Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into a $150,000 payment from a Ukrainian steel mogul to President Donald Trump’s foundation in September 2015 in exchange for a talk Trump gave, the New York Times reported Monday, citing three people briefed on the matter.
After the special counsel’s office subpoenaed the Trump Organization earlier this year, the company turned over documents on the payment from Victor Pinchuk to Trump’s foundation, according to the New York Times. The donation, given in exchange for a 20 minute appearance over video stream by Trump for a conference in Kiev, was solicited by Trump’s longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen, per the Times.
The FBI raided Cohen’s office, home, and hotel room on Monday, but it’s not clear whether this payment was among the reasons for the raid.
In a statement to the New York Times, the Victor Pinchuk Foundation said it asked Trump to speak to help “promote strengthened and enduring ties between Ukraine and the West.” The foundation noted that their donation to Trump’s foundation came “when there were multiple candidates for the Republican nomination for president and it was by no means assured that Mr. Trump would be the Republican nominee in 2016.”
Read the entire New York Times report here.
cue the relevant twittler tweet from the archives excoriating Hillz for this supposed very same offense.
Sharpei and Freud!
I just can’t spell it…
What’s the problem? This payment proves there was no collusion with Russia. WITCH HUNT!
Whereupon some entity seven or eight layers away that exists only on paper quietly deposits a sum minus the usual fee in a bank account in Cyprus or the Caymans. How many “companies” did the Trump organization include? Wasn’t it hundreds? Or was it thousands? I forget. Quite a few. Who wants to start a pool on how soon the name Semyon Mogilevich becomes prominent in the news? ETA About 500 entities in the Trump organization. Seems legit!
Just a lot of caring, giving people there, concerned for the welfare of those less fortunate.
Anyone want to guess how many individual counts of criminal behavior the indictment will include when all is said and done? I think we could be looking into the hundreds. Throw this one on the pile as just one of many at this point.
I want to start a pool on when the first Trump family member will be indicted. I’m willing to say before April 30.