Trump Corruption

Just out from The Atlantic: On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump stood on the steps of the Capitol, raised his right hand, and solemnly swore to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and, to the best of his ability, to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. He has not kept that promise. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: In early 2015, a man who runs a small technology company showed up at Trump Tower to collect $50,000 for having helped Michael Cohen, then Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, try to rig online polls in his boss’s favor before the presidential campaign. In his Trump Organization office, Mr. Cohen surprised the man, John Gauger, by …

The Washington Post reports: Rudolph W. Giuliani claimed Wednesday night that he “never said there was no collusion” between President Trump’s campaign and Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election. In a remarkable, at times contentious, interview with CNN’s Chris Cuomo, the president’s lawyer appeared to contradict his own past statements about collusion as well as what Trump and …

Politico reports: Lawyers for the General Services Administration chose to “ignore” the U.S. Constitution and other legal precedents when they allowed the Trump International Hotel to maintain its lease on the Old Post Office building even after Donald Trump became president, the GSA’s internal watchdog said on Wednesday. In a 47-page report, the GSA’s inspector general said government lawyers were …

Gabriel Sherman reports at Vanity Fair: The shutdown and related chaos has pushed Donald Trump’s approval rating to new lows, with even Rasmussen, his polling happy place, pegging him at 43 percent. But the White House believes this is only the beginning of his troubles. In recent days, according to a source briefed on the conversation, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani …

The Daily Beast reports: Rick Gates, the former campaign aide to Donald Trump, is cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into whether individuals from the Middle East worked with the Trump campaign to influence the election, according to two individuals with first-hand knowledge of the investigation. Gates has answered questions specifically about Psy Group, an Israeli firm that ex-employees …

ABC News reports: Special counsel Robert Mueller has filed a heavily-redacted court document Tuesday afternoon outlining the underlying evidence to support its claims that Paul Manafort, the president’s onetime campaign chairman, lied to federal investigators. At a hearing in December, the federal judge overseeing that case asked the government to provide some “underlying evidence” to support the scant details they’ve …

The Washington Post reports: The stepson of conservative writer Jerome Corsi has been summoned by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III to testify before a grand jury, according to Corsi, a sign that Mueller’s team remains focused on the writer and his interactions with Roger Stone, a close associate of President Trump. Corsi said in a Fox Business Network interview …

The Daily Mail reports: Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to Donald Trump, says the president shielded a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017, because his administration was ‘suffering from a great number’ of leaks at that time. Conway told reporters at the White House on Monday that the White House that she had not talked with the president …

Newsweek reports: Legendary journalist Carl Bernstein has said that he’s been told that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report will show how President Donald Trump helped Russia “destabilize the United States.” Bernstein, who is renowned for his coverage of the Watergate scandal, appeared on CNN’s Reliable Sources on Sunday to discuss two bombshell reports released this weekend, one from The New …

NBC News reports: Before Donald Trump’s lawyer was pitching the Kremlin on building a Trump Tower in Moscow, the future president was negotiating to put his name on a building in a separate glitzy real estate development outside the Russian capital. The Russians dubbed the proposed suburban development “Manhattan,” and a “Trump Tower” would have been its centerpiece, according to …

Mediaite reports: Rudy Giuliani used a broad-range interview on Thursday to say the White House should get to review and “correct” Robert Mueller‘s investigative findings before the special counsel presents them to the public. The former mayor-turned-lawyer for President Donald Trump insisted to The Hill that “As a matter of fairness, they should show it to you — so we …

The New York Times reports: Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer who implicated him in a scheme to pay hush money to two women claiming to have had affairs with him, has agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee next month and give “a full and credible account” of his work for Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen’s decision …

CNN reports: Special counsel Robert Mueller sought information directly last year from one of Donald Trump’s campaign pollsters who is also a former business associate of Paul Manafort’s. Mueller’s team met with pollster Tony Fabrizio in February 2018, an interview that has not been previously reported and takes on new significance after Manafort’s attorneys revealed Tuesday that Mueller’s team is …

Reuters reports: President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, William Barr, has said he will allow Special Counsel Robert Mueller to finish the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday. Graham told reporters Barr assured him the investigation would continue. “I can assure you he has a very high opinion of Mr. …

The Huffington Post reports: Attorneys for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort accidentally revealed in a court filing Tuesday that the special counsel team led by Robert Mueller has alleged their client lied about sharing polling data with a Russian operative. Manafort’s lawyers ― in a poorly redacted court filing responding to the special counsel’s claim that Manafort broke his …

Bloomberg reports: The White House may try to block portions of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report from being shared with Congress and the public in a fight that could end up before the Supreme Court. Mueller may submit his findings on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign to the Justice Department as early as February, according to one …

Axios reports: A D.C. district judge has extended the federal grand jury being used by special counsel Robert Mueller by another six months, as its 18-month term was set to expire in the coming days, reports CNN’s Katelyn Polantz. Why it matters: Media outlets have speculated throughout the investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia that the special counsel …

USA Today reports: A day after Democrats officially took over the House of Representatives – and one lawmaker profanely called for impeachment – President Donald Trump accused his newly empowered opponents of only wanting to remove him from office. Trump did not identify the inspiration for his impeachment tweet, but it came the morning after a new Democratic member of …

CNBC reports: The White House just announced press secretary Sarah Sanders will hold a surprise briefing this afternoon. The tweet from Sarah Sanders came at 4:07 p.m. ET. She said the briefing would start at 4:10 p.m. It’s now 4:25 p.m. but the press is assembling in the briefing room.