Paul Manafort, convicted felon pardoned by Trump, has backed away from his role advising the Republican National Convention. Paul Manafort, convicted and pardoned felon, has quit his again-unpaid role as advisor to the Republican National Convention. “As a longtime, staunch supporter of President Trump and given my nearly 50 years experience in managing presidential conventions, I was offering my advice and suggestions to the Trump campaign on the upcoming convention in a volunteer capacity,” Mr.