The Brooklyn Neighborhood Blogger with the Paul Manafort Scoop

Katia Kelly has lived in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn for three decades. About ten years ago, when she was in her mid-forties, she began writing a blog about the neighborhood, and the changes she saw in it, called Pardon Me for Asking (tagline: “News from Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and Beyond . . .”). Her posts, which feature her own photographs, often concern store openings and closings, local hot topics, neighborhood eyesores, and Brooklyn history. A few weeks ago, a stray tip led to a post titled “Washington Lobbyist and Trump Advisor Paul Manafort Owns Brownstone in Carroll Gardens.” This week, WNYC cited Kelly’s reporting in its article about a “series of puzzling real estate deals” that Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, who is under scrutiny for his ties to Russia, has made in New York City in the past decade. Between April, 2015, and January, 2017, WNYC reported, Manafort borrowed about twelve million dollars against three New York City properties, including the Carroll Gardens home.

See the rest of the story at newyorker.com

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