Trump Corruption

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., appeared on ABC’s The View on Thursday to promote his new book “Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us.” Trump Jr. has consistently said he hasn’t profited off of his father’s presidency. On Monday, President Trump tweeted, urging his followers to “Go order” Don Jr.’s …

Axios reports: Former White House national security adviser John Bolton did not appear for his closed-door deposition on Thursday, instead telling the House committees conducting the impeachment inquiry that he would challenge a potential subpoena for his testimony in court. Why it matters: A House Intelligence Committee official said that Democrats have “no interest in allowing the administration to play …

“When Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died on Feb. 13, 2016, it took McConnell about an hour to declare that the Senate would not consider a replacement nominee until after the November presidential election. “This bold move on behalf of the Constitution will always be McConnell’s crowning achievement as leader: He let the people decide the direction of the court. …

Yahoo News reports: On the evening of Oct. 2, Mark Zaid, one of the attorneys representing the anonymous official whose whistleblower complaint sparked the impeachment probe into President Trump, received an email with the subject line: “a bullet in your head.” Zaid reported the email to the FBI, which investigated and determined the threat wasn’t credible, but that message was …

The Washington Post reports: Trump dismissed as “FAKE NEWS” reports that he wanted Barr to hold a news conference declaring that Trump broke no laws during a phone call in which he pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate the Bidens. According to a story first reported by The Washington Post, Barr ultimately declined to do so, and Trump has mentioned …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump wanted Attorney General William P. Barr to hold a news conference declaring that the commander in chief had broken no laws during a phone call in which he pressed his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate a political rival, though Barr ultimately declined to do so, people familiar with the matter said. The request from Trump …

Business Insider reports: The transcript of the testimony of the top US diplomat to Ukraine, Ambassador Bill Taylor, was released by House investigators leading the impeachment inquiry on Tuesday. Upon the release of the document, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff tweeted: “Ambassador Taylor’s testimony reveals how, through a shadow foreign policy channel, Trump withheld military assistance and a White …

This is beyond delicious: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is expected to testify against Roger Stone in his trial for lying to Congress, federal prosecutors said in court Wednesday. In his opening statement, prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky said he also plans to call Rick Gates, another former top aide to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, to testify at Stone’s …

Politico reports: Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, announced Wednesday he’d obtained new legal representation as part of the House impeachment inquiry and amid federal scrutiny of his business dealings in Ukraine. Giuliani’s decision to hire new lawyers came even as he maintains he did nothing illegal in his efforts to pressure Ukrainian officials to open investigations that could …

The Hill reports: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) blocked a resolution Wednesday reaffirming the Senate’s support for whistleblower protections and accused Democrats of “fake outrage.” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) had asked for unanimous consent to pass the resolution, which “acknowledges the contributions of whistleblowers,” and throws the chamber’s support behind protecting whistleblowers from retaliation. …

The Week reports: Well, it wasn’t the most flattering defense. While Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) has said it’s actually becoming easier to defend President Trump amid the congressional impeachment inquiry, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) had to dig deep to do so on Wednesday. Graham seems fed up with the whole thing, saying on Wednesday that he won’t read any of …

The Daily Beast reports: President Trump is reportedly hiring former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and an ex-Treasury Department spokesman as temporary aides to help on impeachment-related matters, The Wall Street Journal reports. Bondi and former spokesman Tony Sayegh were reportedly offered jobs this week to join the West Wing and assist on communications, strategy, and other special projects. Details …

Agence France-Presse reports: President Donald Trump’s son published on Wednesday the name of the alleged anonymous whistleblower whose complaint fired the impeachment inquiry against Trump, breaking strict conventions for protecting officials who reveal wrongdoing in government. Amid calls by the president himself to expose the whistleblower, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted the name of a CIA analyst which has circulated online …

ProPublica reports: Decisions about U.S. aid are often no longer being governed by career professionals applying a rigorous review of applicants and their capabilities. Over the last two years, political pressure, particularly from the office of Vice President Mike Pence, had seeped into aid deliberations and convinced key decision-makers that unless they fell in line, their jobs could be at …

The Associated Press reports: The State Department’s third-ranking official is expected to tell Congress that political considerations were behind the agency’s refusal to deliver a robust defense of the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. People familiar with the matter say the highest-ranking career diplomat in the foreign service, David Hale, plans to tell congressional impeachment investigators on Wednesday that Secretary …

The Hill reports: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday night that he might disclose the name of a whistleblower whose complaint about President Trump’s actions toward Ukraine spurred the House impeachment inquiry. Asked why he hasn’t disclosed the name of the unknown individual, Paul told reporters that he “probably will.” “I’m more than willing to, and I probably will …

NBC News reports: Jury selection in the trial of Roger Stone, the longtime confidant and adviser to President Donald Trump, got off to a bizarre start on Tuesday as Stone left the proceedings due to what he said was food poisoning shortly after an observer was taken out of the courtroom on a stretcher after appearing to have a seizure. …

Law & Crime reports: Before federal authorities arrested Rudy Giuliani’s business partners Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman at Dulles Airport with one-way tickets out of the country, the two Floridian-Ukrainian businessmen received President Donald Trump’s blessing on the hiring of attorney John Dowd. Dowd formerly represented the president during the Mueller investigation. In the wake of their arrest for allegedly …

Just in from Monmouth University: More than 60 percent of respondents who support President Trump say they support him no matter what, according to a new survey. The Monmouth University poll released Tuesday found that 62 percent of Trump supporters said they could not think of “anything that Trump could do, or fail to do, in his term as president …

USA Today reports: House Democrats have requested that acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney give a deposition in the impeachment probe, according to a letter released Tuesday. In the letter, the three chairmen of the House committees conducting the probe wrote, “Based on evidence gathered in the impeachment inquiry and public reporting, we believe that you possess substantial …