Donald Trump (image via Flickr/WhiteHouse – public domain)
HRC Will Conduct Review Of President Implicated In Cuomo Report
The report released by the New York Attorney General which led to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation also referenced Human Rights Campaign president Alphonso David several times mentioning his time as a counselor to Cuomo prior to becoming the head of the HRC. In response, the HRC has announced it will launch an independent review in regard to the report’s implications referencing David. Continue reading “HRC Will Conduct Review Of President Implicated In Cuomo Report”
Rudy Giuliani’s Apartment Searched By Feds, Electronic Devices Seized
Rudy Giuliani at Trump press conference (screen capture)
Executing a search warrant is an extraordinary move for prosecutors to take against a lawyer, let alone a lawyer for a former president, and it marks a major turning point in the long-running investigation into Mr. Giuliani.
The federal authorities have been largely focused on whether Mr. Giuliani illegally lobbied the Trump administration in 2019 on behalf of Ukrainian officials and oligarchs, who at the same time were helping Mr. Giuliani search for dirt on Mr. Trump’s political rivals, including President Biden, who was then a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Read the full article at the New York Times. The Times notes that during the Trump administration, high level officials worked to block the approval of the search warrant. But once Merrick Garland took over as Attorney General, the warrant was approved. Trump’s former former lawyer Michael Cohen tweeted the news this morning.
Here we go folks!!! @RudyGiuliani Apartment Searched in Federal Investigation – The New York Times @nytimes @maggieNYT https://t.co/fmpk18NH5X
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) April 28, 2021
“Under Mr. Trump, senior political appointees in the Justice Department repeatedly sought to block such a warrant, …. After Merrick B. Garland was confirmed … , the Justice Department lifted its objection to the search.https://t.co/fdrPJUkci6
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) April 28, 2021
During their raid of Rudy Giuliani’s NY apartment, FBI seized records and electronic devices as part of SDNY’s criminal investigation against him regarding his dealings in Ukraine.
This is what William Barr was trying to cover up and was blocking from happening.
Delicious.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) April 28, 2021
So I guess Rudy Giuliani won’t be returning my call today.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) April 28, 2021
Georgia Prosecutor Begins Criminal Investigation Into Trump Election Interference
(image via Depositphotos)
For two months after Joseph R. Biden Jr. was declared the winner, Mr. Trump relentlessly attacked election officials in Georgia, including Mr. Raffensperger and Mr. Kemp, claiming they were not doing enough to uncover instances of voting fraud that might change the outcome.
In addition to the phone call to Mr. Raffensperger, he also called Mr. Kemp in early December and pressured him to call a special legislative session to overturn his election loss. Later that month, Mr. Trump called a state investigator and pressed the official to “find the fraud,” according to those with knowledge of the call.
The inquiry makes Georgia the second state after New York where Mr. Trump faces a criminal investigation. And it comes in a jurisdiction where potential jurors are unlikely to be hospitable to the former president; Fulton County encompasses most of Atlanta and overwhelmingly supported President Biden in the November election.
This new investigation is in addition to a criminal fraud inquiry into Trump’s finances by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and a civil fraud inquiry by the New York attorney general.
The beginning of many more trials for Trump.
In wake of Trump calls to state officials, Georgia prosecutors open criminal investigation into efforts to subvert election results https://t.co/Wa8XwntpM4
— Michelangelo Signorile (@MSignorile) February 10, 2021
Thousands Protest Across The Country To Keep Trump From Terminating Mueller Investigation
MoveOn.org organized protests all over the country tonight warning Donald Trump of the political dangers that await him if he were to order the termination of the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in the wake of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ ouster.
Check out photos from tonight in Times Square, courtesy of my buddy Larry from TheOUTfront, where prominent activists, politicians, and celebrities gathered before marching down to Union Square for speeches.
According to Larry, there was a very dense crowd of over 10K packed for blocks and blocks around Times Square.
BREATH-TAKING! 😲 —> Thousands have come out in Times Square protesting to #ProtectMueller.We are so proud of each and every one of you! ❤pic.twitter.com/3mPVVoJlJb
— The Hummingbird 🐦 (@SaysHummingbird) November 9, 2018
Donald Trump Throws Former Campaign Chair Paul Manafort Under The Bus
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| Donald Trump (L), Paul Manfort (R) |
President Trump continued his attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice this morning, this time for not informing him during the 2016 election cycle that his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was being investigated at the time.
Ranting on Twitter, Trump tweeted that Manafort “came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time,” but said the campaign “should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn’t have been hired!”
Manafort joined the campaign team in June 2016, but stepped down two months later after media reports of his dealings with the Ukraine government came to light.
It might be time to cut that deal with the Special Counsel, Mr. Manafort.
Manafort has been charged with dozens of crimes including bank fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and more.
As only one of two people left who could become President, why wouldn’t the FBI or Department of “Justice” have told me that they were secretly investigating Paul Manafort (on charges that were 10 years old and had been previously dropped) during my campaign? Should have told me!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2018
….Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time (he represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole & many others over the years), but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn’t have been hired!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2018
White House Officials Revealed As “Source” Of Devin Nunes’ Intel Reports
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| House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes |
The New York Times is reporting that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ source for “evidence” that Trump associates were swept up in intercepted communications with foreign officials came from inside the White House.
A pair of White House officials played a role in providing Representative Devin Nunes of California, a Republican and the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, with the intelligence reports that showed that President Trump and his associates were incidentally swept up in foreign surveillance by American spy agencies.
The revelation that White House officials assisted in the disclosure of the intelligence reports — which Mr. Nunes then discussed with President Trump — is likely to fuel criticism that the intelligence chairman has been too eager to do the bidding of the Trump administration while his committee is supposed to be conducting an independent investigation of Russia’s meddling in the last presidential election.
Several current American officials identified the White House officials as Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director for intelligence at the National Security Council, and Michael Ellis, a lawyer who works on national security issues at the White House Counsel’s Office and formerly worked on the staff of the House Intelligence Committee.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment.
Mr. Cohen-Watnick is a former Defense Intelligence Agency official who was originally brought to the White House by Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser. The officials said that this month, shortly after Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter about being wiretapped on the orders of President Barack Obama, Mr. Cohen-Watnick began reviewing highly classified reports detailing the intercepted communications of foreign officials.
Nunes has cancelled all hearings for the House Intelligence Committee without any explanation. He has not shared whatever information he was given by the two White House officials with anyone on his committee.
Donald Trump Announces He Will Dissolve His “Charitable” Foundation
Donald Trump announced Saturday he plans to dissolve the Trump Foundation in an effort to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest during his administration.
The president-elect has also said recently that he hopes to shares plans to disassociate himself from his business, the Trump Organization, to avoid conflicts of interest as president of the United States.
Trump likes to boast about the many organizations that have received donations over the years that have benefited from his foundation – veterans, law enforcement and children’s groups.
What Trump often leaves out is the fact that he hasn’t donated any of his own money to his foundation since 2008. And the fact that the “charity” is under investigation for using foundation funds to settle private debts which may make “dissolving” the foundation illegal at this point.
More from CNN:
The Trump transition said Trump directed his counsel to take the necessary steps to dissolve the foundation, which has no employees or active fundraising operation. The foundation also was forced to stop fundraising in New York State after New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a cease-and-desist order in October citing the foundation’s failure to properly register with the state.
And an ongoing investigation launched by Schneiderman over allegations Trump used the charity to settle private legal disputes in which he was involved may prevent Trump from shuttering the foundation.
“The Trump Foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,” Amy Spitalnick, the attorney general’s press secretary, said in an email. She also confirmed the foundation’s fundraising activities “remain suspended.”
Trump Won’t Prosecute Hillary Clinton Because He Wants To “Help Her Heal”
After months of campaign rallies that included Donald Trump followers chanting “Lock her up! Lock her up!” and declaring in clear language that if elected he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton for breaking the law, it looks like Trump Nation is going to be very disappointed.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” top Trump aide Kellyanne Conway explained Trump would not be pursuing a Hillary Clinton investigation.
When asked if the announcement would be enough to convince Congressional Republicans from attempting their own investigation, Conway demurred.
“I think when the President-elect, who’s also the head of your party, tells you before he’s even inaugurated that he doesn’t wish to pursue these charges, it sends a very strong message, tone, and content to the members.”
Conway said that, in light of Hillary’s campaign defeat, Trump’s decision to not investigate was a benevolent gesture.
“If Donald Trump can help her heal, then perhaps that’s a good thing to do,” Conway added, saying Clinton “still has to face the fact that a majority of Americans don’t find her to be honest or trustworthy.”
Or – maybe – Trump knew all along Hillary has done nothing illegal, and he only used the insinuation as a way to fuel opposition against his opponent throughout the campaign.
Conway also alluded to the idea that perhaps other campaign promises were not going to materialize.
“I think he’s thinking of many different things as he prepares to become the president of the United States, and things that sound like the campaign are not among them.”
Source tells @Morning_Joe Trump won’t pursue Clinton investigations; @KellyannePolls responds: “it sends a very strong message” to Congress pic.twitter.com/JiN0AAzXdU— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) November 22, 2016
FBI Launches Investigation Into Aaron Schock Campaign Expenses
Earlier this week, Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock surprised many with his sudden resignation from Congress. Many saw the departure as a way to escape an ethics investigation.
That may have ended the congressional ethics issue, but now the FBI is looking into his campaign fund expenses which could lead to serious legal troubles.
From CNN:
Schock in recent days announced plans to resign, citing controversy surrounding allegations that he improperly accounted for travel and other contributions from donors and reimbursements for campaign use of a personal car. But the probe managed by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Springfield, Ill., means his legal troubles are just beginning.
The FBI has now begun delivering subpoenas seeking testimony before a grand jury in Springfield, Ill.
A controversy that began with questions sparked by a light-hearted profile of Schock’s “Downton Abbey”-themed office ballooned into a full-blown scandal over the past month that caused the rising GOP star’s rapid fall from grace.
A U.S. law enforcement official says the investigation is at an early stage. Justice Department officials were monitoring published reports about Schock’s expense troubles and were taken by surprise when he announced his resignation, according to another U.S. law enforcement official.