Trump Corruption

The Wall Street Journal reports: Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Trump, directed his attorney last spring to inquire about the possibility of a presidential pardon, weeks after federal agents raided his properties, Mr. Cohen’s lawyer said Wednesday, apparently contradicting his testimony before a House committee last week. Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Mr. Cohen, said Wednesday that in …

ABC News reports: In the weeks following the federal raids on former Michael Cohen’s law office and residences last April, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and confidant was contacted by two New York attorneys who claimed to be in close contact with Rudy Giuliani, the current personal attorney to Trump, according to sources with direct knowledge of the discussions. The …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s former lawyer is returning to Capitol Hill for a fourth day of testimony as Democrats pursue a flurry of investigations into Trump’s White House, businesses and presidential campaign. Michael Cohen became a key figure in those investigations after turning on his former boss and cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe. He was …

The New York Times reports: New York State regulators have issued an expansive subpoena to the Trump Organization’s longtime insurance broker, the first step in an investigation of insurance policies and claims involving President Trump’s family business, according to a person briefed on the matter. The subpoena was served late Monday on the company, Aon, one of the largest insurance …

Axios reports: White House counsel Pat Cipollone sent a letter to House Oversight chairman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) on Tuesday rejecting the committee’s request for documents explaining the process for granting security clearances to White House personnel, calling their demands “unprecedented and extraordinarily intrusive.” Cipollone’s letter is likely the first of many confrontations to come, as Democrats intent on probing every …

ABC News reports: Ty Cobb, the veteran Washington attorney who represented the White House as special counsel Robert Mueller ramped up his investigation into Russian meddling, said he considers the man leading the probe “an American hero” and does not share President Donald Trump’s view that the Russia inquiry is a politically motivated hoax. “I don’t feel the same way …

CBS News reports: Attorney General William Barr will not be recusing himself from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing Russia probe, citing advisement from “senior career ethics officials,” according to the Department of Justice. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is expected to be leaving his post in the coming weeks, will continue to serve as a “liaison” to the investigation. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: An attorney for Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, raised the possibility of a pardon with attorneys for the president and his company after federal agents raided Mr. Cohen’s properties in April, according to people familiar with the discussions. Conversations among those parties are now being probed by congressional investigators, according to document requests …

Politico reports: Roger Stone is under fire for possible violations of his court-imposed gag order after a weekend social media post suggested he’d been “framed” in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and ahead of the imminent re-release of a book he co-wrote that explores the “myth of Russian collusion.” The longtime Donald Trump associate remains under a Feb. 21 order …

Earlier today House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler filed documents requests with 71 people and entities affiliated with Trump. Here’s some of the people on Nadler’s list: DONALD TRUMP JR. – Trump’s oldest son is a top surrogate for his father in conservative circles and helps run his business. During the 2016 campaign, he set up a meeting with a Kremlin-connected …

Politico reports: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that the White House’s lack of transparency surrounding security clearances for President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, is indefensible. Christie, a frequent defender of Trump on cable TV who came close to being his pick for vice president in 2016, said that last week’s reporting by …

CBS News reports: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler has delivered a slew of document requests as a first step in his investigation into President Trump and his associates, as the White House adjusts to the realities of a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. On Monday Nadler revealed his committee has requested documents from 71 entities and individuals, from the White …

The Hill reports: George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, said Monday that it would “unquestionably be grounds for impeachment” if President Trump ordered former White House economic adviser Gary Cohn to pressure the Department of Justice to block the AT&T-Time Warner merger. Conway’s remark comes after The New Yorker reported that Trump gave that directive to …

Axios reports: House Democratic leaders worry impeachment proceedings against President Trump could backfire if they move too fast. They plan to pursue a slow-bleed strategy with lengthy public hearings and scores of witnesses to methodically pick apart Trump’s finances and presidency. In an investigation being coordinated among six to eight House committees, Trump will essentially be on public trial for …

“I think there is direct evidence in the emails from the Russians through their intermediary offering dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of what is described in writing as the Russian government effort to help elect Donald Trump. They offer that dirt. There is an acceptance of that offer in writing form the president’s son, Don Jr., and there is …

“Tomorrow, we will be issuing document requests to over 60 different people and individuals from the White House to the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, Jr., Allen Weisselberg, to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. “It’s very clear that the president obstructed justice.  It’s very clear …

Buzzfeed News reports: Former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort on Friday continued to attack special counsel Robert Mueller, accusing Mueller’s office of not only vilifying him, but also of “spreading misinformation.” Manafort and his lawyers have used pre-sentencing memos not only to lobby for a lower prison sentence, but also to criticize the special counsel’s office — something they’ve had …

Politico reports: Kellyanne Conway claimed Friday that President Donald Trump has the “absolute right” to order that security clearances be approved, following a report that the president did so for son-in-law Jared Kushner despite other officials’ misgivings. “We don’t discuss security clearances. I won’t discuss my own,” she said during an interview on Fox News. “I will tell you the …

Jerry Falwell Jr. writes to Liberty University students: We are one of three universities, along with Pepperdine and Colorado Christian, to be chosen as a satellite location for this year’s CPAC, an event dedicated to hosting conservative speakers from around the country. Guests will include Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, Donald Trump, Jr., former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and …

The Independent reports: Donald Trump has claimed his former attorney Michael Cohen wrote “love letter to Trump” manuscript for a book he was hoping to write after working for the president during his rise to prominence and, eventually, the White House. Cohen revealed in an explosive public testimony on Wednesday that he had intentions to write a book at some …