Paul Manafort, campaign chairman for
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, has resigned just two
months after taking the helm.
Mr Trump confirmed Mr Manafort's departure in a statement.
He first took control of Mr Trump's campaign after the businessman's campaign manager was fired in June.
Mr Manafort, 67, has come under fire for his ties to Russian interests and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
But
it is not yet clear why he left the team, which was overhauled earlier
this week with the addition of a new campaign chief executive and a new
campaign manager.
Mr Trump has come under pressure in recent weeks after a series of controversial remarks and falling poll numbers.
Mr Manafort's lobbying connections to pro-Russia politicians in
Ukraine are certainly a distraction for Mr Trump's presidential campaign
- but unlikely to be the main reason for his departure.
In spite
of Mr Manafort's efforts to impose discipline on the Republican
nominee, Mr Trump continues to do badly in the polls and has reportedly
bristled at efforts to bring him under control.
After all, "being Trump" is how he won the nomination in the first place.
His
new team now faces the task of allowing him to be himself while making
sure he stays on message - attacking his Democratic rival Hilary Clinton
instead of sparking controversy with his own verbal missteps.
"This morning Paul Manafort offered, and I accepted, his resignation from the campaign," Mr Trump said in a statement.
"I
am very appreciative for his great work in helping to get us where we
are today, and in particular his work guiding us through the delegate
and convention process."
Mr Manafort has faced public scrutiny in recent weeks after the New York Times reported
that the Ukrainian government had uncovered ledgers pledging more than
$12m (£9.2m) in undisclosed cash payments for his work with Mr
Yanukovych, who fled after an uprising in November 2013.
Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Bureau is also investigating business deals worth millions of dollar that are linked to Mr Manafort.
He has vehemently dismissed the claims and denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Manafort, a former adviser to George HW Bush and Bob Dole, only
joined the Trump campaign in March, to help the New Yorker secure the
party's nomination.
The announcement of new campaign chief,
Kellyanne Conway, and campaign CEO, Stephen Bannon, earlier this week
raised questions about whether it would diminish Mr Manafort's role.
The
longtime Republican operative was considered a guiding hand in steering
Mr Trump toward a more conventional campaign as opposed to the
anti-establishment brand of politics that made his primary campaign
successful.
A hotel developer with no previous experience of
politics, Mr Trump stunned the political world by beating far more
experienced figures in the Republican party.
He faces Democrat
Hillary Clinton, who has faced intense criticism over her email
arrangements while secretary of state, in November's election.