia in 1994.<ref name=dailybeast /><ref name=sandratan /><ref name=nance>{{citation|first=Malcolm|last=Nance|authorlink=Malcolm Nance|title=]|publisher=]|date=October 10, 2016|isbn=978-1-5107-2332-0|chapter=4. Trump's Agents, Putin's Assets; The Kremlin Crew; The Americans in the Pocket}}</ref> He served as an adviser to ].<ref name=hernandez /> In his capacity of advising Yeltsin in 1995, he was employed with the ].<ref name=dailybeast /><ref name=motherjones /><ref name=hernandez /> He served as president of The Florence Group from 1994 to 1999, and |
After the fall of the ], Caputo established residence in Russia in 1994.<ref name=dailybeast /><ref name=sandratan /><ref name=nance>{{citation|first=Malcolm|last=Nance|authorlink=Malcolm Nance|title=]|publisher=]|date=October 10, 2016|isbn=978-1-5107-2332-0|chapter=4. Trump's Agents, Putin's Assets; The Kremlin Crew; The Americans in the Pocket}}</ref> He served as an adviser to ].<ref name=hernandez /> In his capacity of advising Yeltsin in 1995, he was employed with the ].<ref name=dailybeast /><ref name="motherjones">{{citation|title=Hacker, Banker, Soldier, Spy: A Guide to the Key Players in the Trump-Russia Scandal|date=June 1, 2017|url=http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/russia-trump-putin-scandal-key-players-dossiers/|last1=Levintova|last2=Vicens|last3=Dejeanjun|first1=Hannah|first2=AJ|first3=Ashley|work=]|access-date=June 8, 2017}}</ref><ref name=hernandez /> He served as president of The Florence Group from 1994 to 1999, and Rock the Vote Russia , a youth program he founded, "played a pivotal role in electing Boris Yeltsin to his second term as President of the Russian Federation."<ref name=longman /> He was briefly employed in 2000 in the United States by ]-headquartered subsidiary of ], ].<ref name=washpost>{{citation|access-date=June 7, 2017|work=]|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/31/which-trump-associates-are-being-investigated-by-congress-a-running-list/|title=Which Trump associates are being investigated by Congress? A running list.|first=Peter W.|last=Stevenson|date=June 1, 2017}}</ref><ref name=motherjones /><ref name=nance /> He moved back from Russia to the U.S. in the year 2000.<ref name=sandratan /> After returning to the U.S., he was called by his former mentor ] who convinced him to move to ], and then Caputo founded his media advising company Michael Caputo Public Relations.<ref name=sandratan /> Caputo moved back to Europe in 2007 while advising a politician's campaign for parliament in ].<ref name=sandratan /> | ||
| ===Paladino campaign manager=== | ===Paladino campaign manager=== | ||
| Caputo worked as the campaign manager for ] in his 2010 bid for ].<ref name=hernandez>{{citation|work=]|title=The Provocateur Loading Paladino's Slingshot|first=Javier C.|last=Hernandez|date=September 24, 2010|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/nyregion/25caputo.html|access-date=June 7, 2017}}</ref><ref name=barbaro>{{citation|work=]|title=Paladino Has Aides With Tainted Pasts|first=Michael|last=Barbaro|date=September 28, 2010|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/nyregion/29advisers.html|access-date=June 8, 2017}}</ref> Caputo was profiled in a subject piece |
Caputo worked as the campaign manager for ] in his 2010 bid for ].<ref name=hernandez>{{citation|work=]|title=The Provocateur Loading Paladino's Slingshot|first=Javier C.|last=Hernandez|date=September 24, 2010|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/nyregion/25caputo.html|access-date=June 7, 2017}}</ref><ref name=barbaro>{{citation|work=]|title=Paladino Has Aides With Tainted Pasts|first=Michael|last=Barbaro|date=September 28, 2010|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/nyregion/29advisers.html|access-date=June 8, 2017}}</ref> Caputo was profiled in a subject piece during the campaign in '']''; the paper said of his campaign strategy: "Michael R. Caputo's impish spirit and no-holds-barred campaign style have helped propel his boss, Carl P. Paladino, a relatively unknown real estate mogul from Buffalo, to the Republican nomination for New York governor".<ref name=hernandez /> Paladino was supported at the time by the ], and in an interview with ''The New York Times'', his campaign manager embraced the outsider nature of their bid in the ]: "This is a campaign of junkyard dogs, not pedigreed poodles. Carl knows the background of everyone who works for him. He knows that each of us comes to the campaign with warts. And he has his own warts. We don't hide anything."<ref name=barbaro /> Paladino explained his hiring choice of Caputo as campaign manager to ''The New York Times'': "I'm facing some major demons here, and I needed someone who could go right back on top of them in a matter of minutes. You've got to let them know they are going to get punished."<ref name=hernandez /> | ||
| ===Trump communications adviser=== | ===Trump communications adviser=== | ||
| In 2016, Caputo had offices of his company Michael Caputo Public Relations located in ].<ref name=sandratan /> He additionally had workers in his employ located both in ] and ], ].<ref name=sandratan /> |
In 2016, Caputo had offices of his company Michael Caputo Public Relations located in ].<ref name=sandratan /> He additionally had workers in his employ located both in ] and ], ].<ref name=sandratan /> In 2014 he led a New York State effort to recruit Donald Trump to run for governor of the state.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/nyregion/donald-trump-new-york-governor.html|title=Donald Trump Considered Path to Presidency Starting at Governor’s Mansion in New York|last=Craig|first=Susanne|date=2016-03-05|work=The New York Times|access-date=2017-07-28|last2=Chen|first2=David W.|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> This brought the two men closer and during the ], Caputo became a political adviser to ] in order to help him win the primary in that state.<ref name=nance /><ref name=sandratan /> At the time of his hiring he was also employed as a commentator on a political talk program on ].<ref name=sandratan /> In order to support Trump in New York, he joined forces with his former employer from the 2010 gubernatorial race, ].<ref name=sandratan /> After the New York win, Caputo became a Senior Adviser at Trump campaign headquarters and was later deployed to Cleveland as Director of Communications of Trump's operation at the Republican National Convention. Caputo resigned from the Trump campaign shortly after ] was replaced as campaign manager by ].<ref name=longman>{{citation|access-date=June 8, 2017|url=http://washingtonmonthly.com/2017/05/21/who-is-michael-caputo-and-what-can-he-tell-us/|work=]|title=Who is Michael Caputo and What Can He Tell Us? - The Russian connections keep piling up|date=May 21, 2017|first=Martin|last=Longman}}</ref> He had tweeted in support of Lewandowski leaving, and in his resignation letter to Manafort said he regretted the statement on Twitter.<ref name=washpost /><ref name=longman /> He was a senior adviser to Trump's political efforts November 2015 to June 2016.<ref name=guardian /><ref name=cnn /><ref name=longman /> After leaving, Caputo later maintained contacts with associates in the ].<ref name=cbs>{{citation|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/to-trump-supporters-the-real-story-is-sabotage-not-russian-interference/|work=]|access-date=June 7, 2017|title=To Trump supporters, the real story is sabotage -- not Russian interference|agency=]|date=May 19, 2017}}</ref> After reporting revealed ], Caputo told the ] about leaks from within the Trump Administration to the media: "This has all the markings of a coordinated, silent coup."<ref name=cbs /> Caputo said to '']'' that he attributed the leaks to disaffected members of the ].<ref name=usatoday>{{citation|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/17/analysis-youre-fired-may-backfire-untethered-james-comey-now-trumps-greatest-threat/101786496/|access-date=June 7, 2017|work=]|title=Analysis: 'You're fired' may backfire. Untethered James Comey now Trump's greatest threat|date=May 17, 2017|first1=Kevin|last1=Johnson|first2=David|last2=Jackson}}</ref> He called them "anti-Trump zealots".<ref name=usatoday /> | ||
| Due to his time working on the Trump campaign and the fact that he previously worked for politicians in Russia, Caputo was contacted by the ] on May 9, 2017, as part of their investigation into ].<ref name=guardian>{{citation|first=Ben|last=Jacobs|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/former-trump-adviser-asked-to-testify-to-house-committee-on-russia|work=]|date=May 21, 2017|access-date=June 7, 2017|title=Former Trump adviser asked to testify to House committee on Russia}}</ref><ref name=longman /><ref name=cnn>{{citation|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/21/politics/caputo-house-russia-probe/index.html|work=]|access-date=June 7, 2017|title=House panel looks at Trump campaign communications adviser for Russia ties|first1=Catherine|last1= Treyz |first2=Jim |last2=Acosta|date=May 21, 2017}}</ref> The House Intelligence Committee requested Caputo come in and be interviewed voluntarily and submit to the Committee relevant documents associated with their investigation.<ref name=guardian /><ref name=longman /><ref name=cnn /> During a March 20, 2017 hearing, Representative ] questioned FBI Director ] about Caputo, and cited employment with ] and history in ]. |
Due to his time working on the Trump campaign and the fact that he previously worked for politicians in Russia, Caputo was contacted by the ] on May 9, 2017, as part of their investigation into ].<ref name=guardian>{{citation|first=Ben|last=Jacobs|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/former-trump-adviser-asked-to-testify-to-house-committee-on-russia|work=]|date=May 21, 2017|access-date=June 7, 2017|title=Former Trump adviser asked to testify to House committee on Russia}}</ref><ref name=longman /><ref name=cnn>{{citation|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/21/politics/caputo-house-russia-probe/index.html|work=]|access-date=June 7, 2017|title=House panel looks at Trump campaign communications adviser for Russia ties|first1=Catherine|last1= Treyz |first2=Jim |last2=Acosta|date=May 21, 2017}}</ref> The House Intelligence Committee requested Caputo come in and be interviewed voluntarily and submit to the Committee relevant documents associated with their investigation.<ref name=guardian /><ref name=longman /><ref name=cnn /> During a March 20, 2017 hearing, Representative ] questioned FBI Director ] about Caputo, and cited employment with ] and history in ]. Caputo became angry when Speier brought his wife, a Ukrainian emigre and housewife, into the investigation on national television.<ref name=guardian /><ref name=longman /><ref name=cnn /> Posting to ], Caputo denied ties to Russia while on the Trump campaign.<ref name=cnn /> Caputo told the House Intelligence Committee: "The only time the President and I talked about Russia was in 2013, when he simply asked me in passing what it was like to live there in the context of a dinner conversation."<ref name=washpost /><ref name=cnn /> Caputo hired attorney ] to represent him during the investigation, and subsequently stated that he had liquidated his children's college funds to pay for his involvement in the ivestigations.<ref name=College>{{citation|url=http://buffalonews.com/2017/07/16/michael-caputo-goes-washington/|title=Michael Caputo emerges from high-stakes testimony on Capitol Hill|access-date=July 18, 2017|date=July 16, 2017|first=Tim|last=Graham|work=]}}</ref> | ||
| ==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
| While working in Russia in the 1990s, Caputo met a Russian student studying ] and they were married.<ref name=sandratan /><ref name=dailybeast /> Caputo became a ] in 2000, and this religious change helped him find peace.<ref name=sandratan /> While advising in ], ] in 2007, Caputo met Maryna Ponomarenko, who became his second wife.<ref name=guardian /><ref name=longman /><ref name=sandratan /> As of 2016, Caputo resided in ] with her and their three children.<ref name=sandratan /> | While working in Russia in the 1990s, Caputo met a Russian student studying ] and they were married and later divorced in 2004.<ref name=sandratan /><ref name=dailybeast /> Caputo became a ] in 2000, and this religious change helped him find peace.<ref name=sandratan /> While advising in ], ] in 2007, Caputo met Maryna Ponomarenko, who became his second wife in 2009.<ref name=guardian /><ref name=longman /><ref name=sandratan /> As of 2016, Caputo resided in ] with her and their three children.<ref name=sandratan /> | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 16:56, 28 July 2017
| Michael Caputo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael R. Caputo 62–63 |
| Nationality | United States |
| Other names | Michael Caputo Mike Caputo |
| Occupation(s) | Republican political strategist and media consultant |
| Years active | 1983-present |
| Known for | Reagan Administration adviser George H.W. Bush campaign adviser Carl Paladino campaign manager Boris Yeltsin adviser Donald Trump campaign adviser Radio Talk show host on WBEN News Radio 930 |
Michael R. Caputo (b. 1962) is a Republican political strategist and media consultant. Caputo grew up in Big Tree, a neighborhood by the NFL Buffalo Bills stadium, in the Southtowns of Buffalo, New York. Caputo gained public relations experience with the United States Army. He became enamored with Ronald Reagan while serving in the military and became a Republican, later working for politicians including Jack Kemp. He worked for government and private organizations in support of Reagan Doctrine programs in Central America, South America, and Afghanistan. Caputo then went to work for the United States House of Representatives as assistant director of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association. He served as director of media services on the campaign for president George H.W. Bush in the 1992 United States presidential election.
Caputo moved to Russia in 1994 after the fall of the Soviet Union, and was an adviser to Boris Yeltsin and helped elect Yeltsin to a second term as President of Russia. He moved back to the United States in 2000 to co-found an internet focused public relations company. He worked for Gazprom Media in 2000 where he helped CEO Alfred Kokh explain the company's purchase and control of the independent NTV Television network. Later, he moved to Ukraine to work on a candidate's campaign for Parliament.
In 2001, Caputo joined the national telecommunications company Allegiance Telecom as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications. When the company filed bankruptcy in 2003, he moved to South Florida where he lived aboard a tugboat with a parrot. A devoted Grateful Dead fan, he named his bird after the down on his luck character August West from the band's popular song Warf Rat.
In Florida, Caputo's work on high-profile campaigns drew attention because of his trademark use of volunteers in chicken suits and deploying strippers outside a debate.
Caputo returned to the Buffalo area to work as campaign manager for Carl Paladino in his 2010 bid for Governor of New York. He was profiled in a piece by The New York Times where he was credited with Paladino's political success in garnering the Republican nomination in the 2010 New York gubernatorial election. In 2015, Caputo joined the Donald Trump campaign, and was put in charge of the New York Republican Primary. After a major win in New York, Trump invited Caputo to headquarters to serve as a Senior Adviser for communications. He left the campaign after publicly voicing his approval for the replacement of campaign manager Corey Lewandowski with Paul Manafort. In July 2017, Caputo testified as a witness before United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence as part of their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election; he denied ties to Russia while working on the Trump campaign.
Early life and education
Caputo was born in 1962 to father Raymon Caputo. He spent the bulk of his early years in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York. Caputo garnered early public relations work situated in Hawaii while with the United States Army, which he joined directly after finishing high school. Subsequent to his experiences in the Army, he enrolled at the University at Buffalo in 1983 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986. Caputo gained admiration from Ronald Reagan during his military service after the president signed legislation giving him a pay raise of ten percent on his Army pay; from there forward he paid close attention to the Reublican party and conservative politics.
He was employed by Republican politicians such as Congressman Jack Kemp. Through politics, he gained experience in crisis managment. Caputo was mentored by Roger J. Stone Jr. in the ways of political consulting, and served briefly early on as Stone's personal driver. He learned from Stone that political campaigns could be turned into wins for candidates if the public found them entertaining. Caputo was influenced by Jerry Garcia and Ronald Reagan, and has written about his views supporting safeguarding the environment.
Career
Reagan Administration and Bush campaign
During the Reagan Administration, Caputo worked in support of the Reagan Doctrine foreign policy agenda. He worked with public and private groups to provide public relations support for Reagan's agenda in South America and in Central America. After his work for the Reagan Administration, he worked for President George H.W. Bush for his campaign in the 1992 United States presidential election. His position was director of media services on the 1992 Bush campaign. Prior to his work on the Bush campaign, he served the United States House of Representatives as assistant director of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association.
Russia public relations consultant
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Caputo established residence in Russia in 1994. He served as an adviser to Boris Yeltsin. In his capacity of advising Yeltsin in 1995, he was employed with the United States Agency for International Development. He served as president of The Florence Group from 1994 to 1999, and Rock the Vote Russia , a youth program he founded, "played a pivotal role in electing Boris Yeltsin to his second term as President of the Russian Federation." He was briefly employed in 2000 in the United States by Moscow-headquartered subsidiary of Gazprom, Gazprom-Media. He moved back from Russia to the U.S. in the year 2000. After returning to the U.S., he was called by his former mentor Roger Stone who convinced him to move to Miami Beach, Florida, and then Caputo founded his media advising company Michael Caputo Public Relations. Caputo moved back to Europe in 2007 while advising a politician's campaign for parliament in Ukraine.
Paladino campaign manager
Caputo worked as the campaign manager for Carl Paladino in his 2010 bid for Governor of New York. Caputo was profiled in a subject piece during the campaign in The New York Times; the paper said of his campaign strategy: "Michael R. Caputo's impish spirit and no-holds-barred campaign style have helped propel his boss, Carl P. Paladino, a relatively unknown real estate mogul from Buffalo, to the Republican nomination for New York governor". Paladino was supported at the time by the Tea Party movement, and in an interview with The New York Times, his campaign manager embraced the outsider nature of their bid in the 2010 New York gubernatorial election: "This is a campaign of junkyard dogs, not pedigreed poodles. Carl knows the background of everyone who works for him. He knows that each of us comes to the campaign with warts. And he has his own warts. We don't hide anything." Paladino explained his hiring choice of Caputo as campaign manager to The New York Times: "I'm facing some major demons here, and I needed someone who could go right back on top of them in a matter of minutes. You've got to let them know they are going to get punished."
Trump communications adviser
In 2016, Caputo had offices of his company Michael Caputo Public Relations located in East Aurora, New York. He additionally had workers in his employ located both in Miami Beach, Florida and Moscow, Russia. In 2014 he led a New York State effort to recruit Donald Trump to run for governor of the state. This brought the two men closer and during the 2016 New York Republican primary, Caputo became a political adviser to Donald Trump in order to help him win the primary in that state. At the time of his hiring he was also employed as a commentator on a political talk program on WBEN AM radio. In order to support Trump in New York, he joined forces with his former employer from the 2010 gubernatorial race, Carl Paladino. After the New York win, Caputo became a Senior Adviser at Trump campaign headquarters and was later deployed to Cleveland as Director of Communications of Trump's operation at the Republican National Convention. Caputo resigned from the Trump campaign shortly after Corey Lewandowski was replaced as campaign manager by Paul Manafort. He had tweeted in support of Lewandowski leaving, and in his resignation letter to Manafort said he regretted the statement on Twitter. He was a senior adviser to Trump's political efforts November 2015 to June 2016. After leaving, Caputo later maintained contacts with associates in the Trump Administration. After reporting revealed Donald Trump's disclosure of classified information to Russia, Caputo told the Associated Press about leaks from within the Trump Administration to the media: "This has all the markings of a coordinated, silent coup." Caputo said to USA Today that he attributed the leaks to disaffected members of the Stop Trump movement. He called them "anti-Trump zealots".
Due to his time working on the Trump campaign and the fact that he previously worked for politicians in Russia, Caputo was contacted by the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on May 9, 2017, as part of their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The House Intelligence Committee requested Caputo come in and be interviewed voluntarily and submit to the Committee relevant documents associated with their investigation. During a March 20, 2017 hearing, Representative Jackie Speier questioned FBI Director James Comey about Caputo, and cited employment with Gazprom and history in Ukraine. Caputo became angry when Speier brought his wife, a Ukrainian emigre and housewife, into the investigation on national television. Posting to social media, Caputo denied ties to Russia while on the Trump campaign. Caputo told the House Intelligence Committee: "The only time the President and I talked about Russia was in 2013, when he simply asked me in passing what it was like to live there in the context of a dinner conversation." Caputo hired attorney Dennis Vacco to represent him during the investigation, and subsequently stated that he had liquidated his children's college funds to pay for his involvement in the ivestigations.
Personal life
While working in Russia in the 1990s, Caputo met a Russian student studying astrophysics and they were married and later divorced in 2004. Caputo became a Catholic in 2000, and this religious change helped him find peace. While advising in Kiev, Ukraine in 2007, Caputo met Maryna Ponomarenko, who became his second wife in 2009. As of 2016, Caputo resided in East Aurora, New York with her and their three children.
See also
- Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016
- Links between Trump associates and Russian officials
- New York Republican primary, 2016
- The Plot to Hack America
- Timeline of events related to Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election
References
- ^ Hernandez, Javier C. (September 24, 2010), "The Provocateur Loading Paladino's Slingshot", The New York Times, retrieved June 7, 2017
- "Jon Bon Jovi Is the Most Hated Man in Buffalo". NYMag.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- Sandra Tan (2016-03-05). "The radical adventures of conservative radio host Mike Caputo". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- Alvarado, Francisco (2009-04-28). "There's Something Fowl in North Miami". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- "Town Criers". Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- ^ Tan, Sandra (March 5, 2016), "The radical adventures of conservative radio host Mike Caputo", The Buffalo News, retrieved June 8, 2017
- ^ Miller, James (November 7, 2016), "Follow the Money: Trump and Russia: All the Mogul's Men", The Daily Beast, retrieved June 8, 2017
- ^ Nance, Malcolm (October 10, 2016), "4. Trump's Agents, Putin's Assets; The Kremlin Crew; The Americans in the Pocket", The Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election, Skyhorse Publishing, ISBN 978-1-5107-2332-0
- ^ Levintova, Hannah; Vicens, AJ; Dejeanjun, Ashley (June 1, 2017), "Hacker, Banker, Soldier, Spy: A Guide to the Key Players in the Trump-Russia Scandal", Mother Jones, retrieved June 8, 2017
- ^ Longman, Martin (May 21, 2017), "Who is Michael Caputo and What Can He Tell Us? - The Russian connections keep piling up", Washington Monthly, retrieved June 8, 2017
- ^ Stevenson, Peter W. (June 1, 2017), "Which Trump associates are being investigated by Congress? A running list.", The Washington Post, retrieved June 7, 2017
- ^ Barbaro, Michael (September 28, 2010), "Paladino Has Aides With Tainted Pasts", The New York Times, retrieved June 8, 2017
- Craig, Susanne; Chen, David W. (2016-03-05). "Donald Trump Considered Path to Presidency Starting at Governor's Mansion in New York". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
- ^ Jacobs, Ben (May 21, 2017), "Former Trump adviser asked to testify to House committee on Russia", The Guardian, retrieved June 7, 2017
- ^ Treyz, Catherine; Acosta, Jim (May 21, 2017), "House panel looks at Trump campaign communications adviser for Russia ties", CNN, retrieved June 7, 2017
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Further reading
- Hernandez, Javier C. (September 24, 2010), "The Provocateur Loading Paladino's Slingshot", The New York Times, retrieved June 7, 2017
- Nance, Malcolm (October 10, 2016), "4. Trump's Agents, Putin's Assets; The Kremlin Crew; The Americans in the Pocket", The Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election, Skyhorse Publishing, ISBN 978-1-5107-2332-0
- Tan, Sandra (March 5, 2016), "The radical adventures of conservative radio host Mike Caputo", The Buffalo News, retrieved June 8, 2017