Last updated on January 12th, 2019 at 02:13 pm
A month ago we reported that Federal prosecutors are investigating whether U.S. President Donald Trump‘s inaugural committee misspent some of the funds it raised, writing:
“The criminal probe by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office is examining whether some of the committee’s top donors gave money in exchange for access to the incoming Trump administration, policy concessions or to influence official administration positions, some of the people said.â€
“Trump’s inaugural committee is accused of misspending some of the $107 million it raised in 2017 as part of a massive pay-to-play scheme.”
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We also reported that “Ivanka Trump may have violated tax laws and is at the center of $40 million missing dollars from Trump‘s inaugural committee.â€
And now the New York Times is reporting that Mueller is investigating possible criminal activities of pro-Russia Ukrainian nationals who attended President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
According to the Times, “at least a dozen Ukrainian political and business figures†went to Washington for the inauguration, most of whom were known for their pro-Russia stances.
According to the Times report:
“Evidence of the Ukrainians’ presence eventually prompted interest from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, as he investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election, and has spawned a number of related inquiries by federal prosecutors.â€
“The investigations are playing out against growing indications that some of the Ukrainians who came to Washington for the inaugural, or their allies, were promoting grand bargains, or ‘peace’ plans, that aligned with Russia’s interests, including by lifting sanctions.â€
“Federal prosecutors asked witnesses about how the Ukrainians gained access to inauguration events, whom they met with while they were in the United States, and what they discussed.â€
In other words, Mueller may have evidence that these Ukrainians were at Trump’s inauguration to improperly curry favor with the new administration. They also met with GOP leaders to seek their favor also, the Times reports.
Mueller believes that the Ukrainians had agendas that aligned with Russian interests, including easing sanctions on Moscow and approving a peace plan between Russia and the Ukraine.
The Times reported that investigators are looking into whether Ukrainians and other foreigners disguised donations to the Trump inaugural committee since it is illegal for foreigners to donate to inaugural committees.
This new report comes just a few days after former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort‘s attorneys inadvertently revealed that Manafort discussed a “Ukrainian peace plan†with a Russian national more than once during the 2016 campaign and offered to brief the Russians on the Trump campaign.
“Paul Manafort gave the Russians polling, data, and internal documents. Donald Trump knew about this and still coordinated lies to Mueller with him.”
This latest report about Mueller’s investigation looking into crimes surrounding Trump‘s inaugural committee is no surprise. It shows that pro-Russian foreigners attend the inauguration in large numbers, and were there to lobby the new administration — as well as GOP members of Congress.
From the very first day of the Trump administration it was a criminal enterprise, and Bob Mueller without a doubt has the evidence to prove it.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
