An international crime expert was floored by President Donald Trump's "quantum" trail of slush funds that he's set up during his second administration.
Jonathan Winer, a former State Department official who investigated international money laundering cases, said during a new episode of the "Court of History" podcast on Wednesday that Trump's slush funds appear quantum in nature because "you never know where [they're] going to end." He referred to the $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund," the U.S.-controlled fund in Qatar established to hold money from Venezuelan oil sales, the so-called Board of Peace, and the America 250 celebration, which is being organized with private donations, and Trump's ballroom.
On top of all that, Winer noted that Trump's Department of Justice just gave him immunity from tax cases as part of a settlement over a 2019 case involving the president's leaked tax returns. That settlement has been valued at roughly $100 million, according to public reports.
"It's really quite remarkable," Winer said.
Winer added that there are instances in which Trump used existing federal structures to create slush funds, even those not designed to operate that way.
The silver lining, according to Winer, is that there are documentable ways to find out what Trump has been up to. For instance, there will be shipping logs and bank records that correspond with the oil sales. There will also be ways for a future Congress to trace donations to the Board of Peace and other entities controlled by Trump, Winer said.
The problem future lawmakers may face is enforcing the laws against Trump if he can prove the money was connected to official activity, Winer added.
"Congress has absolute right to investigate it, but the problem is enforcement," he said. "There's no penalty at this point. There's no such thing as contempt of Congress for the president and, on this, no one can go after him criminally if he stole all the money in connection with official activity. So it's essentially impeachment and removal for him."