Trump Corruption

The New York Times reports: President Trump said on Wednesday night that he was “strongly considering” commuting the 14-year prison sentence of Rod R. Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was convicted of trying to essentially sell President Barack Obama’s vacated Senate seat for personal gain. In remarks aboard Air Force One, Mr. Trump described the incriminating phone call in …

Reuters reports: U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that things are going well with China, insisting U.S. consumers are not paying for import taxes he has imposed on goods from that country although economists say Americans are footing the bill. Tariffs are intended to make foreign goods more expensive to boost domestic producers, unless international exporters reduce prices. But …

From the ethics watchdog group CREW: The recent Federal Reserve interest rate cut has clear political benefits for President Trump, but it appears the cut will be doubly beneficial to him, as he also now stands to save millions in loan payments in coming years as a result of the rate cut. Trump reported five mortgages and loans on his …

The New York Times reports: State prosecutors in Manhattan subpoenaed President Trump’s family business on Thursday, reviving an investigation into the company’s role in hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to people briefed on the matter. The subpoena, issued by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, demanded the Trump Organization provide documents related to money that had been …

CNBC reports: U.S. President Donald Trump offered his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin help in putting out vast wildfires that are raging in Siberia, the Kremlin said late on Wednesday, a move it said Putin took as a sign that battered ties can be restored. The Kremlin said the two leaders had spoken by phone at Washington’s initiative, hours after Putin …

ABC News reports: President Trump on Wednesday pushed back against Democratic presidential candidates decrying the treatment of migrants under his administration, blaming his predecessor for the construction of “cages.” The president repeated his claim that former President Obama implemented a policy of “child separation” and that he ended it. The Obama administration did not have a sweeping policy of prosecuting …

Talking Points Memo reports: It appears likely New York will have to wait to produce any of President Trump’s tax returns Congress may request, until certain legal questions surrounding a dispute over such a hypothetical request are settled. At a teleconference hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols said he was “leaning” towards adopting a proposal that New York …

Reuters reports: When candidate Donald Trump prepared to give a major energy speech during the 2016 campaign, one of his closest advisers provided a pre-speech review to senior United Arab Emirates officials, an unorthodox move that caught the attention of federal investigators, according to emails and text messages uncovered by a House Oversight Committee investigation. “The Trump Administration has virtually …

ABC News reports: A longtime Trump insider has been pushing a proposal to build dozens of nuclear power plants in Saudi Arabia while seeking to avoid restrictions on the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology and has at times stood to profit from the effort, according to an investigative report by the House Oversight Committee. The 50-page report, which relied on …

CBS News reports: The nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) sued the federal government Monday, demanding that it produce documents related to former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Caliburn International, the operator of the nation’s largest shelter for unaccompanied migrant children. CBS News reported in May that Kelly had joined the board of directors …

CNN reports: President Donald Trump made 78 false claims last week, including 24 related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and Russia. That compares to 61 false claims the week before and 29 the week before that. In the hours leading up to and after Mueller testified before two House committees, Trump unleashed a misinformation blitz about him on Twitter, …

Mediaite reports: During a signing ceremony for the 9/11 victim compensation fund bill, President Donald Trump — speaking to an audience filled with first responders — made reference his time “down there” at Ground Zero. Speaking from the White House Rose Garden Monday morning, the president discussed his time at the site of the attacks. “I was down there also,” …

Roll Call reports: President Donald Trump said Friday that while he is a well-documented teetotaler, he prefers the appearance of American wines to their French counterparts. “I’ve always liked American wines better than French wines, even though I don’t drink wine. I just like the way they look,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday. Trump confirmed his administration …

The Hill reports: Government prosecutors filed a motion on Friday to get permission to show a clip from “The Godfather Part II” during the trial for Trump associate Roger Stone. The roughly four-and-a-half-minute scene, the prosecutors say, is one that Stone referenced in conversations that allegedly constituted witness tampering, according to court documents. “The relevant scene is important context for …

The New York Times reports: The House Judiciary Committee on Friday said it would ask a federal judge to unseal grand jury secrets related to Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation and use the court filing to make the most explicit declaration yet that lawmakers are weighing whether to impeach President Trump. In a significant escalation, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New …

Deadline reports: President Donald Trump took a victory lap on Fox News last night, talking via phone to Hannity host Sean Hannity about Robert Mueller’s testimony before Congress. The President’s conclusion: The Democrats “created this phony crime” with their accusations of obstruction of justice. “I didn’t do it. They create a phony crime,” Trump said. “And then, they say, ‘he …

Mediaite reports: A new Fox News poll showed a large majority of Americans believe President Donald Trump‘s comments instructing four progressive Democrats to “go back” to unspecified countries were racist. 56% of all voters said that telling a person of color to “go back” is racist. 20% said it is not racist, and 18% say it depends. Among Republicans, 21% …

Forbes reports: Want a stable government job? Don’t join Donald Trump’s cabinet. In just two and a half years, the president has replaced 12 of his 23 cabinet positions—some more than once. The current lineup includes 17 millionaires, 2 centimillionaires and 1 billionaire. They’re worth $3.2 billion in all. Amid all the upheaval, the richest have stayed in place. Betsy …

Politico reports: White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Thursday she felt “great empathy and compassion” for former special counsel Robert Mueller, who has been the subject of criticism after giving congressional testimony in which he seemed at times unsure of the substance of the report his team released earlier this year. “I am first and foremost who I will always …

“The Committee has obtained direct evidence that multiple high-level White House officials have been violating the Presidential Records Act by using personal email accounts, text messaging services, and even encrypted applications for official business — and not preserving those records in compliance with federal law. What we do not yet know is why these White House officials were attempting to …