Trump Scandals: Every Investigation Facing the White House So Far (Photos)
From the get-go, Donald Trump’s presidency has been overloaded with scandals that have enraged his Democrat opponents and challenged the willingness of Beltway Republicans to stand by him. The growing pile of federal investigations and news reports reached a boiling point with Trump’s firing of James Comey, which has caused the controversy to snowball on the President. In case you can’t keep everything straight, here’s what’s happened so far and who in Trump’s circle is being investigated.
Paul Manafort: Trump’s former campaign chair is currently being investigated as part of the FBI’s look into potential connections between the president’s campaign and Russia’s attempt to sway the presidential election. The Justice Department has subpoenaed Manafort’s bank records to look for potential payments that he might have received from Russia during the campaign.
Carter Page: The Washington Post reported in April that the FBI had obtained a warrant to monitor Trump’s former campaign adviser as part of their Russia investigation. A dossier compiled by a former British intelligence officer and cited by House Dem Adam Schiff claimed that Page had met with Russian business executives linked to Putin during a visit to Moscow in July 2016.
Also Read: Former Trump Adviser Carter Page Was Being Monitored by FBI (Report)
Michael Flynn: A retired three-star general, Flynn was selected as the president’s first national security adviser before he was fired in February. The dismissal came after it was discovered Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his interactions with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. The scandal surrounding Flynn deepened after the House Oversight Committee said they had reason to believe Flynn had received payments from the Russian and Turkish governments without receiving permission.
Also Read: DC Whiplash: Prosecutors Issue Grand Jury Subpoenas to Michael Flynn's Associates (Report)
Conflicts of interest: Since winning the election, ethics experts have criticized the president for failing to provide a sufficient plan for addressing conflicts of interest between his presidency and his many business interests, whom he has handed over to his sons, Donald and Eric. The White House has also faced criticism when senior adviser Kellyanne Conway promoted Ivanka Trump’s merchandise on Fox News after Nordstrom announced it would drop her clothing line, while the State Department deleted a blog post promoting Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-A-Lago. The White House has at least one lawsuit claiming the president has violated the Emoluments Clause, which forbids Trump from receiving foreign money through his businesses, something critics say he can do by having foreign officials stay at his hotels.
Russia Oval Office Visit: The Washington Post reported that the president disclosed a highly classified intelligence source that provided the U.S. with information on ISIS to Russian officials during a White House visit. The disclosure has reportedly frustrated the intelligence community, with whom the president has already had a tense relationship since he attacked the CIA in December for its report stating Russian hacks on Democrats were designed to help Trump win the election.
Also Read: Trump Admits Sharing Terrorism Intel With Russia: 'I Have the Absolute Right'
Jeff Sessions: After admitting he had not disclosed meetings with a Russian ambassador during the election to Congress, the former Alabama senator and current Attorney General recused himself from any investigations into Trump-Russia connections. After Comey’s firing, 11 Senate Democrats, including Elizabeth Warren, asked the Justice Dept. to investigate whether Sessions had violated his recusal pledge after Trump announced he had consulted Sessions on firing the FBI director.
Comey Memo: The New York Times reports that a memo written by Comey shows that the president asked the FBI director to end the bureau’s investigation into Michael Flynn. Jason Chaffetz, GOP head of the House Oversight Committee, has demanded the FBI turn over all info pertaining to interactions between Trump and Comey.