Buzzfeed News reports:
The Trump Organization negotiated on behalf of then-president Donald Trump to make Parler his primary social network, but it had a condition: an ownership stake in return for joining, according to documents and four people familiar with the conversations. The deal was never finalized, but legal experts said the discussions alone, which occurred while Trump was still in office, raise legal concerns with regards to anti-bribery laws.
Talks between members of Trump’s campaign and Parler about Trump’s potential involvement began last summer, and were revisited in November by the Trump Organization after Trump lost the 2020 election to the Democratic nominee and current president, Joe Biden. Documents seen by BuzzFeed News show that Parler offered the Trump Organization a 40% stake in the company.
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NEW: The Trump Organization negotiated to get Trump on Parler in exchange for an ownership stake in the social network.
Discussions happened while he was still in office. https://t.co/U17LcQR3qa
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 5, 2021
In return for giving the Trump Organization a 40% ownership stake, Parler wanted an exclusivity window of four hours for Trump's posts, according to documents and people familiar with the discussions.
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 5, 2021
Four sources say former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale met with Parler advisers at Mar-a-Lago in June to discuss Trump’s business taking an ownership stake. But the White House Counsel’s office put a stop to the talks.
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) February 5, 2021