The special counsel investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election has expanded to look into business transactions of President Donald Trump and some of his associates, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
A single anonymous source familiar with the probe told Bloomberg that federal investigators are interested in financial dealings involving Trump, his son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner, commerce secretary Wilbur Ross, and his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
The investigators are looking into several of the President’s business deals involving Russian partners, per Bloomberg:
FBI investigators and others are looking at Russian purchases of apartments in Trump buildings, Trump’s involvement in a controversial SoHo development with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and Trump’s sale of a Florida mansion to a Russian oligarch in 2008, the person said.
Kushner’s efforts to secure funding for certain properties owned by his family real estate business are also of interest, according to the report, as are dealings that touch on Ross’ tenure as vice chairman of the Bank of Cyprus.
The probe into Trump associates’ finances stems from a money-laundering investigation former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara initiated last year, the anonymous source told Bloomberg, and since has been consolidated into special counsel Robert Mueller’s wide-ranging investigation. Trump fired Bharara in March after the prosecutor refused to step down voluntarily.
The President told the New York Times on Wednesday that it would be a “violation” of Mueller’s mandate to dig into finances involving him and his family.
“I mean, it’s possible there’s a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows?” Trump told the newspaper. “I don’t make money from Russia.”
And the dismissal of the Prevezon case soon after he became president…and why the lawyer in that rep’ing russia met with jr…
Follow the money. It’s always been all about the money. Trump needed it, sketchy Russians had it (funneled via inflated asset sales to Russian nominees and Deutsche Bank loans) He took it. And they had him.
“The probe into Trump associates’ finances stems from a money-laundering
investigation former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara initiated last year,
the anonymous source told Bloomberg, and since has been consolidated
into special counsel Robert Mueller’s wide-ranging investigation. Trump
fired Bharara in March after the prosecutor refused to step down
voluntarily.”
No wonder Trump is running scared. Follow the money, indeed.
I feel that any news article reporting this line from Trump should take the time to point out that it is false.
All of this is most excellent news.
From the WaPo article on this (emphasis added):
“It has previously been reported that the Russia investigation has focused on the business dealings of Trump’s son-in-law and top adviser, Jared Kushner, but this appears to be the first indication that Trump’s own finances are under scrutiny.”
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