Bloomberg News: Mueller investigating Trump Business Transactions with Russians

[Fro]

Follow the money...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...o-expand-probe-to-trump-business-transactions

The U.S. special counsel investigating possible ties between the Donald Trumpcampaign and Russia in last year’s election is examining a broad range of transactions involving Trump’s businesses as well as those of his associates, according to a person familiar with the probe.

The president told the New York Times on Wednesday that any digging into matters beyond Russia would be out of bounds. Trump’s businesses have involved Russians for years, making the boundaries fuzzy so Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to be taking a wide-angle approach to his two-month-old probe.

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.

John Dowd, one of Trump’s lawyers, said on Thursday he was unaware of this element of the investigation. "Those transactions are in my view well beyond the mandate of the Special counsel; are unrelated to the election of 2016 or any alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and most importantly, are well beyond any Statute of Limitation imposed by the United States Code," he wrote in an email.

Agents are also interested in dealings with the Bank of Cyprus, where Wilbur Ross served as vice chairman before he became commerce secretary. They are also examining the efforts of Jared Kushner, the President’s son-in-law and White House aide, to secure financing for some of his family’s real estate properties. The information was provided by someone familiar with the developing inquiry but not authorized to speak publicly.

The roots of Mueller’s follow-the-money investigation lie in a wide-ranging money laundering probe launched by then-Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara last year, according to the person.

 

[Optimist13]

Here comes Sgt Schultz. He knows nothing

 

[UncleMark]

I had read that earlier. Most of what they said Mueller would be looking at I'd heard before, but this jumped out at me:

Agents are also interested in dealings with the Bank of Cyprus, where Wilbur Ross served as vice chairman before he became commerce secretary.
​

I'm sure it had been reported, but I sure didn't recall it. How in Hell does someone like that get confirmed?

 

[anon_mlxxvlbug9dpa]

I had read that earlier. Most of what they said Mueller would be looking at I'd heard before, but this jumped out at me:

Agents are also interested in dealings with the Bank of Cyprus, where Wilbur Ross served as vice chairman before he became commerce secretary.
​

I'm sure it had been reported, but I sure didn't recall it. How in Hell does someone like that get confirmed?

Once Betsy DeVos got confirmed, it became clear that everybody would be confirmed.

 

[wiede]

Follow the money...

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...o-expand-probe-to-trump-business-transactions

According to the comments he just made in the NYT interview, this leg of the investigation is "out of bounds". According to Trump, it's only about Russia.

Wow. It's pretty clear that Russia holds something over him, and it's almost certainly related to his financial dealings.

His thought process continues to amaze me. Rational thought and thinking about complex situations clearly escape him.

There's a very good reason he never released his tax returns. It would've possibly been fatal to his candidacy.

Would he fire a Mueller now? He's already made an enemy out of Sessions, so if he also fires him and tries to replace him, the new attorney general (that would presumably take oversight of the ongoing investigation) won't be confirmed unless it's clear he's independent of Trump.

The worst part is, I could see him firing both Mueller and Sessions as the heat is turned up and the investigation starts uncovering links between Trump and the Russians.

Mueller and his team are moving pretty fast now. And they've been really good at eliminating leaks, for the most part.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

According to the comments he just made in the NYT interview, this leg of the investigation is "out of bounds". According to Trump, it's only about Russia.

Wow. It's pretty clear that Russia holds something over him, and it's almost certainly related to his financial dealings.

His thought process continues to amaze me. Rational thought and thinking about complex situations clearly escape him.

There's a very good reason he never released his tax returns. It would've possibly been fatal to his candidacy.

Would he fire a Mueller now? He's already made an enemy out of Sessions, so if he also fires him and tries to replace him, the new attorney general (that would presumably take oversight of the ongoing investigation) won't be confirmed unless it's clear he's independent of Trump.

The worst part is, I could see him firing both Mueller and Sessions as the heat is turned up and the investigation starts uncovering links between Trump and the Russians.

Mueller and his team are moving pretty fast now. And they've been really good at eliminating leaks, for the most part.

For what it is worth as I don't think he has any real knowledge, Dan Abrams said this morning that Mueller would be fired within 100 days. It sure seems likely to me that at least Sessions will be gone. It is awful hard for a president to say what he did and not act. And has long been noted, look at the world leaders Trump admires. He's pretty king on the strongman dictator.

 

[zeke4ahs]

For what it is worth as I don't think he has any real knowledge, Dan Abrams said this morning that Mueller would be fired within 100 days. It sure seems likely to me that at least Sessions will be gone. It is awful hard for a president to say what he did and not act. And has long been noted, look at the world leaders Trump admires. He's pretty king on the strongman dictator.

It's hard to tell. The same rules obviously don't apply to Trump. He just has explosive word diarrhea at times, he doesn't even think about what he says before he says it. After firing Comey, I think it would be pretty hard for the GOP to still support him if he fired either of these guys. But it's impossible to predict. Because Trump.

 

[UncleMark]

The worst part is, I could see him firing both Mueller and Sessions as the heat is turned up

Dan Abrams said this morning that Mueller would be fired within 100 days. It sure seems likely to me that at least Sessions will be gone.

<pedant>
To be clear, IIUC, the way the statute is written Trump can't directly fire Mueller. That has to be done by the AG, or in this case Deputy AG Rosenstein (since Sessions has recused himself). Trump could order Rosenstein to fire Mueller, and he could do it or get fired himself. The overall statute is different than the one that dealt with Watergate, but in this respect they are the same. That's why Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre played out the way it did, and would likely play out the same way today.
</pedant>

 

[Marvin the Martian]

<pedant>
To be clear, IIUC, the way the statute is written Trump can't directly fire Mueller. That has to be done by the AG, or in this case Deputy AG Rosenstein (since Sessions has recused himself). Trump could order Rosenstein to fire Mueller, and he could do it or get fired himself. The overall statute is different than the one that dealt with Watergate, but in this respect they are the same. That's why Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre played out the way it did, and would likely play out the same way today.
</pedant>

All that is true, but the net effect is the same.

 

[sglowrider]

I had read that earlier. Most of what they said Mueller would be looking at I'd heard before, but this jumped out at me:

Agents are also interested in dealings with the Bank of Cyprus, where Wilbur Ross served as vice chairman before he became commerce secretary.
​

I'm sure it had been reported, but I sure didn't recall it. How in Hell does someone like that get confirmed?

I guess its Mueller who is actually going to be draining the swamp. Hopefully, they have a jail large enough for the bunch of them.

 

[sglowrider]

<pedant>
To be clear, IIUC, the way the statute is written Trump can't directly fire Mueller. That has to be done by the AG, or in this case Deputy AG Rosenstein (since Sessions has recused himself). Trump could order Rosenstein to fire Mueller, and he could do it or get fired himself. The overall statute is different than the one that dealt with Watergate, but in this respect they are the same. That's why Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre played out the way it did, and would likely play out the same way today.
</pedant>

I had asked earlier -- by replacing Sessions, couldnt the newly Trump-appointed AG be then overseeing Mueller and therefore have the ability to fire him?

 

[UncleMark]

I had asked earlier -- by replacing Sessions, couldnt the newly Trump-appointed AG be then overseeing Mueller and therefore have the ability to fire him?

Yes. But I have to believe the new AG nominee would have to pledge not to do so before he would get confirmed. At least I'd like to think there would be three Republicans who would require that.

 

[TheOriginalHappyGoat]

Yes. But I have to believe the new AG nominee would have to pledge not to do so before he would get confirmed. At least I'd like to think there would be three Republicans who would require that.

It still comes down to these two things:

1. If Trump wants Mueller gone, he'll be gone. It's just a question of how many other people have to be fired/forced to resign to make that happen.

2. This would be a huge blunder by Trump, because Mueller would immediately find himself in charge of a Congressionally-mandated investigation with at least the same scope and a virtually unlimited budget. I'm not sure Trump would even have veto authority in that case, because Congress would claim it was within the scope of their inherent investigatory powers, and the courts would almost certainly agree (Congress' inherent investigatory authority is well-founded in settled law).

 

[sglowrider]

Kushner adds at least $10 million in previously undisclosed assets to his revised financial report
http://www.businessinsider.com/kushner-financial-disclosure-10-million-in-assets-added-2017-7/?IR=T

Transparency!!

What sort of business guys are these? They cant keep track of their own assets or they dont want people to know.... hmmm

 

[TheVegasHoosier]

Wow. It's pretty clear that Russia holds something over him, and it's almost certainly related to his financial dealings.

t.

Trump has been laundering money for the Russian mob since he owned casinos.

And buying over-priced real estate is the easiest way to launder money....which is why so many Russian mobsters own his condos.

When no American banks would loan Donnie money, the oligarchs were thrilled to do it.

 

[TheVegasHoosier]

It still comes down to these two things:

1. If Trump wants Mueller gone, he'll be gone. It's just a question of how many other people have to be fired/forced to resign to make that happen.

2. This would be a huge blunder by Trump, because Mueller would immediately find himself in charge of a Congressionally-mandated investigation with at least the same scope and a virtually unlimited budget. I'm not sure Trump would even have veto authority in that case, because Congress would claim it was within the scope of their inherent investigatory powers, and the courts would almost certainly agree (Congress' inherent investigatory authority is well-founded in settled law).

I'll believe the GOP in Congress has the balls to go after Trump when I see it.

If Hillary had done 10% of what Trump has, they would have impeached her 20 times already.

Now, constant excuses.

 

[sglowrider]

I'll believe the GOP in Congress has the balls to go after Trump when I see it.

If Hillary had done 10% of what Trump has, they would have impeached her 20 times already.

Now, constant excuses.

Eight years of 'party first' will do that to you. It's etched into their pyche and M.O. to the degree their rationalisation is just simply broken politically with no moral compass.

 

[sglowrider]

 

[Optimist13]

Trump is the demon seed of beelzebub

 

[sglowrider]

Donald Trump makes his money the old-fashionedway—he launders it

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/20...is-money-the-old-fashioned-way-he-launders-it

Chronological account from the 90s onwards.