Trump Corruption

Politico reports: Sixty percent of those polled in a new survey disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance, a new high for the president in polling conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News. The poll, released Friday and conducted just days after special counsel Robert Mueller delivered a one-two punch to the Trump administration in federal court, found a …

The New York Daily News reports: Former state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued President Trump’s family foundation out of personal hatred and used the litigation as a prop to boost his own campaign fund-raising, according to the lawyer for the charity. Alan Futerfas, the attorney defending the Donald J. Trump Foundation against the AG’s lawsuit, filed a motion on Thursday …

Bloomberg reports: Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney who recently pleaded guilty to campaign-finance and tax crimes, has sold his interest in two Manhattan apartment buildings, public records show. Cohen sold his stakes in 330 East 63rd St. and 133 Ave. D earlier this month, according to documents filed with New York City. The records show a combined …

The Daily Beast reports: President Donald Trump’s legal team is crafting a “counter-report” that will seek to delegitimize Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling and present countervailing arguments. Trump’s personal attorney, former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, told The Daily Beast in an interview on Thursday that part of his report would examine whether the “initiation of …

The New York Times reports: Romania, long considered one of the most corrupt states in the European Union, has made energetic efforts to root out graft, with high-profile lawmakers caught in the cross hairs and concerns about the rule of law prompting rallies attended by tens and sometimes hundreds of thousands of protesters. Now, unexpectedly, Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s …

The Washington Post reports: The FBI on Wednesday pushed back on an unfounded claim by President Trump that Hillary Clinton’s emails were hacked by China, saying it had found no evidence that the private servers she used while secretary of state had been compromised. Trump asserted early Wednesday, without citing evidence, that China had hacked Clinton’s emails, and he said …

The Huffington Post reports: David Pecker, the chairman and CEO of American Media Inc., has resigned from the boards of the Canadian media company Postmedia effective immediately, according to a press release. “David noted that it is important for him to focus his efforts on ensuring that his businesses are best positioned for continued growth,” Peter Sharpe, the lead director …

Reuters reports: Lawyers for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on Tuesday said they would seek to move his second trial, scheduled to start next month, out of Washington, D.C., due to the highly politicized environment in the nation’s capital. The motion for change of venue will be the second by Manafort after a failed attempt to move his first …

The New York Daily News reports: Longtime Trump ally Roger Stone on Monday preemptively pushed back on reports alleging he tipped the President off about WikiLeaks’ pre-election releases of emails stolen from Hillary Clinton’s campaign. In a video posted to Instagram, Stone vehemently denied the assertion, which he claimed several news outlets are pursuing. “Somebody has been pushing a fake …

The Associated Press reports: The Kushner family real estate company has been fined $210,000 by New York City regulators following an Associated Press investigation that showed it routinely filed false documents with the city claiming it had no rent-regulated tenants in its buildings when it, in fact, had hundreds. The false documents allowed the company to escape extra scrutiny during …

The Hill reports: A former Watergate prosecutor said Friday that the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization receiving immunity could lead to the “downfall of the Trump Organization.” Assistant Watergate special prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks made the comments on MSNBC just hours after reports broke that Allen Weisselberg was granted immunity as part of federal prosecutors’ investigation into Trump’s …

Politico reports: A clear majority of voters say it would be inappropriate for President Donald Trump to pardon Paul Manafort or Michael Cohen, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. Six-in-10 voters, 60 percent, say it would be inappropriate for the president to pardon Manafort, his former campaign chairman. Only 11 percent say a pardon for Manafort would be appropriate. …

The New York Daily News reports: When it comes to flipping, Rudy Giuliani won’t budge. The former federal prosecutor — famous for coaxing New York mobsters into spilling the beans on their bosses — took a jab at President Trump on Friday over his claim that the longstanding legal tactic of “flipping” ought to be “outlawed.” “The President is not …

The Associated Press reports: By Friday morning, the GoFundMe page dubbed the “Michael Cohen Truth Fund” had raised more than $149,000 from about 2,770 donations. Most reaction on social media was incredulous and unsympathetic, but one $5 donor was encouraging, writing: “The USA would love you for your honesty.” Confusion over the web address for the fundraising page, michaelcohentruthfund.com, led …

The New York Post reports: American Media CEO David Pecker is expected to go to market next month in a bid to raise about $425 million to refinance debt. The controversy surrounding his role in helping federal authorities win a guilty plea from Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, can’t help the situation. Pecker and AMI Chief Content Officer …

The New York Times reports: The Manhattan district attorney’s office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with Michael D. Cohen’s hush money payment to an adult film actress, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter. A state investigation would center on how the company accounted for its reimbursement …

The Associated Press reports: The National Enquirer kept a safe containing documents on hush money payments and other damaging stories it killed as part of its cozy relationship with Donald Trump leading up to the 2016 presidential election, people familiar with the arrangement told The Associated Press. The detail came as several media outlets reported on Thursday that federal prosecutors …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump asked his lawyers several weeks ago for their advice on the possibility of pardoning his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his lawyer said Thursday. The subject of pardoning Manafort came up as he faced multiple charges of bank fraud and tax evasion in an Alexandria court and the president was expressing his anger at …

The New York Times reports: The tabloid executive David J. Pecker has been granted immunity by federal prosecutors investigating payments during the 2016 campaign to two women who said they had affairs with Donald J. Trump, a person familiar with the investigation confirmed on Thursday. Mr. Pecker is chief executive and chairman of American Media Inc., the nation’s biggest tabloid …

The Washington Post reports: One of the distinguishing characteristics of Donald Trump’s presidency has been his loose relationship with facts. As of the beginning of this month, The Washington Post’s Fact Checker had documented 4,229 false or misleading claims from the president — an average of nearly 7.6 a day. Trump’s allies have defended the president by suggesting that facts …