when Yanukovych , who had been prime minister , lost his hold on power after his party tried to rig an October 2004 election to make him president . Kilimnik was recruited to join Manafort ’s team by a former IRI official named Philip M. Griffin , who had worked with Kilimnik at the institute . When IRI officials found out , they asked Kilimnik to resign for violating the nonprofit ’s moonlighting prohibition .