WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 19: U.S. President Donald Trump walks out of the White House before departing July 19, 2019 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to New Jersey to host a fundraising dinner and spend the weekend at his Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. (Photo: Getty)
The Justice Department is investigating a potential bribery scheme in exchange for a presidential pardon or commutation. No evidence or documentation directly ties President Donald Trump to the proposed deal.
The probe was made public on Tuesday after a federal judge unsealed court documents Tuesday.
The heavily redacted documents did not clearly show who was involved, but did outline the plot. A convict, imprisoned as early as this past summer, had worked with two other individuals to funnel money in the form of political donations in exchange for a pardon or commutation, though it is unclear where the money would have been headed.
A lawyer for the convict appears to have had conversations with the White House Counsel’s Office about the possible pardon or commutation, but it is unclear if the White House was aware of the scheme.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
Trump called the investigation “Fake News” on Twitter.
However, the investigation — per details made public — has not accused Trump or his team of being directly involved at all.
Lawyer and former acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration Chuck Rosenberg told NBC: “It could very well be that somebody in prison and perhaps a friend or lawyer on the outside thought of a plan to try and bribe a White House official to get a pardon. It doesn’t mean anyone at the White House accepted a bribe or did anything wrong. So you have to be careful about that.”
Concerns are rising for Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) following a chaotic meeting with Pennsylvania teachers'…
With weeks remaining before their self-imposed Memorial Day deadline, House Republicans are growing more divided…
The Federal Reserve decided on Wednesday to hold interest rates steady, at 4.25 percent to…
Former U.S. President Joe Biden continues to defend his decision to drop out of the…
Two years after Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) checked himself into a hospital to treat his…
https://youtu.be/-5rxJ1A4uHU Pro-Palestine protesters faced off with officers during a rally in a Columbia University library…