Trump's New Conflict Of Interest Could Involve Paying Off Officials To Not talk About Russia

[DonViejo]

Source: Newsweek Magazine




BY SUMMER MEZA ON 11/18/17 AT 9:33 AM

As the investigation into Russian collusion builds, President Donald Trump has started paying his own legal bills, rather than using campaign donations or charging the Republican National Committee, and has created a fund to finance the legal bills of his former and current staffers—which could violate ethics laws if there’s a chance it could influence their testimonies.

After several months of the Republican Party picking up the tab, the president started paying in order to make things “even,” Trump’s attorney John Dowd confirmed on Friday to Reuters. The payments are for Trump’s personal lawyers who are helping him navigate the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether he obstructed justice by firing former FBI Director James Comey in May. But it’s not just his own legal bills that he’s paying—Trump has also established a legal fund that pays for staffers who are also involved in the investigation, a method that has caught attention from the Office of Government Ethics. There is no law that bars the president from giving gifts and money to his staffers, but in the face of a tricky investigation, this case raises questions of whether Trump’s financial help will influence staffer’s testimonies, said Walter Shaub, former head of the ethics office.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb says that President Trump is well aware of the ethical questions that arise with the arrangement. "The president has assumed responsibility for his own legal fees and while he isn’t involved directly in the creation of a mechanism to take care of staffers, it is important to him that they be taken care of and whatever approach is agreed upon by OGE and relevant tax authorities be bulletproof," said Cobb.

The RNC paid more than $230,000 for two of Trump’s personal attorneys, but it’s unclear who paid for the third attorney, who Trump hired specifically to respond to the allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.


Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/trump-legal-fees-staffers-conflict-interest-715995

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. Sounds like bribery to me.

Attention Robert Mueller!

[bucolic_frolic]

2. On the take

age old way of doing business. Have to question if anyone isn't getting a greased palm. For decades.

[dalton99a]

3. Just like any other crime family

[NastyRiffraff]

7. That was my first thought also

It's EXACTLY how a crime family works.

[SayItLoud]

4. Ethics and tRUMP (The F'n MORON)

in the same sentence is an oxymoron with a capital MORON!

[Scarsdale]

5. What about Don Jr?

Wasn't the RNC paying his legal bills? WHY? He was not supposed to be involved with politics was he? Hapless looking chump is being supported by taxpayers.

[Jim__]

6. "... this case raises questions of whether Trumps financial help will influence staffers ..."

"...testimony ..."

But there is no question as to what Trump wants his financial help to accomplish.

[blueinredohio]

8. I don't think any job would be worth keeping if I had to get a lawyer to work there

[gademocrat7]

9. Grifter in chief.

His criminality knows no bounds.

[Nitram]

10. That's not "conflict of interest." It is "obstruction of justice," a much more serious crime.