Trump Corruption

NBC News reports: Michael who? Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that he had limited personal interaction with former U.S. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, when asked by NBC’s Megyn Kelly in an exclusive interview about the nature of their relationship — and a widely circulated December, 2015 photo that shows the two sitting next to each other at dinner during …

The Associated Press reports: The special counsel investigating possible ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia’s government has taken over a separate criminal probe involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and may expand his inquiry to investigate the roles of the attorney general and deputy attorney general in the firing of FBI Director James Comey, The Associated Press …

CBS News reports: Carter Page, President Trump’s former campaign policy adviser, says that reports on his interactions with Russian entities are “completely false and misleading” but refused to provide a clear answer on whether the Russian government interfered in the 2016 election. Page, speaking to “CBS This Morning” on Thursday, denied having contacts with any Russian agents, adding that people …

The Washington Post reports: Jared Kushner and his real estate partners wanted to take advantage of a federal program in 2015 that would save them millions of dollars as they built an opulent, 50-story residential tower in this city’s booming waterfront district, just across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan. There was just one problem: The program was designed to …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration is moving toward handing back to Russia two diplomatic compounds, near New York City and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, that its officials were ejected from in late December as punishment for Moscow’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. President Barack Obama said Dec. 29 that the compounds were being “used by Russian personnel …

The Guardian reports: Nigel Farage is a “person of interest” in the US counter-intelligence investigation that is looking into possible collusion between the Kremlin and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, the Guardian has been told. Sources with knowledge of the investigation said the former Ukip leader had raised the interest of FBI investigators because of his relationships with individuals connected to …

CNN reports: Congressional investigators are examining whether Attorney General Jeff Sessions had an additional private meeting with Russia’s ambassador during the presidential campaign, according to Republican and Democratic Hill sources and intelligence officials briefed on the investigation. Investigators on the Hill are requesting additional information, including schedules from Sessions, a source with knowledge tells CNN. They are focusing on whether …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump is accusing his former rival Hillary Clinton of blaming everyone but herself for her election loss. Trump revived an old nickname for the Democrat Wednesday, tweeting that, “Crooked Hillary Clinton now blames everybody but herself, refuses to say she was a terrible candidate.” Trump was likely responding to Clinton’s appearance Wednesday at Recode’s …

The New Yorker reports: On May 11th Roger Stone, Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again political adviser for several decades, had just wrapped up a pair of morning television appearances when, according to two sources with direct knowledge, he received a call from the President. Just a night earlier, Trump claimed that he was no longer in touch with Stone. In the …

The Hill reports: President Trump’s administration will cease answering questions from reporters about the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Wednesday. In an off-camera press briefing, Spicer told reporters that any future questions about the investigation would be addressed by Trump’s personal lawyer. “We are focused on the president’s agenda …

CNN reports: Fired FBI director James Comey plans to testify publicly in the Senate as early as next week to confirm bombshell accusations that President Donald Trump pressured him to end his investigation into a top Trump aide’s ties to Russia, a source close to the issue said Wednesday. Final details are still being worked out and no official date …

Talking Points Memo reports: President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning published a short series of tweets about former campaign aide Carter Page following a report on “Fox and Friends” about claims from Page that the House Intelligence Committee had delayed a planned session with him. Trump used the “Fox and Friends” report to blast the Russia probe and the attention …

ABC News reports: One of President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, has now become a focus of the expanding Congressional investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 campaign. Cohen confirmed to ABC News that House and Senate investigators have asked him “to provide information and testimony” about any contacts he had with people connected to …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Tuesday retweeted a Fox News report citing an anonymous source which pushes back on another article that White House aide Jared Kushner tried to establish backchannel communications with Moscow. Trump’s retweet comes just days after the president blasted the use of anonymous sources in news reports. The Fox News report Trump shared is titled …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning that “Russian officials must be laughing at the U.S.” over the ongoing investigations into Russia’s efforts to interfere in last year’s election and the significant amount of media coverage those probes have generated. Russia’s campaign of cyberattacks targeting the 2016 election, as well as the possibility of collusion between the …

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that many of the leaks from the White House were “fake news,” following reports his son-in-law tried to set up a secret channel of communications with Moscow before Trump took office. Trump returned to the White House after a nine-day trip to the Middle East and Europe that ended on Saturday …

The Washington Post reports: Jared Kushner and Russia’s ambassador to Washington discussed the possibility of setting up a secret and secure communications channel between Trump’s transition team and the Kremlin, using Russian diplomatic facilities in an apparent move to shield their pre-inauguration discussions from monitoring, according to U.S. officials briefed on intelligence reports. Ambassador Sergei Kislyak reported to his superiors …

Reuters reports: Once U.S. President Donald Trump returns from his overseas trip, the White House plans to launch its most aggressive effort yet to push back against allegations involving Russia and his presidential campaign, tackling head-on a scandal that has threatened to consume his young presidency. Trump’s aides are preparing to establish a “war room” to combat mounting questions about …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is willing to cooperate with federal investigators looking into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, his attorney said. The statement from attorney Jamie Gorelick was issued Thursday amid reports that the FBI was investigating meetings Kushner had in December with Russian officials. “Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with …

As usual, nobody has any idea what he’s talking about: President Trump on Friday morning said his first foreign trip has “made and saved” the U.S. “billions of dollars and millions of jobs” as he arrived at his final stop before returning home. Trump has landed in Sicily, Italy, for a G-7 summit after earlier visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel, …