Trump Corruption

Reuters reports: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has drawn a new accusation of bank fraud from U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office, according to court documents made public on Friday. The new accusation, related to a property Manafort owns in the Washington suburb of Fairfax, Virginia, comes on top of the indictment against Manafort last October for money laundering …

USA Today reports: President Trump declared that his presidential campaign “did nothing wrong” hours after special counsel Robert Mueller announced new federal indictments against Russian nationals for allegedly meddling in the 2016 election. Trump, who rarely acknowledges Russia’s election meddling, said their activities began in 2014 – “long before I announced that I would run for president. The results of …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Friday accused Democrats of abandoning young immigrants after the Senate rejected three separate immigration bills a day earlier. The president’s tweet came a day after senators rejected three proposals that would have resolved the fate of the “Dreamers” — young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. Trump, however, refused to back any …

CNN reports: Former Trump campaign adviser Rick Gates is finalizing a plea deal with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, indicating he’s poised to cooperate in the investigation, according to sources familiar with the case. Gates has already spoken to Mueller’s team about his case and has been in plea negotiations for about a month. He’s had what criminal lawyers call …

CNN reports: Steve Bannon told the House Intelligence Committee that he had been instructed by the White House to invoke executive privilege on behalf of President Donald Trump, declining to answer a wide array of key questions pertinent to the Russia investigation and prompting lawmakers to consider holding him in contempt. GOP Rep. Mike Conaway and Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff …

The New York Times reports: President Trump’s inaugural committee paid nearly $26 million to an event planning firm started by an adviser to the first lady, Melania Trump, while donating $5 million — less than expected — to charity, according to tax filings released on Thursday. The nonprofit group that oversaw Mr. Trump’s inauguration and surrounding events in January 2017, …

The Blast reports: Stormy Daniels has suddenly changed her position and is ready to spill all the tea regarding her alleged affair with Donald Trump, and it all has to do with the president’s personal attorney allegedly breaching a contract he negotiated with the porn star. Sources close to Daniels tell The Blast that her legal team notified President Trump’s …

The Washington Post reports: Veterans Affairs Secretary David J. Shulkin’s chief of staff doctored an email and made false statements to create a pretext for taxpayers to cover expenses for the secretary’s wife on a 10-day trip to Europe last summer, the agency’s inspector general has found. Vivieca Wright Simpson, VA’s third-most senior official, altered language in an email from …

Mediaite reports: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will meet the press corps in a briefing set for 1:00 p.m. ET. What will she likely be asked about today? There are still many questions as to the timeline of events in the Rob Porter scandal, which has led to the opening of an oversight committee probe by Rep. Trey …

MarketWatch reports: The military parade proposed by President Donald Trump could cost between $10 million and $30 million, depending on the length, Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told the House Budget Committee on Wednesday. Last week, Defense Secretary James Mattis said the Pentagon was “putting together some options” on the parade. Democrats have criticized the idea. Remember …

The New York Times reports: Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, said on Tuesday that he had paid $130,000 out of his own pocket to a pornographic-film actress who had once claimed to have had an affair with Mr. Trump. In the most detailed explanation of the 2016 payment made to the actress, Stephanie Clifford, Mr. Cohen, who …

Today should be another Porter-palooza. The Associated Press reports: The White House will hold a press briefing Tuesday afternoon with press secretary Sarah Sanders. The briefing is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. EST. President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that it’s now or never when it comes to extending protections for young immigrants who have stayed in the country illegally. …

Mediaite reports: You can’t make this up. With FBI Director Christopher Wray contradicting the White House’s story on when they knew about the allegations that ex-staffer Rob Porter abused his ex-wives, CNN is now reporting that Porter was under consideration for a promotion when the accusations publicly surfaced last week. “We’re learning not only did he take an important role …

Reuters reports: FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Tuesday the agency in late July completed a background check for security clearance for former White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who resigned amid allegations of domestic abuse by two former wives. Wray’s comments conflict with the White House assertion that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and intelligence agencies had not completed …

The New York Times reports: As President Trump’s family business prepares to open a hotel in the Mississippi Delta this fall, its local development partners have asked the State of Mississippi to subsidize the project with up to $6 million in tax breaks, according to documents obtained through an open records request. If approved, the benefits could offset nearly a …

The AP reports: The morning after defending a former aide who is accused of abusing his ex-wives, President Donald Trump lamented that lives are being “shattered” by a “mere allegation.” The president’s Saturday morning tweet came after wished Rob Porter well in his future endeavors without any mention of the two ex-wives who have accused Porter of physical and emotional …

Deadline reports: Is Donald Trump just an epaulet away from being a dictator? According to Bill Maher’s on-going “Dictator’s Checklist,” it appears so. With Trump’s announcement this week that he’d love a military parade, Maher was able to cross off yet another entry on the authoritarian to-do list he unveiled on an episode of last season’s Real Time With Bill …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump on Saturday morning offered an explanation for his decision not to release a Democratic rebuttal of the Republican memo that made the case the F.B.I. abused its powers and was politically motivated in the spying on of Carter Page. Democrats have been angling for the declassification of their memo, which they claim outlines …

The Hill reports: President Trump has reportedly told House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Devin Nunes that he is unable to approve the release of the Democratic countermemo to Nunes’ surveillance memo, according to Bloomberg. Nunes’ memo was released publicly last week after weeks of public battle between committee Republicans and Democrats. The memo accuses FBI and Justice Department officials of …

Politico reports: Former Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday he believed Robert Mueller legally could prosecute President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice charges — but that the special counsel would need to build a strong case. “Is there a technical case there now?” Holder said in response to questions from POLITICO after a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Wednesday. “I …