Ex-NSA Director Flynn lobbied for pro-Turkish firm post-election.
Wertheimer's Political Money Report
March 9, 2017
A NOTE FROM FRED
Democracy 21, joined by CREW and the Campaign Legal Center, called on the U.S Attorney for the Southern District in New York to take steps to prevent The Trump Organization from receiving any financial benefits from foreign governments that benefit President Trump and do not comply with the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. The Trump Organization is headquartered in the Southern District. There is a powerful record that President Trump is receiving benefits that do not comply with the Emoluments Clause. U.S Attorney Preet Bharara and the Southern District office are known for their fierce independence and their willingness to follow the truth wherever it leads. It is incumbent on Bharara to conduct an investigation of The Trump Organization and to take appropriate steps to prevent the organization from serving as a vehicle for President Donald Trump to receive benefits from foreign governments that violate the Emoluments Clause. Read more about the letter in a Washington Post article. 

Trump has quietly installed hundreds of officials, including lobbyists and far-right media members, in government jobs, says ProPublica. The list of 400 Trump administration hires "includes obscure campaign staffers, contributors to Breitbart and others who have embraced conspiracy theories, as well as dozens of Washington insiders who could be reasonably characterized as part of the “swamp” Trump pledged to drain." Read more 

U.S. candy-makers are lobbying the government and holding events at Trump's hotels, says the Washington Post. The National Confectioners Association is holding a gathering this week at Trump's resort near Miami and have booked two future meetings at the Trump Hotel in DC. "At the same time, the organization, representing candy titans Hershey, Mars and Jelly Belly, among other companies, is optimistic about scoring big, early policy wins from the Trump administration. Among the industry’s priorities: a long-sought rollback of government sugar subsidies that candy firms say drive up the costs of making their products." Read more

"Ivanka Trump’s landlord is a Chilean billionaire suing the U.S. government," says the Wall Street Journal. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are renting their DC home from a Chilean billionaire whose company is currently in a dispute with the U.S. government over a mine potentially worth billions of dollars. The home was bought for $5.5 million in November by Andrónico Luksic, whose family is the wealthiest in Chile. Read more 

Ex-NSA Director Flynn lobbied for pro-Turkish firm post-election, says POLITICO. On Election Day, Micheal Flynn wrote an op-ed calling for the U.S. to kick out an anti-Turkish government cleric. New documents reveal that Flynn's consulting firm was paid over $500,000 between Sept. 9 and Nov. 14 by Inovo BV, a Turkish-linked firm. Flynn also met with ministers of the Turkish government two months before the election. Read more 

Top government official overseeing Trump's DC hotel is leaving. Norman Dong, the head of public buildings at the GSA, is leaving the government soon. His agency has endured "increasing criticism from congressional Democrats for not addressing a potential lease violation and other concerns stemming from the president’s ownership of the project," says the Washington Post. Read more

"Trump screwed his own super PACs," said the Daily Beast. Pro-Trump political groups say that Trump's early announcement of his 2020 re-election campaign is forcing the groups to be more transparent with the FEC and is "weighing them down with paperwork and compliance costs." A lawyer for two such groups said, "President Trump is now a clearly identified federal candidate, and spending any funds to make public communications that could be deemed as being in support of him requires filing [with the FEC]." Read more 

FACT OF THE DAY

The FEC says L.L. Bean heiress Linda Bean exceeded contribution limits when she contributed to a pro-Trump PAC. The limit to Making America Great Again LLC was $5,000 per individual contribution, but Bean contributed $60,000. Read more 

IN THE STATES
DC: A local DC wine bar is suing Trump and his DC hotel. They are alleging that the president's ownership of the hotel constitutes unfair competition that damages their business. Read more 

NH: The state legislature is considering legislation that would allow counties to send police to residents' homes to verify the address they used to register to vote. Read more 

MO: A new non-profit linked to the Missouri governor is raising questions about dark money and ethics. Gov. Greitens' campaign treasurer launched the group that can accept unlimited contributions without disclosure requirements. Read more 


By: Fred Wertheimer (@FredWertheimer) & Kathryn Beard (@KathrynBeard)
 
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