THREAD: Mueller is investigating a Ukrainian’s $150,000 payment to Trump Org *during the campaign* for a Trump appearance, as part of a BROADER probe of streams of foreign money to Trump & associates in the years before the election‼️ 1/
In response to a #subpoena *this year* for an array of records of business w/FOREIGN nationals, Trump Org handed over documents about the donation, SOLICITED BY MICHAEL COHEN.🤨 2/
The $150k donation from Ukrainian billionaire, Victor Pinchuk, who has sought closer ties for Ukraine to the West, was the LARGEST Trump's foundation received in 2015 from anyone, besides Trump himself.🙄 3/
Mueller also ordered Trump Org to turn over documents, emails & other communications about several unnamed #Russians🇷🇺, including some whose names have NOT been PUBLICLY tied to Trump‼️ 5/
Per a fmr head of IRS tax-exempt orgs division👉🏼the Ukrainian payment is “an UNUSUAL amount of money for such a short speech" & "is curious b/c it comes *during a campaign* & is from a FOREIGNER & looks like an effort to BUY INFLUENCE."🙄 6/
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No surprise, based on reports of George Nader (who FLIPPED), Team🇺🇸Mueller has questioned witnesses about whether money from the PERSIAN GULF had been used ILLEGALLY to finance Trump’s political efforts & also asked for information on the Ukrainian, Pinchuk.😎 7/
Trump's Foundation — the destination of Pinchuk’s donation instead of the Trump's personal coffers — raises MORE questions about how Trump handled the entity he set up to deal with "charitable" giving.🙄 9/
Trump’s "charity" attracted scrutiny during the 2016 campaign over revelations about his lack of financial support for it & his use of it to PAY LEGAL SETTLEMENTS, rather than, you know, to GIVE TO A CHARITY, as a charitable org is supposed to do‼️🤬 10/
Just 2 weeks after he was "elected," Trump's foundation said in a tax form that it might have broken federal rules designed to prohibit self-dealing👉🏼such as using its money to benefit TRUMP.🙄
The same filing disclosed the donation from Pinchuk for Trump’s appearance.😎 11/
Pinchuk is the son-in-law of a fmr Ukraine president, Leonid Kuchma👉🏼from 1994-2005 led a gov't known for #corruption, nepotism & MURDER of journalists. Pinchuk has been accused by US steel makers of ILLEGALLY dumping steel on the US market at artificially low prices.🤨 12/
Pinchuk also drew scrutiny during the campaign for his ties to Hillary Clinton & the Clinton family foundation👉🏼donated more than $13 million to that organization since 2006.🤨 13/
Victor Pinchuk's Foundation said the $150k was “a SPECIFIC REQUEST of Mr. Trump Foundation in Sept'15 when there were multiple candidates for the #Republican nomination for president & it was by no means assured that Trump would be the Republican nominee in 2016.”🙄 14/
The Ukrainian event was Trump's 1st foray into global politics during the campaign👉🏼Doug Schoen, a political consultant/pollster who works w/Pinchuk, *personally* contacted Trump to set it up.🤔
Schoen is a frequent Fox News guest (of course!), has known Trump for years.🤨 15/
The day after Schoen invited Trump, Cohen called Schoen to SOLICIT $150,000 as an "honorarium." Schoen, who got to know Cohen in Fox News' green room (of course!), dealt w/Trump's "fixer" Cohen, not Trump directly. Meaning: this VERY likely was on Trump's orders‼️ 16/
During his video, Trump criticized Obama amid deteriorating relations btwn the US & #Russia🇷🇺over Ukraine: “Our president is not strong & he is not doing what he should be doing for the Ukraine."
Trump used "the" before Ukraine, which is insulting to some Ukrainians.🙄 17/
Of course, Trump couldn't help himself & just had to say something about his pal, Putin, while dissing Obama: "Putin does not respect our president whatsoever."🤬 18/
Don't forget that Ukraine plays a key role in another part of Mueller’s probe👉🏼Manafort's political consulting work for Ukraine's pro-#Russian🇷🇺 former president, Viktor F. Yanukovych.🤨 19/
Another day & *yet another* report showing that Mueller is ALL OVER any alleged ILLEGAL FOREIGN MONEY that flowed to Trump, the #NRA, GOP & others.😎
Trump's deputy campaign chair Rick Gates solicited proposals (#felony) from Israeli firm Psy Group to create fake online personas, use social media manipulation & gather intel to help defeat @GOP primary opponents (@tedcruz) & @HillaryClinton🤨1/ nytimes.com/2018/10/08/us/…
Gates wasn't interested in Psy Group b/c other Trump aides oversaw social media. George Nader & Joel Zamel (Psy Group owner) met w/Don Jr & offered to help *THROW THE ELECTION* at an Aug'16 meeting arranged by Erik Prince‼️
George Birnbaum (Arthur Finkelstein protégé/@GOP consultant who worked for Netanyahu & other Israeli officials) initially pitched Gates on using social media influence/manipulation to sway @GOP delegates toward Trump.🤨 3/
🔥@GOP operative Peter Smith raised >$100,000 to pay #Russian🇷🇺hackers to find Clinton’s emails. 10 days after telling his story to the @WSJ, he committed suicide, yet a friend spoke w/him about a new project hours before his death & says he was “excited.” wsj.com/articles/gop-o…
Smith continued his quest for HRC’s emails *after* the US warned of #Russian🇷🇺interference & went to extraordinary lengths to ensure secrecy, communicating via saved DRAFT (unsent) emails in a shared Gmail account.🤨
🔥One sent email said the >$100k in donations were to be sent to a DC-based scholarship fund for **Russian students**👉🏼“This $100k total with the $50k received from you (Smith) will allow us to fund the Washington Scholarship Fund for the Russian students for the promised $150K.”
We Democrats realize that you are in a tough re-election battle, but backing #Kavanaugh only brings you more scorn from the @GOP and erodes your much-needed support from @TheDemocrats base.
Connie Chung to Dr. Ford: “I, too, was sexually assaulted—not 36 years ago but ~50 years ago. I kept my dirty little secret to myself. Silence for 5 decades...The exact date & year are fuzzy. But details of the event are vivid—forever seared in my memory.” washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinio…
Connie Chung: “Christine, I, too, am terrified as I reveal this publicly. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. Can you? If you can’t, I understand. I am frightened, I am scared, I can’t even cry.”😰
Chung: “I wish I could forget this truthful event, but I cannot because it is the truth. I am writing to you b/c I know that exact dates, exact years are insignificant. We remember exactly what happened to us & who did it to us. We remember the truth forever.”
Charles Ludington, a former varsity basketball player & friend of #Kavanaugh at @Yale plans to deliver a statement to the @FBI field office in Raleigh on Monday detailing **violent drunken behavior** by Kavanaugh in college. 1/
Ludington says #Kavanaugh initiated a fight that led to the ARREST of a friend: “When Brett got drunk, he was often belligerent & aggressive...” 2/
“On one of the last occasions I purposely socialized with Brett, I witnessed him respond to a semi-hostile remark, not by defusing the situation, but by throwing his beer in the man’s face and starting a fight that ended with one of our mutual friends in jail.”😳 3/
Rod Rosenstein suggested last year that he secretly record Trump to expose "chaos" consuming the administration & discussed recruiting cabinet members to invoke the #25thAmendment.
Will Trump use this as an excuse to fire Rosenstein⁉️
Rosenstein made his remarks about the #25thAmendment & secretly recording Trump in meetings & conversations w/other DOJ & FBI officials. Several people (briefed either on the events themselves or on memos written by FBI officials, including McCabe) described the episodes.🤨
Rosenstein reportedly told McCabe that he might be able to persuade Jeff Sessions & John Kelly to mount an effort to invoke the #25thAmendment.
All of these incidents allegedly occurred around the time that @Comey was fired. Rosenstein was very distressed & felt he was used.🤔