I’m sure this is just a coincidence, right?

On Wednesday, news broke that there had been a pre-dawn FBI raid on the home of Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in late July.

In fact, the raid happened the day after Manafort sat before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The speculation is that the FBI did not trust that Manafort had been completely forthcoming in his voluntary testimony, nor had he turned over all the requested documents.

People had barely had time to wrap their minds around that story, however, before the National Enquirer had their own splashy Manafort headline.

On the same day news broke that the FBI raided the home of Paul Manafort last month, the gossip magazine National Enquirer reported Wednesday night that the president’s former campaign chairman cheated on his wife with a younger woman.

The timing of the Enquirer’s Manafort story provoked skepticism by media outlets, and others, who noted Manafort’s central role in various Russia investigations, and the implications for President Trump.

The Enquirer story alleging Manafort’s affair accuses him of “betraying his country.”

So if having an affair is the equivalent of betraying your country, then wouldn’t President Trump, the man with multiple marriages and affairs, which he has bragged about, openly, be a traitor, as well?

I mean, really. Who knew the National Enquirer was such a hotbed of moral standards and sentinels for decency?

You certainly wouldn’t have guessed it, considering the trash story the tabloid ran during the primary season regarding Senator Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael Cruz, in which they drew an association between the elder Cruz and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

David Pecker, the chief executive of American Media, Inc., which owns the Enquirer, has been friends with Trump for decades. Last spring, the Enquirer made its first ever political endorsement, throwing its support to Trump.

Oh.

The Enquirer’s post-election coverage of Trump has also been glowing, boasting in headlines, “Trump takes charge! Success in just 36 days!” and “Proof Obama wiretapped trump! Lies, leaks & illegal bugging.”

President Trump has openly spoke of the influence he has with the National Enquirer, which is apparent from their coverage.

So why this sudden turn on Trump’s former campaign chairman, and why now?

Trump's allies at the National Enquirer accuse Paul Manafort of "betraying his country" https://t.co/xejB5pki1h pic.twitter.com/P0AeIfh1dq

— Slate (@Slate) August 10, 2017

Some are suggesting that Manafort’s testimony might be “uncomfortable” for the president, so the rush is on to discredit him before what he knows becomes public knowledge, through the course of the investigation.

Whoa. Does this National Enquirer attack on Manafort mean he's turned on Trump? https://t.co/ExlncvLzFK

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) August 9, 2017

We may not know for awhile, but it’s interesting to note that out of all the legitimate publications available, a supermarket tabloid may be the best source to watch, if we want to know the temperature of the ongoing Russia investigation.