Trump Corruption

CNN reports: Huddled for a lengthy meeting with his legal advisers, Trump was warned the pardons he once hoped to bestow upon his family and even himself would place him in a legally perilous position, convey the appearance of guilt and potentially make him more vulnerable to reprisals. So, too, was Trump warned that pardons for Republican lawmakers who had …

Gallup reports: As President Donald Trump prepares to leave the White House, 34% of Americans approve of the job he is doing as president, the worst evaluation of his presidency. His 41% average approval rating throughout his presidency is four points lower than for any of his predecessors in Gallup’s polling era. Trump’s ratings showed a record 81-percentage-point average gap …

The Hill reports: MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough said in an interview that he has considered taking legal action against President Trump for repeatedly amplifying an unfounded conspiracy theory about the death of one of Scarborough’s former aides. Scarborough, a former GOP lawmaker from Florida, told the Times Radio that he consulted defamation lawyers in New York and Washington, …

Mediaite reports: Giuliani called for a “trial by combat” during his rally speech, followed shortly by a siege on the United States Capitol, during which five people died. “If we’re wrong, we will be made fools of. But if we’re right, a lot of them will go to jail,” he said to thousands of fans right before they attacked the …

The Washington Post reports: Speculation is coursing through Trump World about a possible presidential library and museum. No announcements have been made, but two people familiar with internal discussions said it is likely to be located in Florida and run by Dan Scavino, one of Trump’s longest-serving and most loyal aides who advises him on social media and most recently …

Axios reports: Attorney General Bill Barr stood behind a chair in the private dining room next to the Oval Office, looming over Donald Trump. The president sat at the head of the table. It was Dec. 1, nearly a month after the election, and Barr had some sharp advice to get off his chest. The president’s theories about a stolen …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump is preparing to issue around 100 pardons and commutations on his final full day in office Tuesday, according to three people familiar with the matter, a major batch of clemency actions that includes white collar criminals, high-profile rappers and others but — as of now — is not expected to include Trump himself. The White …

CNN reports: Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) described the possibility of President Trump divulging classified information after leaving office as a “grave danger.” King, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted that intelligence briefings are typically given to former presidents as a courtesy rather than a legal requirement. “There’s a grave danger of [Trump] inadvertently or willfully revealing classified information …

The Associated Press reports: Members of President Donald Trump’s failed presidential campaign played key roles in orchestrating the Washington rally that spawned a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting claims the event was the brainchild of the president’s grassroots supporters. A pro-Trump nonprofit group called Women for America First hosted the …

The Daily Beast reports: “Rudy Giuliani charted a very bad course for the president in the morning papers when he suggested that the argument was going to be, ‘Well, there couldn’t have been incitement because all the charges of widespread voter fraud are true,’” Rove sighed. “Well, those charges and the so-called experts that the campaign has mustered to advocate …

The New York Times reports: As President Trump prepares to leave office in days, a lucrative market for pardons is coming to a head, with some of his allies collecting fees from wealthy felons or their associates to push the White House for clemency, according to documents and interviews with more than three dozen lobbyists and lawyers. The brisk market …

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani tells ABC News he’s working as part of the president’s defense team in his upcoming second impeachment trial — and that he’s prepared to argue that the president’s claims of widespread voter fraud did not constitute incitement to violence because the widely-debunked claims are true. “I’m involved right now … …

The Washington Post reports: Online misinformation about election fraud plunged 73 percent after several social media sites suspended President Trump and key allies last week, research firm Zignal Labs has found, underscoring the power of tech companies to limit the falsehoods poisoning public debate when they act aggressively. The new research by the San Francisco-based analytics firm reported that conversations …

CNN’s Daniel Dale reports: Trying to pick the most notable lies from Donald Trump’s presidency is like trying to pick the most notable pieces of junk from the town dump. There’s just so much ugly garbage to sift through before you can make a decision. But I’m qualified for the dirty job. The most dangerous lie: The coronavirus was under …

Business Insider reports: “In 2014, the Girl Scouts of Greater New York entered into a 15-year lease at 40 Wall Street,” Meridith Maskara, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater New York, said in a statement provided to Insider by a spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of The USA. “As a matter of very high priority, our organization has …

The New York Times reports: Prosecutors in Georgia appear increasingly likely to open a criminal investigation of President Trump over his attempts to overturn the results of the state’s 2020 election, an inquiry into offenses that would be beyond his federal pardon power. The new Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, is already weighing whether to proceed, and among the …

CNBC reports: The Manhattan district attorney’s office has expanded its criminal probe of President Donald Trump’s company to include a sprawling property in Westchester County, New York. A lawyer for the town of Bedford, New York, told CNBC that DA Cyrus Vance Jr.’s office issued a subpoena to the town for records related to the Trump Organization’s Seven Springs Estate …

NBC News reports: Alex Azar, the Health and Human Services Secretary, resigned earlier this week, citing the violent Capitol riot inflamed by President Donald Trump in his resignation letter obtained by NBC News. Azar said his resignation would become effective on Jan. 20th — the same date he would have been leaving office once President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in. …

The Associated Press reports: New York prosecutors conducted an hourslong interview Thursday of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, asking a range of questions about Trump’s business dealings, according to three people familiar with the meeting. The interview focused in part on Trump’s relationship with Deutsche Bank, his biggest and longest standing creditor, according to the three people, …

USA Today reports: President Donald Trump will leave the White House for Florida shortly before President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday, two sources familiar with his plans said on the condition of anonymity to discuss details not yet announced. Trump will hold a farewell ceremony at Joint Base Andrews, the usual jumping off point for Air Force One located in Maryland …