Trump Corruption

The financial site Benzinga reports: Ron Paul, a former U.S. Congressman, has an “easy” suggestion for Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-lead Vivek Ramaswamy. Paul urged the elimination of foreign aid, highlighting its economic and moral implications. The newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk and Ramaswamy, aims to cut …

Law & Crime reports: A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday ordered Rudy Giuliani to attend a contempt hearing after two Georgia election workers accused him of violating court orders and repeatedly flouting discovery obligations. On Thursday, Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea ArShaye “Shaye” Moss asked U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman to hold the former New York City mayor …

NBC News reports: “It looks like Pete is doing well now,” Trump said in an exclusive interview with “Meet the Press” Moderator Kristen Welker that will air Sunday.” “I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He’s a young guy, with a tremendous track record actually. He went to Princeton and went to Harvard. He was a good student at …

The New York Times reports: There have been many efforts, over nearly four years, to hold Donald J. Trump accountable for the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but almost all of them have been stymied in the end by failure or delay. There is, however, one endeavor that is still alive and moving forward, albeit somewhat gingerly: …

Axios reports: It’s not hyperbole to call this a government of billionaires. Whether it acts as a government for billionaires — as Democrats argue is inevitable — could test and potentially tarnish Trump’s populist legacy. Besides Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy, at least 11 billionaires will be serving key roles. They’ve been picked to lead the departments of Treasury (Scott Bessent), …

USA Today reports: Appearing on “Fox & Friends” to discuss her and her husband’s transition to the White House, Trump touted her line of Christmas ornaments toward the end of the interview, calling them “very patriotic.” The 54-year-old previously drew reaction for secret recordings taken in 2018 that included her expressing frustrations with her role in decorating and promoting the …

Axios reports: Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a letter to Senate leaders raising concerns about President-elect Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to serve as director of national intelligence. Her most infamous controversy is a 2017 trip to Syria, when she met Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. She subsequently declared that Assad — the Russia-and Iran-backed leader accused …

“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe. He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, …

“Quite frankly, with the violation of the of the agreement, you know, if he is not confirmed as the secretary of defense, we may still bring a civil extortion claim against her. “If the false claims of somebody that was part of an extortion that was then put out in violation of a settlement agreement ultimately causes him to lose …

The Washington Post reports: Elon Musk bankrolled a mysterious campaign group that sought to convince voters in the final days of the presidential election that Donald Trump would refuse to sign a national ban on abortion, according to Federal Election Commission filings released late Thursday. The filings for RBG PAC, apparently named in reference to late Supreme Court Justice Ruth …

“They went after some of my colleagues who they said asked for pardons. I don’t know that they ever did! This is ridiculous. Donald Trump has never been about retribution. Donald Trump has been stopping these agencies from being weaponized against we, the people, and frankly, from being weaponized against him.” – Rep. Jim Jordan, responding to reports that Biden …

The New York Times reports: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, spent over a quarter of a billion dollars in the final months of this year’s election to help Donald J. Trump win the presidency, federal filings revealed on Thursday. The sum is a fraction of Mr. Musk’s wealth. But it is nonetheless a staggering amount from a single donor, …

NBC News reports: The incoming Trump administration is preparing a list of countries to which it may deport migrants when their home countries refuse to accept them, according to three sources familiar with the plans. The countries include but may not be limited to Turks and Caicos, the Bahamas, Panama and Grenada, the sources said. The plans could mean that …

Politico reports: President Joe Biden’s senior aides are conducting a vigorous internal debate over whether to issue preemptive pardons to a range of current and former public officials who could be targeted with President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House, according to senior Democrats familiar with the discussions. Biden’s aides are deeply concerned about a range of current and …

Mediaite reports: Former Pence aide Olivia Troye told her followers on social media that her legal counsel received a letter from an attorney representing Patel threatening legal action unless she retracted comments she made on MSNBC. On Monday, Troye claimed during an MSNBC interview that Patel would “lie about intelligence” while serving in the Department of Defense during Trump’s first …

CNN reports: President-elect Donald Trump has asked a court to dismiss the criminal case against him related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. In a filing on Wednesday, Trump and his attorney argued that the Georgia state Court of Appeals lacks jurisdiction to “entertain any further criminal process” over him as the incoming president and the …

Pete Hegseth writes for the Wall Street Journal: The press is peddling anonymous story after anonymous story, all meant to smear me and tear me down. It’s a textbook manufactured media takedown. They provide no evidence, no names, and they ignore the legions of people who speak on my behalf. They need to create a bogeyman, because they believe I …

Today’s installment in the neverending grift: Donald Trump has launched a new golf video game that allows you to tee it up as the US President-elect. Trump Golf, a mobile game available for pre-order on iOS and Android, will let you play with your friends on a collection of Trump-owned golf courses. There is a catch, however. To play the …

The New York Times reports: President-elect Donald J. Trump picked Paul Atkins to serve as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, turning to a pro-business conservative and former regulator to run the agency that is in charge of protecting investors from fraud and malfeasance on Wall Street. Mr. Atkins, a lawyer, has been playing an active role in helping …

The Associated Press reports: Former Trump campaign lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in the Georgia 2020 election meddling case against the President-elect and others, is trying to invalidate that plea. Chesebro was charged in August 2023, alongside Donald Trump and 17 others, in a sprawling indictment accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to …