Trump Corruption

The New York Times reports: Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s closest allies are privately counseling him to try to block a onetime Republican nemesis from becoming the Senate majority leader, pushing him to impose his will more forcefully on an already compliant G.O.P. Congress. Those advisers believe Mr. Trump should stop Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. …

The New York Times reports: The eldest son of President-elect Donald J. Trump will not be a member of his father’s administration — he is joining a venture capital firm. Donald Trump Jr. told a crowd of a few hundred donors on Sunday that he was joining 1789 Capital, a firm whose investments include Tucker Carlson’s media company. Mr. Trump …

NBC News reports: FBI Director Christopher Wray and Donald Trump’s team are planning for the possibility that the president-elect will replace Wray during the new administration, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News. One person under consideration for Wray’s job is Trump adviser Kash Patel, who is also being considered to lead the CIA, according to two other …

The Associated Press reports: Elon Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the group’s spending, funding an effort that set a new standard for how billionaires can influence elections. The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO provided the vast majority of the money to America PAC, which focused on low-propensity …

The New York Post reports: Melania Trump declined an offer to head to the White House Wednesday and meet with Jill Biden, citing the Biden administration’s past raid on Mar-a-Lago. “She ain’t going,” a source familiar with Melania’s decision told The Post. “Jill Biden’s husband authorized the FBI snooping through her underwear drawer. The Bidens are disgusting,” the source said. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President-elect Donald Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz, a Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, to be his White House national security adviser, according to people familiar with the discussion. The national security adviser, a highly influential post appointed by the president that doesn’t require Senate confirmation, coordinates among …

The Hill reports: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Monday that President elect-Trump “and his transition team are already breaking” a law on presidential transition. “Donald Trump and his transition team are already breaking the law,” Warren said in a post on the social platform X. “I would know because I wrote the law. Incoming presidents are required to prevent …

Via press release from Reporters Without Borders: On the campaign trail and during his previous administration, President-elect Donald Trump has frequently deployed violent language and threats against the media. His election to a second term in office marks a dangerous moment for American journalism and global press freedom. The steps he takes in the early days of his next administration …

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump is preparing the U.S. government to adopt a more permissive stance toward cryptocurrency, eyeing a roster of industry-friendly candidates for key posts while his top advisers consult crypto executives on potential changes to federal policy. By pursuing a more lenient regulatory environment, Trump aims to fulfill his campaign promise to transform the United …

ABC News reports: In the days since Election Day, billionaire Elon Musk has emerged as an influential figure in President-elect Donald Trump’s orbit, offering input on staffing decisions and playing a significant role in shaping the future Trump administration, multiple sources tell ABC News. Since Election Day, the world’s richest man has spent nearly every day at Mar-a-Lago with Trump, …

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: In the final days leading up to the presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign went hard at the argument that Trump would rule like a dictator. In Scranton on Wednesday, Matt Wolfson, a 45-year-old former construction worker, looked around at poverty in the Rust Belt city and thought the nation needed a change in leadership. …

Reuters reports: A New York judge is set to decide this week whether President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal conviction on charges involving hush money paid to a porn star should be overturned in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July ruling on presidential immunity. Justice Juan Merchan has said he will make his decision by Tuesday. It is the first of …

NBC News reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday involved himself publicly in the Senate leadership race for the first time, writing on Truth Social that anyone running to be the next Senate majority leader should agree to let him make recess appointments to his cabinet. “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree …

NBC News reports: Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Sunday that she has “no intention” of dropping the criminal case against a group of President-elect Donald Trump’s allies who sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Arizona. “I have no intention of breaking that case up. I have no intention of dropping that case,” Mayes, a Democrat, …

Newsweek reports: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is asking for donations while claiming he cannot buy food amid his ongoing financial difficulties. Giuliani shared a link to his GiveSendGo fundraising page and said that his “measly” checking account had been seized by a law firm and the judge involved in his defamation suit filed by 2020 Georgia election workers …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump’s social media stock had been sinking fast after a short-lived, post-election-victory surge this week. Then, with a single post on Truth Social, he helped boost the stock again – and added a half billion dollars to his net worth as a result. A half-hour into trading Friday, when shares were down again, Trump sent out …

The New York Post reports: Ivanka Trump was by her father’s side as he was won the Presidency for a historic second term – but it doesn’t mean she will join him in the White House, sources say. She and her husband Jared Kusher have spent the past few years settling into Miami life and have no plans for a …

CBS News reports: President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House announced on Saturday. The meeting will be held at 11 a.m. local time, according to the statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Mr. Biden extended the invitation for the meeting. Such a meeting is customary between the outgoing president and the …

The New York Times reports: President-elect Donald J. Trump has not yet submitted a legally required ethics pledge stating that he will avoid conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns while in office, raising concerns that his refusal to do so will hamper the smooth transition to power. Mr. Trump’s transition team was required to submit the ethics plan by …

“Governor Gavin Newscum is trying to KILL our Nation’s beautiful California. For the first time ever, more people are leaving than are coming in. He is using the term ‘Trump-Proof’ as a way of stopping all of the GREAT things that can be done to ‘Make California Great Again,’ but I just overwhelmingly won the Election. “People are being forced …