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Prosecutors ramp up foreign lobbying probe in New York
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spinning off from the special counsel’s Russia probe, prosecutors are ramping up their investigation into foreign lobbying by two major Washington firms that did work for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, according to people familiar with the matter.
The investigation had been quiet for months since special counsel Robert Mueller referred it to authorities in Manhattan because it fell outside his mandate of determining whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia.
But in a flurry of new activity, Justice Department prosecutors in the last several weeks have begun interviewing witnesses and contacting lawyers to schedule additional questioning related to the Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs, the people familiar with the inquiry said. They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing work.
In New York, Mueller’s referral prompted a fresh look at the lobbying firms of Washington insiders Tony Podesta and Vin Weber, who have faced scrutiny for their decisions not to register as foreign agents for Ukrainian lobbying work directed by Manafort.
Podesta is a longtime Democratic operative whose brother, John Podesta, ran Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign; Weber is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota. Neither man has been charged with any crimes. Their firms have defended the decisions by saying they relied on the advice of outside attorneys.
FBI email chain may provide most damning evidence of FISA abuses yet
If ever there were grounds to investigate the investigators, these facts provide the justification. Director Comey and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein likely hold the answers, as do the still classified documents. It’s time all three be put under a public microscope.
Both firms have since registered under FARA. But in court papers filed alongside Manafort’s plea agreement, Mueller’s prosecutors suggested the firms were aware they were working on Ukraine’s behalf.
Prosecutors say employees of both companies “referred to the client in ways that made clear they knew it was Ukraine.” One Mercury employee said the nonprofit was the client “in name only,” likening the situation to “Alice in Wonderland.” A Podesta employee referred to the nonprofit’s certification that it wasn’t related to the Ukrainian political party as a “fig leaf on a fig leaf.”
originally posted by: [post]PokeyJoe[/post]
a reply to: [post]bknapple32[/post]
Are you serious right now? Because someone not associated with Q decides to make Q merch, Q is not legitimate? People make t-shirts about anything and everything. All this stuff is not officially sanctioned by Q, Q isn’t making anyone spend any money. I certainly haven’t spent a dime on anything, and I’m pretty confident most people here haven’t either. You are really grasping for straws here.
FBI email chain may provide most damning evidence of FISA abuses yet
originally posted by: tiredoflooking
a reply to: wanderingconfusion
originally posted by: wanderingconfusion
a reply to: tiredoflooking
Your yippee is contagious!
I got so excited I forgot to post the most important line in that article. Alice in Wonderland! What are the odds? Is this a hint that it is going down? Has Mueller been flipped? My next thoughts while reading was the CF. Then my mind wandered to the red shoes. I must admit I forgot all about the Weiner laptop. Great catch!
This came out right after Bush's funeral was over. Was he the firewall?
Yes - yes I love the sweet smell of karma especially in the "cold" winter months.