Trump Corruption

Reuters reports: Trump on Wednesday asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit accusing him of making defamatory statements during his campaign about five Black and Hispanic men who were wrongly convicted and imprisoned for the 1989 rape of a white jogger in New York’s Central Park. Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing that his statements about the men, …

The New York Times reports: With students at many colleges wrapping up final exams this week and preparing for their winter break, a number of schools, including Harvard, U.S.C. and Cornell, are advising their international students to return to campus before President-elect Donald J. Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20. “A travel ban is likely to go into effect soon …

The New Republic reports: The Trump Organization on Wednesday announced a new project in Saudi Arabia: Trump Tower Jeddah. The two companies have spent about $532 million on this residential apartment site, which is expected to be completed in four years. The Trump Organization relies a lot on Saudi Arabia, as the company’s real estate deals in the United States …

Law & Crime reports: MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell is putting another lender on notice that the terms of a recent loan to his bedding company are “usurious, unconscionable, and thus unenforceable.” Last week, in Carver County District Court, the pro-Donald Trump election denier sued named and unnamed defendants over a triple-digit interest rate on a $1.559 million loan taken out …

Politico reports: Donald Trump is expected to be named Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” — and to celebrate the unveiling of the cover, the president-elect will ring the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday morning, according to three people familiar with the plans granted anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge the plans. Last …

The Associated Press reports: President-elect Donald Trump is expected to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, the ceremonial start of the day’s trading, according to four people with knowledge of his plans. It will be a notable moment of recognition for Trump, a born-and-bred New Yorker who gave up living full time in his …

Politico reports: President-elect Donald Trump announced private equity executive Tom Barrack, a longtime ally who faced legal scrutiny for his work on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, as his pick to be the next U.S. ambassador to Turkey. But Barrack may face a rocky road to confirmation. He was indicted by the Department of Justice in 2021 on charges …

Forbes reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday promised to fast track environmental approvals and other permits for any company making an investment of $1 billion or more in the United States, though how exactly he plans to help businesses skip traditional regulatory processes remains unclear. He posted no followup on the topic and members of his team did not immediately …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Kimberly Guilfoyle as his pick to be the US ambassador to Greece. Guilfoyle had been engaged to Donald Trump Jr. and is close to the Trump family. CNN has previously reported on Trump’s selection of family members for key posts in his next administration. Trump named real estate developer Charles Kushner to …

NBC News reports: Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office are urging a New York judge not to throw out President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal conviction in the hush money case, offering a variety of suggestions on how the case could proceed without interfering with his presidential duties. One suggestion was for the judge to assure Trump that he will be …

Axios reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign manager and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is making a push to serve as deputy director at the CIA next year — and RFK Jr. is making calls on her behalf, Axios has learned. The deputy position is one of the highest-profile intelligence jobs that remains open. Politico reported last month that Kash Patel, …

Reuters reports: The Trump Organization, Donald Trump’s family business, will have a “very large wall” separating its business activity from the U.S. government, the president-elect’s son, Eric Trump, said in an interview with Reuters in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The bulk of the Trump Organization’s business is in the United States, although it has significant interests overseas, including in Saudi …

Politico reports: President-elect Donald Trump is set to host a gala fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night where he will give “champion of America” awards to musician Kid Rock and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. The event is a fundraiser for the America’s Future PAC led by Gen. Mike Flynn, who is also scheduled to appear at the event. It is …

CNN reports: The Justice Department secretly obtained phone records from two members of Congress and 43 staffers – including Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI – during sweeping leak investigations during Trump’s first term, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday. The new report from the Justice Department’s inspector general raises concerns about how the department …

Fox News reports: New York Attorney General Letitia James said she will not drop the civil fraud case against President-elect Donald Trump, arguing presidents are not immune from civil litigation. Trump and his attorneys demanded that James drop her civil fraud case against him, his family and his businesses “for the greater good of the country” last month. Trump was …

Politico reports: In recent days, allies of Trump adopted an approach that is not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extremely uncomfortable for anyone who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA attacks that Sen. Joni Ernst has experienced is a warning of what’s in store for others who express skepticism of his personnel choices. Days …

Fox legal analyst Jonathan Turley writes: President-Elect Donald Trump gave President Joe Biden and his critics a major boost this weekend by stating on NBC’s Meet The Press that he believes that the entire J6 Committee “should go to jail.” Despite weeks of saying that he did not plan any campaign of retribution and “success will be my revenge,” Trump …

Forbes reports: President-elect Donald Trump mocked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—referring to him as a governor and Canada as a state—in a post on his Truth Social platform early on Tuesday, after Trudeau warned that a tariff war between the two countries would end up raising prices for Americans. Speaking at an event organized by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce …

The New York Times reports: The questions went further than just affirming allegiance to the incoming administration. The interviewers asked which candidate the applicants had supported in the three most recent elections, what they thought about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and whether they believed the 2020 election was stolen. The sense they got was that there was only …

Politico reports: Pete Marocco, a former Trump administration official who was reportedly caught on camera inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, is now working with President-elect Donald Trump’s transition on national security personnel matters, according to three people familiar with the situation. Marocco, who drew internal fire when he worked in numerous agencies in the Trump administration and more …