This cache of Manafort texts (links at the bottom) is made up of more than 285,000 SMS messages and iMessages (over 7,200 pages) sent and received by one of Paul Manafort's daughters. Several years ago, the phone was hacked and a database of the messages became available in certain circles. Some outlets have previously reported on some of these messages, such as ones
implicating Paul Manafort in the commission of murders, but other messages have gone largely overlooked or have been available without the full context. This is largely due to one thing:
The public haven't had access to the messages, and the press haven't had access to an easily searchable version – instead only to an unwieldy database.
This was nearly not the case, however –
WikiLeaks had a copy of the database, but ultimately didn't publish it, despite its newsworthiness and their willingness to publish unredacted information on the Democrats. Their unexplained decision not to put the database into a searchable format and make it public struck me as questionable at the time, but in light of the disclosure of
their preference for the GOP it has become not only questionable, but hypocritical.
This noteworthy refusal, along with ongoing probes and charges filed against Manafort by the Special Counsel's office, makes the text messages and their contents undoubtedly newsworthy. Their relevance to the general public may go beyond this, as the personal reality reflected in the messages presents the Manaforts as real people, rather than merely as abstract figures. This same reality is, of course, also relevant to news and current events, and to understanding the character and actions of those involved.