The Trump administration is trying to distance itself from a former campaign manager who was secretly paid tens of millions of dollars to help Russian President Putin improve his image in the US.

Paul Manafort was paid $10 million per year between 2006 until at least 2009.

US correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking White House spokesman Sean Spicer says US President Donald Trump knew nothing about the Russia connection because it was a decade ago.

LISTEN ABOVE AS RICHARD ARNOLD SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING