Mother Jones reports: Donald Trump has pledged to keep his distance from his businesses and vowed that his company would not enter into any new foreign deals during his presidency. But during the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump hobnobbed with at least one of his foreign business partners, Dubai billionaire Hussain Sajwani, once again highlighting the blurry lines …
Read More »AGAIN: Kuwait Plans Gala At Trump’s DC Hotel
The Washington Post reports: For the second year in a row, the Kuwaiti embassy will hold a large National Day celebration at President Trump’s hotel in downtown Washington. An invitation obtained by The Washington Post said the event is scheduled to be held in the hotel ballroom the evening of Feb. 26. A source familiar with the plans, speaking on …
Read More »Trump: Mueller Firing Story Is “Typical Fake News”
Mediaite reports: As he prepares to deliver a speech at the Davos Economic Forum in Switzerland, President Trump is calling “fake news” on the bombshell report that he seriously considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller last year. “Fake news, fake news,” Trump said to reporters. “Typical New York Times fake stories.” Trump proceeded to brag that his presence at Davos …
Read More »Trump Ordered Firing Of Robert Mueller Last Year But Backed Off When His Own Lawyers Threatened To Quit
The New York Times reports: President Trump ordered the firing last June of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, according to four people told of the matter, but ultimately backed down after the White House counsel threatened to resign rather than carry out the directive. The West Wing confrontation marks the first time Mr. Trump …
Read More »Trump Lawyer: I Decide Whether He Talks To Mueller
The Daily Beast reports: John Dowd, a lawyer for President Donald Trump, told The Daily Beast he will be the one to decide whether or not Trump sits down for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller. Dowd also said he hasn’t made any decision on whether or not an interview will happen. Dowd noted that the president will only …
Read More »Trump Claims He’ll Speak To Mueller Under Oath
The New York Times reports: President Trump said on Wednesday that he was willing to speak under oath to Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. “I’m looking forward to it,” Mr. Trump said of talking to Mr. Mueller, ending months of speculation over whether he would submit to questions from the …
Read More »Democrats Want Mueller To See Transcripts Of Junior’s Senate Judiciary Interview (Maybe Because He Lied)
Politico reports: Two Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday pressed the committee’s Republican chairman to provide special counsel Robert Mueller with transcripts of the panel’s interviews with key witnesses in its Russia probe, including Donald Trump Jr. The request, from Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), reflected the partisan tension in a judiciary committee whose investigation …
Read More »Flynn Met With FBI Without Trump’s Knowledge
NBC News reports: A year ago today, Donald Trump’s newly sworn–in national security adviser, Michael Flynn, met privately in his West Wing office with FBI investigators interested in his communications with Russia’s ambassador, without a lawyer or the knowledge of the president and other top White House officials, according to people familiar with the matter. Flynn’s FBI interview on Jan. …
Read More »Mueller Seeks To Grill Trump On Comey And Flynn
The Washington Post reports: Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is seeking to question President Trump in the coming weeks about his decisions to oust national security adviser Michael Flynn and FBI Director James B. Comey, according to two people familiar with his plans. Mueller’s interest in the events that led Trump to push out Flynn and Comey indicates that …
Read More »NRA Still Silent On Russia-To-Trump Dark Money Probe
Talking Points Memo reports: Over five days have passed since a report revealed that the FBI is investigating whether a Russian banker funneled money to the NRA to boost Donald Trump’s campaign. And the gun group still isn’t talking. The NRA did not respond to McClatchy’s requests for comments for its story on the FBI probe, published Thursday morning. And …
Read More »REPORT: Stormy Got Her Payoff AFTER The Election
Raw Story reports: According to the Wall Street Journal’s reporting, longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen set up a separate LLC called Essential Consultants in October 2016 that he used as a vehicle to pay off Daniels in exchange for remaining silence about her past affair with the president, which occurred shortly after his wife Melania had given birth to their …
Read More »BREAKING: Mueller Has Interviewed Jeff Sessions
The New York Times reports: Attorney General Jeff Sessions was questioned for several hours last week by the special counsel’s office as part of the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the election and whether the president obstructed justice since taking office, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman. The meeting marked the first time that investigators for the special counsel, Robert …
Read More »FEC Complaints Accuse Trump Of Violating Campaign Finance Laws With Porn Star Hush Money Payoff
Law & Crime reports: Two complaints filed today accuse President Donald Trump and his 2016 campaign of violating federal campaign finance laws by not reporting $130,000 in hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The complaints in question were filed by non-profit and nonpartisan watchdog group Common Cause, which was founded in 1970 by Republican John W. Gardner. …
Read More »Trump Lawyer Threatened To Sue Magazine In 2011 If They Published Interview With Porn Star Stormy Daniels
The Associated Press reports: A tabloid magazine held back from publishing an adult film star’s 2011 account of an alleged affair with Donald Trump after the future president’s personal lawyer threatened to sue, four former employees of the tabloid’s publisher told The Associated Press. In Touch magazine published its 5,000-word interview with the pornographic actor Stormy Daniels on Friday — …
Read More »Wall Street Journal: Trump Lawyer Created LLC And Used Pseudonym To Funnel $130K Payoff To Porn Star
The Stormy Daniels story gets even stormier: President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen reportedly used a private company and a pseudonym to get money to an adult film star who allegedly had an affair with the president in 2006. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Cohen used Essential Consultants LLC, to send a lawyer representing the actress who calls …
Read More »REPORT: Trump Personally Ordered Bannon To Limit His Testimony Before The House Intelligence Committee
Foreign Policy reports: President Donald Trump personally made the decision to curtail the testimony of former chief White House political strategist Steve Bannon before the House Intelligence Committee, according to two people with firsthand knowledge of the matter. Trump acted to limit Bannon’s testimony based on legal advice provided by Uttam Dhillon, a deputy White House counsel, who concluded that …
Read More »Trump Lawyer Ty Cobb: POTUS Is Eager To Interview With Mueller, But I Hope It’s Not A “Mere Perjury Trap”
Mediaite reports: CBS has released a preview of their extensive interview with Ty Cobb, a lawyer for President Donald Trump. And in it, the president’s counsel went on record as saying his client is quite willing to give an interview to special counsel Robert Mueller. Speaking with CBS White House correspondent Major Garrett on The Takeout‘s upcoming podcast, Cobb said …
Read More »FBI Investigates Whether Kremlin-Tied Russian Banker Funneled Money To The NRA To Help Trump Campaign
McClatchy reports: The FBI is investigating whether a top Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin illegally funneled money to the National Rifle Association to help Donald Trump win the presidency, two sources familiar with the matter have told McClatchy. FBI counterintelligence investigators have focused on the activities of Alexander Torshin, the deputy governor of Russia’s central bank who is …
Read More »Millions Still Unaccounted For From Inauguration Fund
Newsweek reports: Almost one year after President Donald Trump took the oath of office, millions of dollars from his leftover inauguration funds have still not been donated to the charities they were promised to. Trump’s inauguration committee raised a record-breaking $107 million as his administration prepared to assume the White House last year, but very little has been disclosed about …
Read More »Bannon Made A Major Oopsie To US House Panel
Axios reports: Steve Bannon made one conspicuous slip up in his closed-door hearing on Tuesday with the House Intelligence Committee, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the confidential proceedings. Bannon admitted that he’d had conversations with Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and legal spokesman Mark Corallo about Don Junior’s infamous meeting with the Russians in Trump Tower in June …
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