The corruption surrounding President Donald Trump includes close allies lobbying the administration for foreign governments targeted by US sanctions, The New York Times reported Monday.
Two leaders of Trump’s legal defense were featured in an article. Rudy Giuliani as Trump’s defense attorney and Alan Dershowitz, who frequently defends the administration on cable news.
The story noted Giuliani attending an event atop Hay-Adams Hotel featuring a presentation by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s special envoy.
“The Congolese officials at the reception posed for photos with Mr. Giuliani, and afterward there was some confusion about his connection to the lobbying effort,” The Times noted. “Giuliani said he was not serving as an intermediary between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the administration.”
On Sunday, in text messages, Giuliani admitted negotiating a consulting deal in the Democratic Republican of Congo.
Giuliani said, “if I do it, it would only be security consulting” and not lobbying.
“Dershowitz also has a long history of representing clients in transnational legal matters, including sanctions,” The Times noted. “Dershowitz is advising Dan Gertler, an Israeli billionaire who was the target of sanctions by Washington last year for using his connections to [Joseph] Kabila, the Congolese president, to facilitate what the Treasury Department called opaque and corrupt mining and oil deals.'”
The two weren’t alone.
Former Trump campaign aide Bryan Lanza has lobbied to delay sanctions against Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
And former Trump campaign fundraiser Brian Ballard the Turkish-state-owned bank Halkbank.
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news outlets, we’ve decided to make our original content free. But we need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from billionaires and corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.
We need your support to deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click to donate by check.
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism — and we’re investing in investigative reporting as other publications give it the ax. Raw Story readers power David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we've expanded to keep watch in Washington. We’ve exposed billionaire tax evasion and uncovered White House efforts to poison our water. We’ve revealed financial scams that prey on veterans, and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. Unhinged from corporate overlords, we fight to ensure no one is forgotten.
We need your support to keep producing quality journalism and deepen our investigative reporting. Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a one-time contribution to Raw Story Investigates, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.
Report typos and corrections to:
[email protected].