Trump Corruption

CNN reports: Paul Manafort does not want to visit court until his Virginia criminal trial and he waived his right to appear in court for any upcoming hearings in the Eastern District of Virginia, his attorneys wrote in a filing Friday. His reason for not appearing has been the “the great time and distance involved in having the US Marshals …

Here’s what really happened two days ago: A federal judge in Washington has tossed out a lawsuit claiming President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russian agents and WikiLeaks to publish emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee. However, Judge Ellen Huvelle wrote that her ruling was “not based on a finding that there was no collusion between defendants and …

The Rising reports: Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page on Friday said he is not worried that federal investigators might find damaging information about him from the year he was under surveillance. I have absolutely no concern whatsoever,” Page told Krystal Ball on “Rising.” Page did not rule out taking legal action against the federal government. When asked by co-host …

CNN reports: Michael Cohen has recently told friends that he is pessimistic that President Donald Trump will offer him a pardon — one more indication that Cohen does not believe his former boss will have his back. In a phone call with a friend several days before he was interviewed by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos last weekend, Cohen — who …

NBC News reports: Scott Pruitt’s polarizing tenure as head of the Environmental Protection Agency has come to an end. President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday that he has accepted Pruitt’s resignation. The departure follows months of scrutiny that gathered momentum following reports that Pruitt had rented a Capitol Hill condominium linked to an energy lobbyist on favorable terms. The revelation …

CBS News reports: Despite saying that he expected to have a decision on July 4 whether President Trump would sit down for an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team, Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday he had “no decision” to announce, according to CBS News’ Paula Reid. Giuliani, a former mayor of New York City, is one of Mr. Trump’s primary …

Bloomberg reports: Special Counsel Robert Mueller is tapping additional Justice Department resources for help with new legal battles as his year-old investigation of Russian interference with the 2016 election continues to expand. As Mueller pursues his probe, he’s making more use of career prosecutors from the offices of U.S. attorneys and from Justice Department headquarters, as well as FBI agents …

More of the drip drip towards the flip flip: Michael Cohen has taken his divorce with Donald Trump to the next level. In the past, people who visited Cohen’s Twitter profile would notice his bio where he proudly declared his status as “Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.” However, if you visit @MichaelCohen212 as of today, you will notice …

We’re not the only ones getting screwed by his golfing: The British government confirmed on Tuesday that it would cover up to $6.6 million in policing costs for President Trump’s potential visit to Scotland to go golfing. Liz Truss, the chief secretary of Treasury and Member of Parliament (MP) for South West Norfolk, shared a letter addressed to the Scottish …

CNN reports: Breaking with their House Republican counterparts, the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that the intelligence community properly concluded in January of last year that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to help Donald Trump when Moscow meddled in the 2016 election. The Senate panel released a summary Tuesday of its examination of the intelligence community’s January 2017 assessment, …

Gosh, whatever will they talk about? President Donald Trump plans to meet one-on-one with Vladimir Putin at the start of their July 16 summit in Helsinki, Finland, according to a person familiar with the plans, before allowing other aides to join the highly anticipated encounter with the Russian leader. The meeting will be the first formal summit talks between them. …

CNN reports: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and his aides have kept “secret” calendars and schedules to overtly hide controversial meetings or calls with industry representatives and others, according to a former EPA official who is expected to soon testify before Congress. A review of EPA documents by CNN found discrepancies between Pruitt’s official calendar and other records. EPA staffers met …

The Hill reports: A woman publicly confronted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt while he was eating lunch on Monday and urged him to resign, according to video posted on Facebook. “EPA head Scott Pruitt was 3 tables away as I ate lunch with my child. I had to say something,” Kristin Mink posted on Facebook with an accompanying …

NBC News reports: Since her husband took office Melania Trump has earned six figures from an unusual deal with a photo agency in which major media organizations have indirectly paid the Trump family despite a requirement that the photos be used only in positive coverage. President Donald Trump’s most recent financial disclosure reveals that in 2017 the first lady earned …

Talking Points Memo reports: Top Republican donor Elliott Broidy will end hush money payments to his onetime mistress in a situation arranged by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, claiming a breach of the nondisclosure agreement. According to a Sunday Wall Street Journal report, Broidy agreed last year to pay Playboy model Shera Bechard $1.6 million in installments in exchange for …

Reuters reports: A personal assistant to Paul Manafort granted an FBI agent access to a storage locker in Virginia, allowing the government to secure evidence that President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager is trying to suppress, according to testimony Friday in a federal court hearing. FBI special agent Jeff Pfeiffer made the disclosure at a hearing to consider whether evidence …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump’s pick to run the IRS, tax lawyer Chuck Rettig, owns properties at the Trump International Hotel Waikiki and Tower. He’d previously disclosed his 50 percent stake in a pair of Honolulu rental units, but not their specific location. That detail was discussed later, at a June 21 meeting with congressional staff, according to a memo …

Reuters reports: A search warrant application unsealed on Wednesday revealed closer links than previously known between President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin. In an affidavit attached to the July 2017 application, an FBI agent said he had reviewed tax returns for a company controlled by Manafort and his …

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge in Virginia rejected a bid by President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, to throw out charges in the special counsel’s Russia investigation, clearing the way for a much-anticipated trial to start as scheduled next month. The decision Tuesday by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III was a setback for Manafort in …

Bloomberg reports: Special Counsel Robert Mueller is preparing to accelerate his probe into possible collusion between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russians who sought to interfere in the 2016 election, according to a person familiar with the probe. Mueller and his team of prosecutors and investigators have an eye toward producing conclusions — and possible indictments — related to collusion …