Tag: Trump campaign

FBI conducted predawn raid of former Trump campaign chairman Manafort’s home

The following article by Carol D. Leonnig, Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website August 9, 2017:

FBI agents raided the home of President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort without warning on July 26 with a search warrant, and seized documents and other records, say people familiar with the special counsel investigation. (Photo: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

FBI agents raided the Alexandria home of President Trump’s former campaign chairman late last month, using a search warrant to seize documents and other materials, according to people familiar with the special counsel investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Federal agents appeared at Paul Manafort’s home without advance warning in the predawn hours of July 26, the day after he met voluntarily with the staff for the Senate Intelligence Committee. Continue reading “FBI conducted predawn raid of former Trump campaign chairman Manafort’s home”

Rosenstein: Special counsel Mueller can investigate any crimes he uncovers in Russia probe

The following article by Kelsey Snell and John Wagner was posted on the Washington Post website August 6, 2017:

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein said Sunday that the expanding investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is continuing apace, even as President Trump dismissed the probe as “a total fabrication.”

Rosenstein said special counsel Robert S. Mueller III can investigate any crimes that he might discover within the scope of his probe, but the deputy attorney general would not discuss which individuals are the subject of their inquiry. The interview comes days after Trump said he believes it would be inappropriate for Mueller to dig into Trump family finances.

“The special counsel is subject to the rules and regulations of the Department of Justice, and we don’t engage in fishing expeditions,” Rosenstein said when asked about the probe in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” Continue reading “Rosenstein: Special counsel Mueller can investigate any crimes he uncovers in Russia probe”

Russiagate: The Depth of Collusion

The following article by Max Bergmann was posted on the Center for American Progress website August 2, 2017:

Introduction and summary

President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit, Friday, July 7, 2017.  Credit: AP/Evan Vucci

According to the U.S. intelligence community report released on January 6, 2017, Russia mounted an “unprecedented” intervention into our 2016 presidential election with the expressed intent “to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process” and to elect Donald Trump. Therefore, there were effectively two campaigns to elect Donald Trump in the 2016 cycle: the Trump campaign and the Russian campaign. At question is whether these campaigns acted entirely independently of each other or whether there was collusion—which, in this context, entails secretly working with the Russians to advance their campaign in a U.S. election. It is now clear there was collusion.

Continue reading “Russiagate: The Depth of Collusion”

PowerPost Senators unveil two proposals to protect Mueller’s Russia probe

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website August 3, 2017:

Two bipartisan pairs of senators unveiled legislation Thursday to prevent President Trump from firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III without cause — or at least a reason good enough to convince a panel of federal judges.

Senators have raised concerns that the president might try to rearrange his administration to get rid of Mueller, who is spearheading a probe of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election and any possible collusion between the Kremlin and members of the Trump campaign and transition teams. Continue reading “PowerPost Senators unveil two proposals to protect Mueller’s Russia probe”

Special Counsel Mueller using grand jury in federal court in Washington as part of Russia investigation

The following article by Carol d. Leonnig, Sari Horwitz and Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website August 3, 2017:

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III began using a grand jury in federal court in Washington several weeks ago as part of his investigation of possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign, according to two people familiar with the inquiry.

The development is a sign that investigators continue to aggressively gather evidence in the case, and that Mueller is taking full control of a probe that predated him. Continue reading “Special Counsel Mueller using grand jury in federal court in Washington as part of Russia investigation”

Manafort Talks With Senate Investigators About Meeting With Russians

The following article by Eileen Sullivan and Adam Goldman was posted on the New York Times website July 25, 2017:

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, met with Senate Intelligence Committee investigators on Tuesday to discuss the June 2016 meeting between a Russian lawyer and Mr. Trump’s inner circle that was set up for the campaign to receive damaging information about Hillary Clinton, according to a spokesman for Mr. Manafort.

“Paul Manafort met this morning, by previous agreement, with the bipartisan staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee and answered their questions fully,” said the spokesman, Jason Maloni.

Mr. Manafort gave the investigators notes he had taken during the meeting, according to one person familiar with Tuesday’s discussion with congressional investigators at a Washington law firm. Continue reading “Manafort Talks With Senate Investigators About Meeting With Russians”

Huge Manafort Payment Reflects Murky Ukraine Politics

The following article by Andrew E. Kramer was posted on the New York Times website July 15, 2017:

KIEV, Ukraine — Paul J. Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, recently filed financial reports with the Justice Department showing that his lobbying firm earned nearly $17 million for two years of work for a Ukrainian political party with links to the Kremlin.

Curiously, that was more than the party itself reported spending in the same period for its entire operation — the national political organization’s expenses, salaries, printing outlays and other incidentals.

The discrepancies show a lot about how Mr. Manafort’s clients — former President Viktor F. Yanukovych of Ukraine and his Party of Regions — operated.

And in a broader sense, they underscore the dangers that lurk for foreigners who, tempted by potentially rich payoffs, cast their lot with politicians in countries that at best have different laws about money in politics, and at worst are, like Ukraine in those years, irredeemably corrupt. Continue reading “Huge Manafort Payment Reflects Murky Ukraine Politics”

Trump campaign paid firm of lawyer representing Trump Jr. before emails were made public

The following article by Mark Berman and Matea Gold was posted on the Washington Post site July 15, 2017:

Donald Trump Jr. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

President Trump’s campaign committee made a payment to the law firm of an attorney representing Donald Trump Jr. last month, nearly two weeks before it was announced that the same attorney would be representing the president’s son in Russia-related probes, according to a campaign finance report filed Saturday.

The committee reported in the filing to the Federal Election Commission that it paid $50,000 to the law firm of attorney Alan Futerfas on June 27. That payment was made 13 days before it was publicly revealed that Futerfas would represent Trump’s eldest son in the Russia investigations. Continue reading “Trump campaign paid firm of lawyer representing Trump Jr. before emails were made public”

Trump’s Son Met With Russian Lawyer After Being Promised Damaging Information on Clinton

The following article by Jo Becker, Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman was posted on the New York Times website July 9, 2017:

Credit: (Rick Wilking/Reuters

President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign, according to three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others with knowledge of it.

The meeting was also attended by his campaign chairman at the time, Paul J. Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Mr. Manafort and Mr. Kushner only recently disclosed the meeting, though not its content, in confidential government documents described to The New York Times.

The Times reported the existence of the meeting on Saturday. But in subsequent interviews, the advisers and others revealed the motivation behind it. Continue reading “Trump’s Son Met With Russian Lawyer After Being Promised Damaging Information on Clinton”

At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine

The following article by Rosalind S. Helderman, Tom Hamburger and Rachel Weiner was posted on the Washington Post website June 19, 2017:

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, walks the floor at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 21, 2016. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

In August, as tension mounted over Russia’s role in the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, sat down to dinner with a business associate from Ukraine who once served in the Russian army.

Konstantin Kilimnik, who learned English at a military school that some experts consider a training ground for Russian spies, had helped run the Ukraine office for Manafort’s international political consulting practice for 10 years.

At the Grand Havana Room, one of New York City’s most exclusive cigar bars, the longtime acquaintances “talked about bills unpaid by our clients, about [the] overall situation in Ukraine . . . and about the current news,” including the presidential campaign, according to a statement provided by Kilimnik, offering his most detailed account of his interactions with the former Trump adviser. Continue reading “At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine”