Trump Corruption

CNN reports: No longer is Trump the pariah-like figure who even many Republicans said would never return to the White House after his role in instigating the January 6, 2021, riot. Instead of shunned, Trump will sit down with Biden a few feet away from the very same dining room where he watched the attack unfold on his 60-inch television, …

NBC News reports: The incoming Trump administration is considering locations and talking to private prison companies about drastically expanding immigrant detention centers that would hold immigrants before they are deported as part of President-elect Donald Trump’s promised mass deportation plan. The goal is to double the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention beds — 41,000 are now allocated by …

The New York Times reports: Jack Smith, the special counsel who pursued two federal prosecutions of Donald J. Trump, plans to finish his work and resign along with other members of his team before Mr. Trump takes office in January, people familiar with his plans said. Mr. Smith’s goal, they said, is to not leave any significant part of his …

The New York Times reports: Mr. Trump said on Tuesday that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will lead what he called the Department of Government Efficiency. It will be, he said, “the Manhattan Project” of this era, driving “drastic change” throughout the government with major cuts and new efficiencies in bloated agencies in the federal bureaucracy by July 4, 2026. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Trump transition team is considering a draft executive order that establishes a “warrior board” of retired senior military personnel with the power to review three- and four-star officers and to recommend removals of any deemed unfit for leadership. If Donald Trump approves the order, it could fast-track the removal of generals and admirals found …

“He [Trump] appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok, which he used masterfully along with podcasts and new media entrants to win. There are many ways to hold China to account outside alienating 180 million U.S. users each month. Trump recognized early on that Democrats are the party of bans — gas-powered cars, menthol cigarettes, vapes, plastic straws and TikTok …

“Right now, based on a judgment that is easily reversed, the $145 million judgment to two women where I’m not able to use the tape recordings or video recordings that support the truth of everything I say because they’ve been taken off the tape deceptively. “I’ve been given a tape of what they did at the center that’s missing three …

The Hill reports: Melania Trump is “on the move” following Trump’s White House win, releasing a $195 digital photo collection showcasing her “dynamic life.” “On the Move is an exclusive collection of 16 digital images,” the former and future first lady’s office said Tuesday in an announcement about the product’s launch. The snapshots, taken by photographer Regine Mahaux, show Trump …

The Associated Press reports: A judge is postponing a decision on whether to undo President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush money case because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. New York Judge Juan M. Merchan had been set to rule Tuesday. Instead, he told Trump’s lawyers Tuesday he’d delay the ruling until Nov. 19. According to …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dealt a setback to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in his defense against 2020 election interference charges in Georgia, turning away his attempt to transfer his case from state to federal court. His lawyers argued that the case should be moved because he was acting as a “federal officer” …

The New York Times reports: Some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s closest allies are privately counseling him to try to block a onetime Republican nemesis from becoming the Senate majority leader, pushing him to impose his will more forcefully on an already compliant G.O.P. Congress. Those advisers believe Mr. Trump should stop Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the No. …

The New York Times reports: The eldest son of President-elect Donald J. Trump will not be a member of his father’s administration — he is joining a venture capital firm. Donald Trump Jr. told a crowd of a few hundred donors on Sunday that he was joining 1789 Capital, a firm whose investments include Tucker Carlson’s media company. Mr. Trump …

NBC News reports: FBI Director Christopher Wray and Donald Trump’s team are planning for the possibility that the president-elect will replace Wray during the new administration, three people familiar with the matter told NBC News. One person under consideration for Wray’s job is Trump adviser Kash Patel, who is also being considered to lead the CIA, according to two other …

The Associated Press reports: Elon Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the group’s spending, funding an effort that set a new standard for how billionaires can influence elections. The billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO provided the vast majority of the money to America PAC, which focused on low-propensity …

The New York Post reports: Melania Trump declined an offer to head to the White House Wednesday and meet with Jill Biden, citing the Biden administration’s past raid on Mar-a-Lago. “She ain’t going,” a source familiar with Melania’s decision told The Post. “Jill Biden’s husband authorized the FBI snooping through her underwear drawer. The Bidens are disgusting,” the source said. …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President-elect Donald Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz, a Green Beret veteran who served in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa, to be his White House national security adviser, according to people familiar with the discussion. The national security adviser, a highly influential post appointed by the president that doesn’t require Senate confirmation, coordinates among …

The Hill reports: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said on Monday that President elect-Trump “and his transition team are already breaking” a law on presidential transition. “Donald Trump and his transition team are already breaking the law,” Warren said in a post on the social platform X. “I would know because I wrote the law. Incoming presidents are required to prevent …

Via press release from Reporters Without Borders: On the campaign trail and during his previous administration, President-elect Donald Trump has frequently deployed violent language and threats against the media. His election to a second term in office marks a dangerous moment for American journalism and global press freedom. The steps he takes in the early days of his next administration …

The Washington Post reports: President-elect Donald Trump is preparing the U.S. government to adopt a more permissive stance toward cryptocurrency, eyeing a roster of industry-friendly candidates for key posts while his top advisers consult crypto executives on potential changes to federal policy. By pursuing a more lenient regulatory environment, Trump aims to fulfill his campaign promise to transform the United …

ABC News reports: In the days since Election Day, billionaire Elon Musk has emerged as an influential figure in President-elect Donald Trump’s orbit, offering input on staffing decisions and playing a significant role in shaping the future Trump administration, multiple sources tell ABC News. Since Election Day, the world’s richest man has spent nearly every day at Mar-a-Lago with Trump, …