This report for the Senate says Russian operatives sought to help elect Trump in 2016 — AND "worked even harder to support him while in office." https://t.co/0h5QargwNC
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 16, 2018
Category: 2016 election
Mueller investigation has recovered more money than it has cost
Trump keeps whining and lying about the cost of the Mueller investigation. It has made money for the government through recovery of unpaid taxes.
The Mueller investigation has cost $12.3 million so far. (If you add additional DOJ spending that is related but would have happened anyway, the figure rises to $25 million.) Still, it’s not close to the $40 million price tag that Trump appears to have invented out of thin air.
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) December 15, 2018
President Trump has often complained about the cost of the Mueller investigation, saying its costs have exceeded $40 million.
According to a new report, that is not the case.https://t.co/IuAmaCpf70
— Axios (@axios) December 15, 2018
6/ Mueller’s team spent $12.3M on the Russia probe since last May. They’ve used another $13M worth of federal assets for the investigation. That’s far less than Trump claimed. This also doesn’t count forfeiture collection, which will add up to several mil+ https://t.co/RJp2dAnZC0
— Katelyn Polantz (@kpolantz) December 15, 2018
The Mueller investigation has cost $25 million so far, but it has lead to monetary estimated gains of up to $48 million for the government through the tax evasion the investigation has revealed.https://t.co/plp4pwIdM7
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 16, 2018
Mob boss Trump calls Cohen a “Rat”
Trump speaks like a gangster instead of a president. That’s because he is a mob boss.
This is from the President of our country, lying about the lawful execution of a search warrant issued by a federal judge. Shame on Republicans who don’t speak up at this moment — for the FBI, the rule of law, and the truth. pic.twitter.com/c5dhQBnmyi
— James Comey (@Comey) December 16, 2018
They didn’t break into his office. They had search warrants authorized by a federal judge – who would need to find probable cause – for his office, home and hotel he was staying at https://t.co/dL0L3ynQkl
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 16, 2018
I know it’s hard when you try and hide behind a lawyer & attorney client privilege & it doesn’t work because two different Judges said very little was privileged because he wasn’t really your lawyer but your fixer. Saw it all the time in Mafia cases, so I get that it’s scary. https://t.co/br4kLZdXWn
— Mimi Rocah (@Mimirocah1) December 16, 2018
FACT-CHECK: Rank & file FBI agents were executing a lawful court order.
Now would be a good time for rule of law Republicans & DOJ leadership to slam this alarming shot at FBI agents and government cooperators. Your deafening silence permits this corrosive narrative to continue. https://t.co/dv2wZwgLZu
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) December 16, 2018
To recap, the President of the United States is calling someone a rat for cooperating with *the Justice Department he oversees*
When Trumpers harrumph about "show me the attacks on the rule of law," this is a prime example.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 16, 2018
Wow. Andy is a strong conservative former Federal prosecutor who Trump himself invoked and retweeted earlier to try to bolster his defense. https://t.co/ri4xEaQ6en
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) December 16, 2018
Wrote back in August, this president uses lexicon of a gangster. Whatever one thinks of M. Cohen — for @POTUS to call him a “rat” — utterly disgraceful & unconscionable.
And, DOJ doesn’t “break into” attorney offices w/o cause, warrant approved by judge. https://t.co/wahhQ3WDx1
— James A. Gagliano (@JamesAGagliano) December 16, 2018
My former colleague Andy McCarthy, one of the President's most steady and articulate defenders, is starting to take the measure of the man he has so vigorously defended. POTUS's language reflects the mentality of an at risk mob boss, not of a President.There is a reason for that. https://t.co/FXTVqt1Rdf
— Michael R. Bromwich (@mrbromwich) December 16, 2018
Fact check
1. This is obvious but the FBI didn’t “break into” anything. They executed court-approved search warrants.
2. The Mueller investigation was not “illegally started.” Four separate federal judges have upheld Mueller’s appointment and authorities. https://t.co/zLDUe1lWmk
— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) December 16, 2018
I worked mafia cases for years in SDNY, mainly Gambino and Genovese. I usually hesitate to make this comparison but here it is completely warranted. This – calling somebody who provides information to law enforcement a “rat” – is straight up mob boss language. https://t.co/K8w46rVMP5
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) December 16, 2018
Investigation into Trump’s inauguration
Grifters! Sad!
Trump’s campaign. Trump’s transition. Trump’s inauguration. Trump’s presidency. Plus Trump & family. All are now under state and federal criminal and civil investigations. This is much more damning than Watergate, and it is just getting started.
— John Dean (@JohnWDean) December 14, 2018
NEW: Federal prosecutors are investigating the $107 million raised by Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee, including whether any donors gave money to influence official administration positions.
Scoop by @rebeccadobrien @rebeccaballhaus @aviswanatha https://t.co/MroTpIDPHD
— Nicole Hong (@nicole_hong) December 13, 2018
New: Trump's inaugural committee fundraising was a mess from the start. Here are some big questions still unanswered that the feds could shed light on. https://t.co/egYSvMME1r
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) December 14, 2018
Analysis: How money flowed into — and out of — Trump’s inaugural committee https://t.co/88Bw1xB9ON
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 15, 2018
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Ivanka’s probably not going to be the first female president now. https://t.co/4RwPy0MXNz
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) December 14, 2018
After months of reporting, we have an answer: some of the money went to the Trump Organization. Ivanka Trump personally connected inauguration planners with her family’s DC hotel. We know, because we have emails. https://t.co/vAD0DDoZSa
— Ilya Marritz (@ilyamarritz) December 14, 2018
How Republicans will make excuses for Trump
Here’s what Hatch said. I am sure many Trump cult members will echo this. They only care about the law when they think Democrats break it. The hypocrisy is overwhelming. Obviously, people like Hatch would not vote to convict Trump if he was charged by the House.
Hatch dismisses allegations of Trump crimes over hush money.
Asked if he had any concerns, Hatch said: “The Democrats will do anything to hurt this president.” Told it was alleged by SDNY, Hatch told me: “Okay but I don’t care; all I can say is he’s doing a good job as President”— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 10, 2018
Orrin Hatch 2018: I don't care if the President's own DOJ has implicated him in felonies. What is a "crime" anyway?
Orrin Hatch 1999: "crimes of moral turpitude such as perjury and obstruction of justice go to the heart of qualification for public office" pic.twitter.com/8K8NVZSntj
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) December 10, 2018
Orrin Hatch on Donald Trump directing Michael Cohen to commit a federal crime: “I don’t care.”
Orrin Hatch on Bill Clinton lying under oath about having sex with Monica Lewinsky: “Perjury and obstruct justice … rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors.” https://t.co/vGsWGkTIPO
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) December 10, 2018
More Republican hypocrisy.
McCarthy 2015: "Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was unbeatable, right? But we put together a Benghazi special committee…. What are her numbers today? Her numbers are dropping."
McCarthy 2016: "There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump…. Swear to God." https://t.co/vwjGPQEXqL
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) December 10, 2018
We see the Republicans’ response to the growing Mueller probe—who cares? “It’s just an FEC violation,” says one Congressman. “Nothing wrong with building a hotel [in Russia],” says Rand Paul. The law & order folks are looking away as the law closes in on Trump.
— Touré (@Toure) December 10, 2018
This is false—there can be little question, after the filing on Friday, that federal prosecutors have significant corroborating evidence above and beyond Cohen’s testimony. https://t.co/BugnbgqWK4
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) December 10, 2018
Is "campaign finance issues" the new polite way of saying "an illegal payment to a porn star to keep her quiet?" https://t.co/aJdcC4SDfS
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) December 10, 2018
Trump and the NRA used the same media consultant to coordinate 2016 ads
The NRA and Trump campaign appeared to use the exact same media consultant to coordinate their 2016 campaign ads, which is not legal: https://t.co/I8YPqDXdg1
— Slate (@Slate) December 9, 2018
Dark money group Wellspring Committee
It has no employees or volunteers, and just a single board member.
No public facing operations.
No website.
Just millions of dollars from anonymous donors it dutifully passes on once it receives it. https://t.co/265PbYPMcH
— Robert Maguire (@RobertMaguire_) November 27, 2018
NEW: New tax records of "dark money" group Wellspring Committee highlights how unidentified donors can provide large sums to politically influential groups through complex webs of opaque groups and tax laws that allow contributors to remain hidden. https://t.co/KoRiF4whOy
— Michelle Ye Hee Lee (@myhlee) November 27, 2018
Trump played a major role in payments to McDougal and Daniels
Trump has said he wasn’t involved but apparently he was very involved and informed and may have broken campaign finance laws. Lock him up.
If he can’t be indicted while he is president, I hope he is indicted as soon as he leaves office.
Here is more information and links on today’s Wall Street Journal story. All of the tweets link to the same story.
Federal prosecutors prepared a detailed 80-page indictment against Michael Cohen that outlined President Trump’s role in directing payments to women to keep quiet about alleged affairs, the Wall Street Journal reports https://t.co/K3vUnfzLkd
— CNN (@CNN) November 9, 2018
That’s MISTER Unindicted Co-Conspirator President to you, foolish citizen. https://t.co/ueDFSE9MkV
— Walter Shaub (@waltshaub) November 9, 2018
Where the head of the National Enquirer draws the line: "Mr. Cohen asked American Media to buy Ms. Clifford’s story. Mr. Pecker refused on the grounds that he didn’t want his company to pay a porn star." https://t.co/MU6iROFyOR
— Philip Bump (@pbump) November 9, 2018
"The accounts refute a two-year pattern of denials by Mr. Trump, his legal team & his advisers that he was involved in payoffs to Ms. McDougal & a former adult-film star. They also raise the possibility that the president of the U.S. violated federal campaign-finance laws." –@WSJ https://t.co/Vtj429WBRf
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) November 9, 2018
Federal prosecutors have gathered evidence of the president’s participation in transactions with porn stars and models that violated campaign-finance laws, per this WSJ story. https://t.co/cvpT5Tv5AG
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) November 9, 2018
"The Trump Tower meeting and its aftermath are among several previously unreported instances in which Mr. Trump intervened directly to suppress stories about his alleged sexual encounters with women," raising prospects Trump broke campaign finance laws https://t.co/eZGIYfABlK
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 9, 2018
Sarah Sanders lies
I guess you have to lie if you work for a pathological liar like Trump.
Sarah Sanders just said that Trump got elected by an overwhelming majority of 63 million Americans.
Hillary Clinton got 2.9 million more votes in that election.
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) October 29, 2018
“The president has had a number of moments of bringing the country together.” — Sarah Sanders
— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) October 29, 2018
Name one. I can’t. He wants to divide the country.
No @PressSec, CNN did not say @realDonaldTrump was directly responsible for the bomb sent to our office by his ardent and emboldened supporter. We did say that he, and you, should understand your words matter. Every single one of them. But so far, you don’t seem to get that. pic.twitter.com/ZbH5DQggWq
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) October 29, 2018
Sarah Sanders declines to list which outlets Trump considers the "enemy of the people": "I think those individuals probably know who they are."
"Shouldn't you have the guts, Sarah, to state which outlets, which journalists are the enemy of the people?" CNN's Jim Acosta asks. pic.twitter.com/lktIZ9CZk1
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 29, 2018
The FBI is investigating a colleague of @AndrewGillum but @PressSec contends @realDonaldTrump comment of calling @AndrewGillum a theif is because of the FBI investigation of @AndrewGillum. @AndrewGillum has said the investigation is not about him.
— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) October 29, 2018
At what point should media say Sarah Sanders’s lies and distortions are not news and should not be treated as such?
— Touré (@Toure) October 29, 2018
Super Pacs
This is why Citizens United was such a terrible Supreme Court decision. We need to get big money out of both parties’ campaigns.
Eleven donors have plowed $1 billion into super PACs since they were created, via @myhlee: https://t.co/3HPVmjn7Fl
— Dana Milbank (@Milbank) October 26, 2018
Sad! 