Trump Corruption

CNN reports: Top White House aides are worried FBI Director Christopher Wray could quit if the highly controversial Republican memo alleging the FBI abused its surveillance tools is released, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell CNN. Wray has made clear he is frustrated that President Donald Trump picked him to lead the FBI after he fired FBI Director …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration has stripped enforcement powers away from Consumer Financial Protection Bureau office that specializes in pursuing cases against financial firms for breaking discrimination laws, according to two people familiar with the matter and emails reviewed by The Washington Post. The move comes about two months after President Trump installed his budget chief Mick Mulvaney …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump is expected to approve the release of a controversial congressional memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI, after the White House agreed to some redactions at the bureau’s request, according to senior administration officials. The redactions were the result of a review of the memo’s classified contents by White House and intelligence community officials, …

The Hill reports: Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) compared House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes’s (R-Calif.) move to make a memo on surveillance at the Department of Justice (DOJ) public to former Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s (R-Wis.) aggressive probe of suspected communists in the 1950s. “The release of this memo is really reminiscent of the darkest days of the McCarthy era, with …

The Daily Beast reports: Mark Corallo, the former spokesman for President Donald Trump’s legal team, will reportedly tell special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators that White House Communications Director Hope Hicks said Donald Trump Jr.’s emails about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians “will never get out.” According to The New York Times, Corallo was concerned that Hicks “could …

The Miami Herald reports: Miami Gardens Congresswoman Frederica Wilson criticized Donald Trump’s handling of congressionally ordered Russia sanctions Tuesday night during a boycott of his state of the union speech, suggesting the president has taken it easy on Russia because “they have something on him.” “The House and Senate voted on all kinds of sanctions against Russia. Now, the president …

Talking Points Memo reports: In a rare public statement, the FBI on Wednesday expressed “grave concerns” about the accuracy of a congressional Republican memo that purports to show anti-Trump prejudice among senior FBI and Justice Department officials. It’s extremely unlikely that the highly critical comment would be sent out without the approval of top Trump appointees at the FBI and …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump has been talking to his friends about possibly asking Attorney General Jeff Sessions to prosecute Robert Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the Russia probe, and his team, NBC News reported. The revelation appears in a news analysis piece written by Howard Fineman, an NBCNews.com contributor and an analyst for MSNBC. Fineman quotes an unnamed Trump …

Splinter News reports: Want to see your name flash across the stream of a broadcast of tonight’s State of the Union address? Well, now you can, for the low low price of a $35 donation to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. “This is a movement. It’s not about just one of us. It’s about ALL of us. Which is why your …

Buzzfeed News reports: The striking similarity between a newly-released Treasury Department report of Russian oligarchs and a 2017 list of wealthy Russians published in Forbes Magazine is no coincidence. On Tuesday, a Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the unclassified annex of the report was derived from Forbes’ ranking of the “200 richest businessmen in Russia 2017.” The …

The Hill reports: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Tuesday he doesn’t believe President Trump should sit for an interview with special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia investigation. “Robert Mueller is not someone to be trifled with. And he’s not someone who takes lightly the words of anybody who he’s looking at,” Christie said. “I …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …