Tag: Trump campaign

Exposed: Tucker Carlson, His ‘Charity’ and the Trump Campaign Cash He Didn’t Tell Fox Viewers About

The following article by Clavin Sloan, Lisa Graves, David Armiak and Evan James with the Center for Media and Democracy was posted on the AlterNet website June 17, 2017:

Source: Wikipedia

Tucker Carlson, FOX News’ new primetime anchor, received a six-figure sum from the Donald Trump campaign for president through his Daily Caller operation–which rented out its email list to Trump–according to Center for Media and Democracy’s newest investigation. CMD estimates the amount to be $150K in cash from the campaign to Daily Caller, which paid Carlson an untold sum.

CMD’s investigation also uncovered troubling information about how Carlson’s non-profit charity, the Daily Caller News Foundation, benefits his private for-profit media site, The Daily Caller. The relationship between the two groups “raises significant questions about whether the (c)(3) is operating for private benefit instead of for a charitable or educational purpose consistent with its tax-exempt status,” according to Elizabeth Kingsley, a nonprofit tax expert at the D.C. law firm of Harmon, Curran, Spielberg + Eisenberg. Continue reading “Exposed: Tucker Carlson, His ‘Charity’ and the Trump Campaign Cash He Didn’t Tell Fox Viewers About”

CIA director alerted FBI to pattern of contacts between Russian officials and Trump campaign associates

The following article by Greg Miller was posted on the Washington Post website May 23, 2017:

The CIA alerted the FBI to a troubling pattern of contacts between Russian officials and associates of the Trump campaign last year, former agency director John Brennan testified on Tuesday, shedding new light on the origin of a criminal probe that now reaches into the White House.

In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Brennan said he became increasingly concerned that Trump associates were being manipulated by Russian intelligence services as part of a broader covert influence campaign that sought to disrupt the election and deliver the presidency to Trump. Continue reading “CIA director alerted FBI to pattern of contacts between Russian officials and Trump campaign associates”

Why won’t Congress really investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia?

The following article by Douglas L. Kriner and Eric Schickler was posted on the Washington Post website April 27, 2017:

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah). (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Politicians, pundits, and scholars alike routinely call Congress the “broken branch.” Most often, they note its abysmally low level of legislative productivity recently, a trend that even the return of unified Republican control of government has failed to reverse.

But Congress’s feeble efforts to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election may be an even more startling and serious institutional failure.

The House inquiry has been plagued by infighting and missteps. The most notable so far was the clandestine meeting to share intelligence between chief investigator, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), and the White House he was charged with investigating. Continue reading “Why won’t Congress really investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia?”

Putin-linked think tank crafted plan to swing election for Trump: report

The following article by Nikita Vladimirov was posted on the Hill website April 19, 2017:

Putin-linked think tank crafted plan to swing election for Trump: report
© Getty Images
A Moscow-based think tank linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin created a plan to swing the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters that two confidential documents obtained from the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies justify the conclusion reached by the U.S. intelligence community about Russia’s interference in the U.S. election. Continue reading “Putin-linked think tank crafted plan to swing election for Trump: report”

We just got a huge sign that the US intelligence community believes the Trump dossier is legitimate

The following article by Natasha Bertrand was posted on the Business Insider website April 19, 2017:

The FBI reportedly used the explosive, unverified dossier detailing President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia to bolster its case for a warrant that would allow it to surveil Carter Page, an early foreign-policy adviser to Trump’s campaign.

It’s a key signal that the FBI had enough confidence in the validity of the document to work to corroborate it and present it in court.

The FBI has been using the dossier as a “roadmap” for its investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election since last year, the BBC’s Paul Wood reported last month. The document itself was not central to the bureau’s argument before a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge that Page could have been acting as an agent of Russia, according to CNN. Continue reading “We just got a huge sign that the US intelligence community believes the Trump dossier is legitimate”

x Trump says he can’t be sued for violence at his rallies because he won the election

The following article by Avi Seik was posted on the Washington Post website April 15, 2017:

Last year, protesters from a campaign rally sued Donald Trump — claiming the future president urged his supporters to assault them.

Now Trump is the president, of course. And while the lawsuit grinds on, with more accusations added last week, he claims he won immunity along with the election. Continue reading “x Trump says he can’t be sued for violence at his rallies because he won the election”

British spies were first to spot Trump team’s links with Russia

The following article by Luke Harding, Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Nick Hopkins was posted on the Guaradian website April 13, 2017:

Britain’s spy agencies played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives, the Guardian has been told.

GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information, they added. Continue reading “British spies were first to spot Trump team’s links with Russia”

After Campaign Exit, Manafort Borrowed From Businesses With Trump Ties

Th following article by Mike McIntire was posted on the New York Times website April 12, 2017:

Paul Manafort’s transactions raise a number of questions, including whether his decision to turn to lenders connected to Donald J. Trump was related to his role in the campaign. Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times

Aug. 19 was an eventful day for Paul Manafort.

That morning, he stepped down from guiding Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, after a brief tenure during which Mr. Trump won the Republican nomination, Democrats’ emails were hacked and the campaign’s contacts with Russia came under scrutiny. Dogged by revelations about past financial dealings in Ukraine, Mr. Manafort retreated from public view.

But behind the scenes, he was busy with other matters. Papers were recorded that same day creating a shell company controlled by Mr. Manafort that soon received $13 million in loans from two businesses with ties to Mr. Trump, including one that partners with a Ukrainian-born billionaire and another led by a Trump economic adviser. They were among $20 million in loans secured by properties belonging to Mr. Manafort and his wife. Continue reading “After Campaign Exit, Manafort Borrowed From Businesses With Trump Ties”

Trump’s business network reached alleged Russian mobsters

The following article by Drew Dorell was posted on the USA Today website March 28, 2017:

To expand his real estate developments over the years, Donald Trump, his company and partners repeatedly turned to wealthy Russians and oligarchs from former Soviet republics — several allegedly connected to organized crime, according to a USA TODAY review of court cases, government and legal documents and an interview with a former federal prosecutor.

The president and his companies have been linked to at least 10 wealthy former Soviet businessmen with alleged ties to criminal organizations or money laundering.

Among them: Continue reading “Trump’s business network reached alleged Russian mobsters”

House panel’s Russia probe effectively put on hold

The following article by Karoun Bemirjian was posted on the Washington Post website March 28, 2017:

The House Intelligence Committee’s probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, including potential ties between the Trump team and the Kremlin, is effectively on hold, after its chairman said the panel would not interview more witnesses until two intelligence chiefs return to Capitol Hill for a still-unscheduled private briefing.

Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’s declaration Tuesday that “until [FBI Director James B.] Comey comes forward, it’s hard for us to move forward with interviews and depositions” comes as an indefinite stop order on a roster of expected interviews and testimony, from top Trump campaign surrogates to top intelligence and law enforcement officials serving during the election and transition period. Continue reading “House panel’s Russia probe effectively put on hold”