Trump Corruption

PBS reports: White House officials have been looking into whether $500 million in loans that went to Trump administration senior adviser Jared Kushner’s family real estate company may have spurred ethics or criminal law violations, according to the head of the federal government’s ethics agency. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is likely to address the inquiry at a …

The Washington Post reports: Stormy Daniels ramped up her legal battle against President Trump on Monday, alleging in court that his personal attorney Michael Cohen defamed her by insinuating that she lied about an affair with Trump more than a decade ago. Daniels amended her existing lawsuit against Trump, adding Cohen as a defendant in the pending case. The expansion …

The Associated Press reports: George Nader, an adviser to the UAE who is now a witness in the U.S. special counsel investigation into foreign meddling in American politics, wired $2.5 million to Trump fundraiser, Elliott Broidy, through a company in Canada, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about …

The Associated Press reports: President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, is challenging porn actress Stormy Daniel’s unsubstantiated charge that someone tied to Trump threatened her with physical harm if she went public with her story about a tryst with Trump years ago. “In truth, Mr. Cohen had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any such person or incident, and …

The Hill reports: President Trump on Monday ripped “so much fake news” in a tweet following the highly anticipated “60 Minutes” interview with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump before he was president and was paid a sum of money before the 2016 election to keep quiet. A lawyer for Trump has denied …

Maggie Haberman reports at the New York Times: As President Trump heads into one of the most critical phases of the special counsel’s investigation, his personal legal team has shrunk to essentially just one member, and he is struggling to find any top lawyers willing to represent him. That lawyer, Jay Sekulow, is a conservative commentator who made his name …

Fox News reports: The lawyer for Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal attorney, sent adult film star Stormy Daniels a cease and desist letter late Sunday following her interview with “60 Minutes” where she spoke about her alleged affair with Trump and claimed she faced threats to her safety. Brent Blakely, Cohen’s attorney, demanded that Daniels apologize for insinuating that his …

The Associated Press reports: An attorney for President Donald Trump says that two lawyers who planned to join the legal team handling the special counsel’s Russia investigation won’t be taking those positions after all. Trump personal attorney Jay Sekulow says in a statement that Washington lawyers Joseph diGenova and Victoria Toensing have conflicts that won’t allow them to represent the …

Here’s what has Hair Furor raging this morning: President Trump, whose top attorney handling the Russia probe resigned Thursday, is struggling to find top-notch defense lawyers willing to represent him in the case, according to multiple Trump advisers familiar with the negotiations. Some law firms have signaled that they do not want the controversy of representing a divisive and unpopular …

The Washington Post reports: When a Russian news agency reached out to George Papadopoulos to request an interview shortly before the 2016 election, the young adviser to then-candidate Donald Trump made sure to seek approval from campaign headquarters. “You should do it,” deputy communications director Bryan Lanza urged Papadopoulos in a September 2016 email, emphasizing the benefits of a U.S. …

PBS reports: Lawmakers in both the House and Senate scrambled this week to push a $1.3 trillion spending bill through Congress to meet Friday’s funding deadline and avert a government shutdown. But in a tweet Friday morning, President Donald Trump said that he was “considering” vetoing the bill, citing concerns over “Dreamers” and funding for the border wall. White House …

CBS News reports: Alex Emmons of The Intercept reported Wednesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly bragged to multiple parties that Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, was “in his pocket,” citing a source who speaks often with confidants of the Saudi and Emirati rulers. Emmons joined CBSN to discuss The Intercept’s report Thursday morning, describing Kushner and …

NBC News reports: Stormy Daniels’ lawyer is demanding that the Trump Organization preserve all records related to the adult film actress and he plans to subpoena them — citing “unmistakable links” between President Donald Trump’s company and a secrecy agreement she signed. Attorney Michael Avenatti also sent similar requests Thursday to two banks involved in a $130,000 payment facilitated by …

The New York Times reports: The president’s lead lawyer for the special counsel investigation, John Dowd, resigned on Thursday, according to two people briefed on the matter, days after the president called for an end to the inquiry. Mr. Dowd, who took over the president’s legal team last summer, had considered leaving several times in recent months and ultimately concluded …

Washington DC’s NPR affiliate reports: A lawsuit filed by D.C. and Maryland against President Trump over his alleged business conflicts has been expanded to include Trump in his personal capacity as a businessman, which means that a summons has been sent to perhaps the most famous address in Washington: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The attorneys general for both argue in a …

The Associated Press reports: New York City’s buildings regulator launched investigations at more than a dozen Kushner Cos. properties Wednesday following an Associated Press report that the real estate developer routinely filed false paperwork claiming it had zero rent-regulated tenants in its buildings across the city. The Department of Buildings is investigating possible “illegal activity” involving applications that sought permission …

ABC News reports: Nearly a year before Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired senior FBI official Andrew McCabe for what Sessions called a “lack of candor,” McCabe oversaw a federal criminal investigation into whether Sessions lacked candor when testifying before Congress about contacts with Russian operatives, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly accused Sessions of …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized his three predecessors in defending his recent congratulatory call to President Vladimir Putin of Russia — a move that’s been widely criticized in the wake of news that Trump was specifically instructed not to congratulate Putin on his reelection. Reports emerged on Tuesday night that briefing materials prepared for Trump’s call specifically …

The Washington Post reports: The Republican National Committee spent roughly $271,000 at President Trump’s private businesses in February, according to documents filed Tuesday evening. The majority of the RNC’s spending at Trump’s private properties last month paid for venue rental and catering at the Trump National Doral Miami resort in Florida and the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Of about …

Bloomberg reports: President Donald Trump returned to criticisms of the special counsel investigating Russian election meddling Wednesday, this time quoting Alan Dershowitz on Fox News mounting a vigorous attack on Robert Mueller, saying he never should have been appointed and that there was no evidence of a crime. The tweets come as even Republicans in Washington have become concerned that …