DOJ Headquarters
The Justice Department is investigating a potential crime related to funneling money to the White House or related political committee in exchange for a presidential pardon, according to court records unsealed Tuesday in federal court…
The disclosure is in 20 pages of partially redacted documents made public by the DC District Court on Tuesday afternoon.
A Justice Department official told CNN that “no government official was or is currently a subject or target of the investigation disclosed in this filing.”
Shucks!
…At the end of this summer, a filter team…had more than 50 digital devices including iPhones, iPads, laptops, thumb drives and computer drives after investigators raided the unidentified offices.
Prosecutors told the court they wanted permission to [examine?] the filter team’s holdings. The prosecutors believed the devices revealed emails that showed allegedly criminal activity, including a “secret lobbying scheme” and a bribery conspiracy that offered “a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence” for a convicted defendant whose name is redacted, according to the redacted documents.
At a minimum, this illustrates a level of corruption brought to our government by the Republican Party and Trump. It’s been decades since the sleaziest element in American politics was confident it could sell a presidential pardon to the highest bidder.
(Fox News): Trump dismisses DOJ’s probe of bribery-for-pardon allegation: ‘Fake News!’ https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-dismisses-dojs-probe-of-bribery-for-pardon-allegation-fake-news
“The Justice Department investigation into a possible scheme to lobby the Trump Administration for a presidential pardon — news of which garnered attention earlier this week — was allegedly mounted by a now-deceased California real estate magnate on behalf of a Berkeley psychologist in prison for tax evasion, multiple sources tell ABC News.
Neither figure is well-known in Washington, but the lawyer allegedly hired by billionaire Republican donor Sanford Diller to represent the psychologist was Abbe Lowell, one of the most prominent and powerful D.C. attorneys, the sources told ABC News.
Lowell, who most recently represented Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump during the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, is not believed to be under investigation for his role in the matter, his attorney told ABC News.” https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-probe-alleged-bribery-pardon-scheme-involved-now/story?id=74530896
“Attorney for Jared Kushner and a Trump fundraiser investigated by DOJ in alleged bribery-for-pardon scheme” https://www.businessinsider.com/kushner-attorney-investigated-in-alleged-bribery-for-pardon-scheme-2020-12 “In a statement on Wednesday, a DOJ official told Business Insider that “No government official was or is currently a subject or target of the investigation disclosed in this filing.”
(9/29/17): “Jared Kushner’s lawyer, fooled by ’email prankster,’ offers window into private email controversy” https://www.businessinsider.com/jared-kushner-lawyer-email-prankster-private-2017-9
“White House Says Pardons Will Be Given First to Essential Frontline Criminals” https://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/white-house-says-pardons-will-be-given-first-to-essential-frontline-criminals
Rumors are swirling across official Washington and throughout national media that President Trump is considering granting a highly controversial list of pre-emptive pardons.
The rumored recipients include his sons Eric and Donald Jr., his daughter Ivanka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and potentially a self-pardon. https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/528577-trump-pardon-scandal-would-doom-his-2024-campaign
A self-pardon is inherently absurd under the Constitution. It would literally place the president above every law of the land, and would enable a president to violate every federal law without limit, from bribery to murder, and simply pardon himself after.
Alternatively Trump could resign from office early and be pardoned by his successor, Mike Pence. https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/525845-prediction-trump-will-resign-pence-will-pardon-him
The Washington, DC attorney general’s office has filed a lawsuit alleging President Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration committee made more than $1m in improper payments to the president’s Washington DC, hotel during the week of the inauguration in 2017.
As part of the suit, the attorney general’s office has subpoenaed records from Ivanka Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Thomas Barrack Jr, a close friend of the president who chaired the inaugural committee, and others. Barrack was also deposed last month.
DC Attorney General Karl Racine has accused the committee of misusing non-profit funds and coordinating with the hotel’s management and members of the Trump family to arrange the events.
“District law requires non-profits to use their funds for their stated public purpose, not to benefit private individuals or companies,” Racine has said. “In this case, we are seeking to recover the non-profit funds that were improperly funneled directly to the Trump family business.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/3/ivanka-trump-gives-sworn-testimony-for-inauguration-fund-lawsuit
“Ivanka Trump Is Extremely Testy About Accusations the Trump Organization Ripped Off Inauguration Funds : She claims the suit against her family’s business is a politically motivated witch hunt and a waste of taxpayer dollars, the latter of which she knows a little something about.” https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/12/ivanka-trump-inauguration-deposition
“After Ivanka attempted to clear her name on Twitter, the D.C. attorney general responded, effectively telling her to sit down and STFU. “We filed suit after gathering evidence that the Presidential Inaugural Committee knowingly entered into a grossly overpriced contract with the Trump Hotel,” Racine wrote. “Any claim to the contrary is incorrect. DC law requires nonprofits to use funds for stated public purposes, and to avoid unreasonable, wasteful expenses. Our investigation revealed the Committee willfully used nonprofit funds to enrich the Trump family. It’s very simple: They broke the law. That’s why we sued.”