Justice Department investigating potential presidential pardon bribery scheme, court records reveal
Last edited Tue Dec 1, 2020, 08:10 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: CNN
(CNN)The Justice Department is investigating a potential crime related to funneling money to the White House or related political committee in exchange for a presidential pardon, according to court records unsealed Tuesday in federal court. The case is the latest legal twist in the waning days of President Donald Trump's administration after several of his top advisers have been convicted of federal criminal charges and as the possibility rises of Trump giving pardons to those who've been loyal to him.
The disclosure is in 20 pages of partially redacted documents made public by the DC District Court on Tuesday afternoon. The records show Chief Judge Beryl Howell's review in August of a request from prosecutors to access documents obtained in a search as part of a bribery-for-pardon investigation. The filings don't reveal a timeline of the alleged scheme, or any names of people potentially involved, except that communications between people including at least one lawyer were seized from an office that was raided sometime before the end of this summer. No one appears to have been publicly charged with a related crime to date.
At the end of this summer, a filter team, used to make sure prosecutors don't receive tainted evidence that should have been kept from them because it was privileged, had more than 50 digital devices including iPhones, iPads, laptops, thumb drives and computer drives after investigators raided the unidentified offices. Prosecutors told the court they wanted permission to the filter team's holdings. The prosecutors believed the devices revealed emails that showed allegedly criminal activity, including a "secret lobbying scheme" and a bribery conspiracy that offered "a substantial political contribution in exchange for a presidential pardon or reprieve of sentence" for a convicted defendant whose name is redacted, according to the redacted documents.
Communications between attorneys and clients are typically privileged and kept from prosecutors as they build their cases, but in this situation, Howell allowed the prosecutors access. Attorney-client communications are not protected as privileged under the law when there is discussion of a crime, among other exceptions. "The political strategy to obtain a presidential pardon was 'parallel' to and distinct from [redacted]'s role as an attorney-advocate for [redacted name]," Howell wrote in her court order.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/01/politics/presidential-pardon-justice-department/index.html
wryter2000
(46,083 posts)Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,647 posts)I just read about it at Joe.My.God.
Sedona
(3,769 posts)I really like that sarcasm imogee. How do you do that?
BumRushDaShow
(129,608 posts)where you have to click on the "..." button at the end of the bottom row.
Or you can just type "sarcasm" and surround it with colons (without the quotes).
Last edited Tue Dec 1, 2020, 09:33 PM - Edit history (1)
oops.Cha
(297,772 posts)to get
Sedona
(3,769 posts)There's additional fun there
DENVERPOPS
(8,847 posts)will find Hunter and his dad at the roots of the bribery scandal.......LOL
montanacowboy
(6,103 posts)this sounds like him
stillcool
(32,626 posts)onetexan
(13,066 posts)Docreed2003
(16,878 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,608 posts)or just get the jumbo size and dig in?
Docreed2003
(16,878 posts)🤣🤣🤣 but will join you with the jumbo if this plays out!!
BumRushDaShow
(129,608 posts)Wednesdays
(17,439 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,608 posts)bluestarone
(17,062 posts)He was being investigated? Total bullshit IF he did!
OAITW r.2.0
(24,656 posts)msongs
(67,458 posts)BumRushDaShow
(129,608 posts)although it could be someone being thrown under the bus like Cohen or maybe Manafort?
I don't think it would be someone on our side begging after 45 for a pardon. Maybe Ghouliani's buddies Lev and/or Igor (who were in the news the past week pleading "not guilty" )?
Miguelito Loveless
(4,475 posts)They are talking about how presidential pardons were being sold and sleezy lawyers, that Trump.
FarPoint
(12,452 posts)Held up due to election....didn't want to affect the election.
brooklynite
(94,757 posts)Didnt see that coming...
IcyPeas
(21,910 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,047 posts)Karma13612
(4,554 posts)He musta gotten out of jail then??
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,047 posts)ancianita
(36,146 posts)going down.
wnylib
(21,645 posts)Unless the tip of the iceberg struck the dam, causing the dam to crack.
Uben
(7,719 posts)...I'm sure he's scheming someway to get those funds in his pocket!
tclambert
(11,087 posts)Why just look at how many millions he's making off pretending to fight the election results.
Backseat Driver
(4,399 posts)The public knew he was crooked in 2009. Big banks helped him stash millions until 2017.
Despite a long record of fraud, a New Jersey con man was able to swindle hundreds of victims around the world who were promised cheap used cars.
https://www.icij.org/investigations/fincen-files/the-public-knew-he-was-crooked-in-2009-big-banks-helped-him-stash-millions-until-2017/?utm_source=ICIJ&utm_campaign=51660c6a7a-20201201_WeeklyEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_992ecfdbb2-51660c6a7a-83351998
Long investigative piece...so go to the link!
"The best people..."?
"All roads..."?
COL Mustard
(5,933 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,342 posts)The Deep State has found some Deep Shit
BobTheSubgenius
(11,572 posts)wnylib
(21,645 posts)If DOJ is investigating a bribery scheme for presidential pardons, Trump would be part of the investigation. How would Barr allow it? Unless the investigation focus is only on an attorney attempting to bribe Trump. Or trying to bribe someone in the Trump circle to influence Trump for pardons.
I can't imagine Trump turning down a money-making scam, though. So how is it that Barr's DOJ is investigating this?
Chemisse
(30,817 posts)I can't wait to read whatever book that comes out that explains all of this.
wnylib
(21,645 posts)cooled on Trump, though I'm not sure that he has. Barr is still a piece of scum who backed and protected Trump. If he's cooling now, it must be that he's getting pressure from somewhere or someone to do it.
BumRushDaShow
(129,608 posts)or "someones" who they planned to throw under the bus, because that is how they roll.
Chemisse
(30,817 posts)Maybe he saw that Trump was going to lose and is trying to salvage his career. It just seems odd after he did so many abhorrent acts on Trump's behalf.
Qutzupalotl
(14,334 posts)Rudy?
DeminPennswoods
(15,290 posts)this is referring to the attorney whose offices were raided. DoJ/FBI was allowed to see some of the filtered information because it did not relate to whatever criminal activity was the basis for the original search warrant. It didn't involve any attorney-client privlege of any clients of the "attorney-advocate". IOW, it was a potential crime that was uncovered by the original search, but unrelated to it.
Response to DeminPennswoods (Reply #42)
Qutzupalotl This message was self-deleted by its author.