Trump Corruption

“There’s a legal debate about it but based on my review, he can pardon himself. But even if he can’t pardon himself, if he can get into office before the cases are resolved, he can pull the case back. “He’s going to be the person appointing the Attorney General of the United States, and I’m very sure it will not …

“Think of President Xi. Central casting, brilliant guy. You know, when I say he’s brilliant, everyone says, ‘Oh that’s terrible.’ Well, he runs 1.4 billion people with an iron fist. Smart, brilliant, everything perfect. There’s nobody in Hollywood like this guy. I got them to pay us $28 billion because they screwed our farmers for years.” – Donald Trump, in …

The Daily Beast reports: Former New York City police commissioner Bernie Kerik is in talks to be interviewed by special counsel Jack Smith’s team investigating efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election, Kerik’s attorney said Tuesday. Kerik worked with Rudy Giuliani after the election to find evidence of voter fraud and later provided documents about a plan …

The New York Times reports: The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case expressed skepticism on Tuesday about the government’s request to go to trial as early as December, but she also seemed disinclined to accede to Mr. Trump’s desire to have the trial put off until after the 2024 election. Appearing for the first time …

Reuters reports: Tuesday’s hearing in federal court in the city of Fort Pierce, scheduled for 2 p.m. EST (1800 GMT), will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was appointed to the bench by Trump during his presidency and is expected to preside over the remainder of the case. Among the logistical issues Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors are …

Haaretz reports: Antiquities belonging to Israel have been kept for the past several months at former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, and senior Israeli figures have unsuccessfully tried to have them returned to Israel. Among the antiquities are ancient ceramic candles which are part of Israel’s national treasures collection. They were sent to the U.S. in 2019 with the …

CNN reports: The Georgia Supreme Court has dismissed a longshot legal bid from former President Donald Trump to essentially shut down the Fulton County criminal probe into his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. The court said in a five-page ruling issued Monday that its decision was unanimous. Trump has other legal challenges related to the …

The New York Times reports: Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands. Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the …

The Daily Beast reports: Donald Trump Jr. on Sunday continued the Turning Point Action Conference’s extended riff on the cocaine found at the White House. “My guys who I stayed in touch with—many of them just dear friends—they’re like, ‘Hey dude, there’s no way you would’ve gotten away with that,’” he animatedly told the crowd. “I go, ‘I know!’ Luckily, …

The Hill reports: Former President Trump in a new interview said he would consider some of his 2024 GOP primary rivals as potential running mates or Cabinet members if he wins back the White House. Trump on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” singled out entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) for praise, though he did not specify whom …

Raw Story reports: Donald Trump on Saturday claimed that he had homeless encampment “tents” removed regularly when he was in office, as the former president called for a full federal government takeover of Washington, D.C. “I kept it beautiful,” he said. “If I saw one tent or two tents or three tents as I was coming in from the airport, …

CNBC reports: Former President Donald Trump asked two courts in Georgia to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from investigating him and quash the special grand jury report that recommended criminal charges in Willis’ 2020 election interference probe. The requests came in court documents filed overnight in Georgia Supreme Court and Fulton County Superior Court. In both, Trump’s attorneys …

From a motion filed yesterday by the Special Counsel: The United States files this reply in support of its Motion for Continuance and Proposed Revised Scheduling Order (ECF No. 34, “Mot.”). In their response in opposition to the Motion (ECF No. 66, “Resp.”), Defendants Trump and Nauta claim unequivocally that they cannot receive a fair trial prior to the conclusion …

ABC News reports: An attorney for Hunter Biden sent a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday to former President Donald Trump’s legal team, claiming that Trump’s rhetoric on social media and elsewhere “could lead to [Hunter Biden’s] or his family’s injury.” “This is not a false alarm,” Abbe Lowell wrote. “We are just one such social media message away from another incident, …

The New York Times reports: Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald J. Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election have questioned multiple witnesses in recent weeks — including Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — about whether Mr. Trump had privately acknowledged in the days after the 2020 election that he had lost, according to four people briefed on the matter. …

The New York Times reports: A super PAC aligned with former President Donald J. Trump paid Melania Trump $155,000 in late 2021, an unusual payment that was not visible in the group’s initial federal reports and came to light only in a new filing by Mr. Trump on Thursday. The money was listed as pay for a “speaking engagement” by …

Newsweek reports: The auction of more than 800 pieces of “surplus industrial equipment” by MyPillow appears to have got off to a slow start, with more than 100 items having no bids at all whilst many others are currently going for well below the market price. For example, a 45-inch by 20-inch ‘Hytrol Power Belt Conveyor’ is currently going for …

Republic World reports: Donald Trump claims that the secret ingredient to President Joe Biden’s big speeches is the “cocaine” that is supposedly being “pumped” into him. In an interview with conspiracy theorist Wayne Allyn Root on Wednesday, the 77-year-old said that “I think they pump him up, absolutely,” but casually left out who he was precisely referring to with the …

Politico reports: Amid Donald Trump’s desperate bid to subvert the 2020 election, a top adviser, Boris Epshteyn, sent out an “urgent POTUS request” to a small group of allies. “Need best examples of ‘election fraud’ that we’ve alleged that’s super easy to explain,” he wrote in a Dec. 7, 2020 text message. “Doesn’t necessarily have to be proven but does …

Posted last night to Trump’s Trump Social account: Page 1: The DOJ will not defend me in the E. Jean Carroll civil case, which is all part of the political Witch Hunt, lawyered up by a political operative who I just beat in another case, financed by a big political funder, and “judged” by a Clinton appointee who truly hates …