Tag: Trump transition

Key Takeaways from the Manafort Filing

Here are key takeaways from Mueller’s Manafort filing tonight:

REMAINED IN CONTACT WITH SENIOR TRUMP OFFICIALS: Manafort lied about not having contact with anyone in the Trump administration, and actually remained in contact with at least one “senior” official into this year.

Mueller: “For instance, in a text exchange from May 26, 2018, Manafort authorized a person to speak with an Administration official on Manafort’s behalf. Separately, according to another Manafort colleague, Manafort said in February 2018 that Manafort had been in communication with a senior Administration official up through February 2018. A review of documents recovered from a search of Manafort’s electronic documents demonstrates additional contacts with Administration officials.”

Continue reading “Key Takeaways from the Manafort Filing”

Scuttled Trump Tower Moscow project back in limelight after Cohen guilty plea

Trump associate and convicted felon Felix Sater told NBC News that he discussed a plan with Cohen to give a penthouse in the proposed Moscow skyscraper to Putin.

For years, President Donald Trump flirted with the idea of opening a massive, Trump-branded skyscraper in Moscow.

After holding his Miss Universe pageant there in 2013, Trump tagged Russian billionaire developer Aras Agalarov in a tweet and promised that “Trump Tower-Moscow” was next.

The project never came to be. But the Trump Organization’s attempts to get a deal green-lit caught the attention of congressional investigators and special counsel Robert Mueller probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

View the complete November 29 article by Ken Dilanian and Allan Smith on the NBCNews.com website here.

The lies that Mueller has already documented

Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election Credit: Andrew Harnik, AP

To date, the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination with President Trump’s campaign has resulted in criminal charges against 33 individuals and three companies. Of those 33 individuals, six are U.S. nationals, 25 are Russian, one is Ukrainian and one is Dutch. Of the six U.S. nationals, five had some direct association with Trump’s campaign — with the addition on Thursday of Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen.

All five have admitted criminal liability in some form or another. All five — Cohen, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former campaign adviser and national security adviser Michael Flynn — have agreed to cooperate with the Mueller probe to some extent. Four are awaiting sentencing. One is currently serving time in prison.

For the most part, the charges faced by the non-Russian individuals stem from having made false statements to federal investigators or, in the case of Cohen, to Congress. In the cases of Gates and Manafort, the plea agreements include admissions of guilt on these charges because they are relatively minor compared to other charges they faced.

View the complete November 30 article by Philip Bump on The Washington Post website here.

Cohen pleads guilty for misstatements to Congress about contacts with Russians

President Trump‘s former personal attorney Michael Cohen on Thursday pleaded guilty for misstatements he made to Congress while testifying about his contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Cohen appeared in a federal court in Manhattan after reaching a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller.

He pleaded guilty to making a false statement about the effort to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign while testifying before Congress, according to court documents, and made false statements about the timing of the project.

View the complete November 29 article by Justin Wise on The Hill website here.

Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election

The following article by Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and David D. Kirkpatrick was posted on the New York Times website May 19, 2018:

Trump Tower Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Three months before the 2016 election, a small group gathered at Trump Tower to meet with Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son. One was an Israeli specialist in social media manipulation. Another was an emissary for two wealthy Arab princes. The third was a Republican donor with a controversial past in the Middle East as a private security contractor.

The meeting was convened primarily to offer help to the Trump team, and it forged relationships between the men and Trump insiders that would develop over the coming months — past the election and well into President Trump’s first year in office, according to several people with knowledge of their encounters. Continue reading “Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election”

What did Trump know, and when did he know it?

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website February 26, 2018:

President Trump continues to insist the Democrats are responsible for any story relating to Russian interference in the 2016 election. (Video: Meg Kelly/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Two things happened over the weekend that complicate our understanding of President Trump’s awareness of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The first is that Trump was interviewed by Fox News’s Jeanine Pirro. She raised the question of collusion — that is, whether elements of the Trump campaign assisted the Russian effort to influence the results of the 2016 election. Continue reading “What did Trump know, and when did he know it?”

In the crowd at Trump’s inauguration, members of Russia’s elite anticipated a thaw between Moscow and Washington

The following article by Craig Timberg, Rosalind S. Helderman, Andrew Roth and Carol D. Leonnig was posted on the Washington Post website January 20, 2018:

Some prominent Russians came to Washington to witness Donald Trump’s inauguration last year. Above is a section where some had ticketed seats in front of the U.S. Capitol. (CNN/Photo illustration by The Washington Post)

In the days before Donald Trump’s inauguration, a wealthy Russian pharmaceutical executive named Alexey Repik arrived in Washington, expressing excitement about the new administration.

He posted a photo on Facebook of a clutch of inauguration credentials arranged next to a white “Make America Great Again” hat, writing in Russian: “I believe that President Donald Trump will open a new page in American history.” Continue reading “In the crowd at Trump’s inauguration, members of Russia’s elite anticipated a thaw between Moscow and Washington”

FBI agents visited Steve Bannon’s home last week to discuss subpoena in Russia probe

The following article by Hallie Jackson, Kristen Welker and Julia Ainsley was posted on the NBC News website January 17, 2018:

FBI agents showed up at Steve Bannon’s Washington home last week intent on serving him with a subpoena to appear before a grand jury investigating possible ties between President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, according to a source familiar with the proceedings.

The agents were unaware at the time that Bannon had retained Washington lawyer William Burck just hours earlier, according to two people familiar with the events that took place on Jan. 9. Once redirected, the agents sent the order to Burck, who is also representing two other witnesses in the probe being led by special counsel Robert Mueller, a former director of the FBI. Continue reading “FBI agents visited Steve Bannon’s home last week to discuss subpoena in Russia probe”

Bannon Is Subpoenaed in Mueller’s Russia Investigation

The following article by Michael S. Schmidt was posted on the New York Times website January 16, 2018:

Stephen K. Bannon arrived to testify before the House Intelligence Committee during a closed-door session on Tuesday. Credit Joshua Roberts/Reuters

WASHINGTON — Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist, was subpoenaed last week by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, to testify before a grand jury as part of the investigation into possible links between Mr. Trump’s associates and Russia, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move marked the first time Mr. Mueller is known to have used a grand jury subpoena to seek information from a member of Mr. Trump’s inner circle. The special counsel’s office has used subpoenas before to seek information on Mr. Trump’s associates and their possible ties to Russia or other foreign governments. Continue reading “Bannon Is Subpoenaed in Mueller’s Russia Investigation”

Lewandowski says he will testify this week in House Russia probe

The following article by Mike DeBonis was posted on the Washington Post website January 14, 2018:

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, accompanied by Sebastian Gorka, Omarosa Manigault and Anthony Scaramucci, in July 2017. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former campaign manager, said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he will give testimony this week to a House committee probing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Lewandowski said on WABC-AM radio in New York that he expects to appear before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on Wednesday or Thursday to discuss the campaign. He told host Rita Cosby that he has not been contacted by Justice Department investigators — led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III — who are conducting a parallel investigation. Continue reading “Lewandowski says he will testify this week in House Russia probe”