On Friday, the latest members of Trump’s legal cast took center stage in his impeachment trial and for the most part delivered exactly what he always seems to want from his lawyers: not precise, learned legal arguments but public combat
A Million-Dollar Pardon Offer at the Trump Hotel Peter Stone
Updated on February 10, 2021 at 6:16 p.m. ET
Soon after the November election, a business colleague of Donald Trump’s close ally Corey Lewandowski offered a whistleblower and convicted ex-banker an expensive deal: In exchange for a $300,000 fee up front plus another $1 million if successful the two men would push the then-president for a pardon, according to the ex-banker and an associate who heard the pitch.
Brad Birkenfeld, whose exposure of tax-evasion schemes yielded billions of dollars for U.S. coffers, told me he received this offer in person from Lewandowski’s colleague Jason Osborne. In a later phone call with a second Birkenfeld associate, Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, upped the initial fee to $500,000 and boasted that he was meeting with Trump the next day to discuss pardons, Birkenfeld told me. Birkenfeld, who said he rejected both offers as “shakedowns,” tried other
A Million-Dollar Pardon Offer at the Trump Hotel Peter Stone
Updated on February 10, 2021 at 6:16 p.m. ET
Soon after the November election, a business colleague of Donald Trump’s close ally Corey Lewandowski offered a whistleblower and convicted ex-banker an expensive deal: In exchange for a $300,000 fee up front plus another $1 million if successful the two men would push the then-president for a pardon, according to the ex-banker and an associate who heard the pitch.
Brad Birkenfeld, whose exposure of tax-evasion schemes yielded billions of dollars for U.S. coffers, told me he received this offer in person from Lewandowski’s colleague Jason Osborne. In a later phone call with a second Birkenfeld associate, Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, upped the initial fee to $500,000 and boasted that he was meeting with Trump the next day to discuss pardons, Birkenfeld told me. Birkenfeld, who said he rejected both offers as “shakedowns,” tried other
Since President Trump likes alliterative nicknames, maybe the special counsel’s should be Methodical Mueller.
Unveiling the first batch of criminal allegations to come from probes into possible Russian influence in the American political system, Robert S. Mueller III proved Monday that he is not messing around. The former FBI director has played his cards carefully since his appointment in May. He’s clearly turning over every rock to see what crawls out from underneath. Unafraid to play hardball, he’s being strategic in showing his hand.
You surely know the news by now: Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, and his longtime business partner, Rick Gates, were charged in a 12-count indictment with conspiracy to launder money, making false statements and other charges in connection with their work advising a Russia-friendly political party in Ukraine.
Super Bowl and Impeachment Trial
Feb. 05, 2021 at 6:00 am
In two days, with an unexpected “Santa Monica surprise”, there will be the biggest sporting event in the world, the Super Bowl. Soccer fans would disagree citing the record 1.1 billion people who watched the 2018 World Cup Final, whereas the 2018 Super Bowl had a “measly” 103 million viewers.
And yet a 30-second commercial on Super Bowl LV costs $5.6 million or $186,666 per second. Since Donald Trump raised $250 million after the 2020 election on a lie the vote count was fraudulent, maybe he’ll spring for “Stop the Steal” Super Bowl commercials in time for Tuesday’s impeachment trial.