On Tuesday, Politico reported that Attorney General William Barr has been cleared to participate in an investigation of a foreign firm in a case of alleged money laundering. The waiver could in turn “give him a window” into a probe in New York related to Trump’s inauguration.
The developer is called 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The waiver was handed down April 16th, national security reporter Natasha Bertrand first reported. The initial conflict of interest revolved around “the investigation and litigation of the 1MDB matter in which his former law firm represents an entity involved in the matter.”
Barr, as Politico notes, used to work for Kirkland & Ellis. That company's Senior partner Mark Filip now represents Goldman Sachs in the investigation into 1MDB.
There are multiple ongoing investigations into foreign entities illegally contributing to the Trump inaugural committee and shady characters linked to the inauguration and the Trump Victory Committee, devoted to Trump's re-election. Politico details the connections:
As part of a wider probe into potentially illegal donations made by foreign nationals to Trump’s inaugural committee in 2017, New York prosecutors are investigating whether Jho Low, a Malaysian fugitive accused of helping to steal around $4.5 billion from 1MDB, illegally donated $100,000 to the Trump Victory committee in December 2017.Low was indicted in the Eastern District of New York in October 2018 on money laundering and bribery charges.
The donation itself was made by U.S. citizen Larry Davis, the co-owner of Hawaii investment company LNS Capital, but investigators are scrutinizing whether transfers totaling $1.5 million that originated with Low earlier that year were funneled to the Trump Victory committee, according to the Wall Street Journal. Low has denied the allegations.
"Pursuant to the authority delegated under Section 3 of executive order 13770, I grant a waiver to William Barr, Attorney General, to U.S. Department of Justice, to participate in the investigation and litigation of the IMDB matter in which his former law firm represents and entity involved in the matter," the order read.
NEW: DOJ grants AG Bill Barr ethics waiver in investigation into if fugitive Malaysian financier in billion-dollar… https://t.co/a91RajnlKB— Anna Massoglia (@Anna Massoglia) 1556039761.0
Read the original Politico report here.
