Intrater kukos

<p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp; &nbsp;</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">1 23 name came up on podcast chalupa</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">w/ olig</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">biz insider 1 23</font></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">gOP Rep. George Santos appears to have closer ties to Russian oligarchs than previously reported, according to an exclusive report from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/16/george-santos-andrew-intrater-columbus-nova/" target="blank" rel="noopener nofollow" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="40" data-uri="c5821cf6cc57db8dfabd63ffa1dff813" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-decoration-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-underline-offset: 2px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">The Washington Post</a>&nbsp;published Monday.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Russian businessman Andrew Intrater and his wife donated $5,800 to a campaign committee for Santos and gave thousands more in campaign contributions since 2020, the paper reported, citing federal election data —signaling a closer financial relationship to Russian money than he previously described when he ran for office.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Intrater is the cousin of businessman Viktor Vekselberg — one of the Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the US after the country's invasion of Ukraine last February — and Intrater's investment firm, Columbus Nova, also has ties to the billionaire.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The embattled New York congressman, who has come under scrutiny for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/george-santos-workhorse-who-has-lived-honest-life-2023-1" data-analytics-module="body_link" rel="" data-analytics-post-depth="60" data-uri="3bef36fff9a5b331fcf0a47ea4a5e543" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-decoration-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-underline-offset: 2px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">reportedly lying</a>&nbsp;about his multiple parts of biography, has said he "embellished" some of his background and signaled he will not step down. Still, there are growing calls from Democrats for him to resign and the lawmaker is facing a House ethics process.&nbsp; thePost also reported that Intrater also gave "hundreds of thousands" of dollars to Harbor City Capitol, an investment firm Santos worked for before running for Congress that was accused of running a Ponzi scheme, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/sec-charges-harbor-city-capital-ponzi-scheme-jonathan-maroney-fraud-2021-4-1030353550" data-analytics-module="body_link" rel="" data-analytics-post-depth="80" data-uri="e953422565c3a4bdb0b1333a4119a640" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-decoration-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-underline-offset: 2px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">a filing</a>&nbsp;from the Securities and Exchange Commission.&nbsp;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Santos also claimed that Columbus Nova was his "client" while working for Harbor City Capitol to find new investors in 2020, the paper reported. However, in video footage obtained by The Post, Santos stated to potential investors who asked about other investors in a construction project, "You might know who they are," suggesting Columbus Nova.&nbsp;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Intrater is also a known associate of former-Trump attorney Michael Cohen as well, Insider&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-phone-calls-texts-andrew-intrater-viktor-vekselberg-2019-5" data-analytics-module="body_link" rel="" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="6578f67a8f6a17aeac9ff54f94ccec24" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-decoration-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-underline-offset: 2px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">previously reported</a>. Intrater, who was cited in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, donated $250,000 to Trump's inaugural committee and Columbus Nova&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-cohen-payments-put-spotlight-on-new-york-investment-firm-linked-to-russian-billionaire/2018/05/20/8a5eb570-59df-11e8-8836-a4a123c359ab_story.html?utm_term=.c76440ae2332" rel=" nofollow" data-analytics-module="body_link" data-analytics-post-depth="100" data-uri="b33bf7511048a7943545f4bc81d95bc3" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-decoration-thickness: 1px; text-decoration-color: rgb(17, 17, 17); text-underline-offset: 2px; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s;">paid Cohen approximately $500,000</a>&nbsp;in consulting fees between January and August 2017.&nbsp;</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 2.15rem 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 32px; color: rgb(17, 17, 17); font-family: TiemposTextWeb, Georgia, Times, serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Representatives for Santos, Intrater and Columbus Nova did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.&nbsp;</p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><div class="TzHB6b cLjAic K7khPe LMRCfc" jsdata="PhoHd;;AZ91cs" data-hveid="CCQQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQubsFKAB6BAgkEAA" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; color: rgb(32, 33, 36); font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div jsname="xQjRM"><div class="sATSHe"><div jscontroller="SC7lYd" class="g Ww4FFb vt6azd tF2Cxc" lang="en" jsaction="QyLbLe:OMITjf;xd28Mb:A6j43c" data-hveid="CBQQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFSgAegQIFBAA" style="line-height: 1.58; width: 600px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; position: relative; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px;"><div class="kvH3mc BToiNc UK95Uc" data-sokoban-container="ih6Jnb_HoBo6d" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; justify-content: flex-start; position: relative; contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden;"><div class="Z26q7c UK95Uc jGGQ5e" data-header-feature="0" data-sokoban-feature="x5WNvb" style="contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden; flex: 0 0 auto;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.58;">
</div><div class="yuRUbf" style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="font-weight: 400; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.3; display: inline-block;"><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;" /><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-george-devolder-santos-got-cash-from-andrew-intrater-cousin-of-russian-oligarch-viktor-vekselberg&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBIQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">Russian Oligarch's Cousin Funneled Cash to N.Y. Politician</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 qLRx3b tjvcx" role="text" style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36); font-style: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://www.thedailybeast.com<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" role="text" style="color: rgb(95, 99, 104);">&nbsp;› republican-george-dev...</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 qLRx3b tjvcx" role="text" style="font-style: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" role="text" style="color: rgb(95, 99, 104);" /></cite></div><div class="rnBE4e" style="display: inline; margin-left: 20px; position: absolute; visibility: visible;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" data-bsextraheight="0" data-frm="true" data-isdesktop="true" data-movewtractions="true" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;AZ91ck cECq7c;;AZ91co" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQieYJegQIEhAE"><div role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="RvIhPd" class="XKprh" style="cursor: pointer; height: 20px; width: 15px; padding: 0px 15px; margin: 0px -15px; outline: 0px;"><div class="PkoSMe" aria-label="More options" role="button" tabindex="0" style="outline: 0px;"><span jsname="I3kE2c" class="S003Ke ZoN4Lb z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: currentcolor; height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; flex: 0 0 auto; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54);"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></div></div><span jsname="zOVa8" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQh-4GegQIEhAF" /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="Z26q7c UK95Uc" data-content-feature="1" data-sokoban-feature="nke7rc" style="contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden; flex: 0 0 auto;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc lEBKkf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(77, 81, 86); display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; overflow: hidden; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;"><span class="MUxGbd wuQ4Ob WZ8Tjf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(112, 117, 122);">Nov 30, 2022&nbsp;—&nbsp;</span>Andrew&nbsp;<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(95, 99, 104);">Intrater</span>, money manager to Russian Viktor Vekselberg, gave $56100 to committees tied to Rep.-elect George Devolder-Santos,&nbsp;...</div></div><div class="Z26q7c UK95Uc" data-sokoban-feature="bvRFlf" style="contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden; flex: 0 0 auto;"><div jscontroller="K6HGfd" id="eob_2" jsdata="fxg5tf;;AZ91cI" jsaction="rcuQ6b:npT2md" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQ2Z0BegQIDxAA" /></div></div></div><div class="TzHB6b cLjAic K7khPe" jsdata="PhoHd;;AZ91cs" data-hveid="CCUQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQubsFKAB6BAglEAA" style="font-size: 14px; margin: 30px 0px; color: rgb(32, 33, 36); font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div jsname="xQjRM"><div class="sATSHe"><div jscontroller="SC7lYd" class="g Ww4FFb vt6azd tF2Cxc" lang="en" jsaction="QyLbLe:OMITjf;xd28Mb:A6j43c" data-hveid="CBMQAA" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFSgAegQIExAA" style="line-height: 1.58; width: 600px; margin: 0px 0px 30px; position: relative; border: 0px; border-radius: 0px;"><div class="kvH3mc BToiNc UK95Uc" data-sokoban-container="ih6Jnb_DKpMBb" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; justify-content: flex-start; position: relative; contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden;"><div class="Z26q7c UK95Uc jGGQ5e" data-header-feature="0" data-sokoban-feature="x5WNvb" style="contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden; flex: 0 0 auto;"><div class="yuRUbf" style="font-size: small; line-height: 1.58;"><a href="https://sfi.usc.edu/get-involved/donor-spotlights/andrew-intrater" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBEQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://sfi.usc.edu/get-involved/donor-spotlights/andrew-intrater&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBEQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">
</a><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="font-weight: 400; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px; font-size: 20px; line-height: 1.3; display: inline-block;"><a href="https://sfi.usc.edu/get-involved/donor-spotlights/andrew-intrater" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBEQAQ" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://sfi.usc.edu/get-involved/donor-spotlights/andrew-intrater&ved=2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQFnoECBEQAQ" style="color: rgb(26, 13, 171); text-decoration-line: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); outline: 0px;">Andrew Intrater - USC Shoah Foundation |</a></h3><div class="TbwUpd NJjxre" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px;"><cite class="iUh30 qLRx3b tjvcx" role="text" style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36); font-style: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;">https://sfi.usc.edu<span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" role="text" style="color: rgb(95, 99, 104);">&nbsp;› get-involved › donor-spotlights › a...</span></cite></div><div class="B6fmyf" style="position: absolute; top: 0px; height: 0px; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap;"><div class="TbwUpd" style="display: inline-block; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-top: 1px; text-size-adjust: none;"><cite class="iUh30 qLRx3b tjvcx" role="text" style="font-style: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.3; padding-top: 1px;"><span class="dyjrff qzEoUe" role="text" style="color: rgb(95, 99, 104);" /></cite></div><div class="rnBE4e" style="display: inline; margin-left: 20px; position: absolute; visibility: visible;"><div jscontroller="exgaYe" data-bsextraheight="0" data-frm="true" data-isdesktop="true" data-movewtractions="true" jsdata="l7Bhpb;;AZ91cY cECq7c;;AZ91cc" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQieYJegQIERAE"><div role="button" tabindex="0" jsaction="RvIhPd" class="XKprh" style="cursor: pointer; height: 20px; width: 15px; padding: 0px 15px; margin: 0px -15px; outline: 0px;"><div class="PkoSMe" aria-label="More options" role="button" tabindex="0" style="outline: 0px;"><span jsname="I3kE2c" class="S003Ke ZoN4Lb z1asCe SaPW2b" style="display: inline-block; fill: currentcolor; height: 18px; line-height: 18px; position: relative; width: 18px; flex: 0 0 auto; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54);"><svg focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><path d="M12 8c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2s-.9-2-2-2-2 .9-2 2 .9 2 2 2zm0 2c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2zm0 6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2s.9 2 2 2 2-.9 2-2-.9-2-2-2z" /></svg></span></div></div><span jsname="zOVa8" data-ved="2ahUKEwiVs-DCj778AhXcK0QIHSQfDBYQh-4GegQIERAF" /></div></div></div></div></div><div class="Z26q7c UK95Uc" data-content-feature="1" data-sokoban-feature="nke7rc" style="contain: layout paint; overflow: hidden; flex: 0 0 auto;"><div class="VwiC3b yXK7lf MUxGbd yDYNvb lyLwlc lEBKkf" style="padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; color: rgb(77, 81, 86); display: -webkit-box; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; overflow: hidden; -webkit-line-clamp: 2;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(95, 99, 104);">Intrater</span>&nbsp;— whose company, Columbus Nova Technology Partners, invests in world-class information technology firms — emphasizes the importance of keeping memories&nbsp;...</div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="font-size: small; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div style="font-size: small;"><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Zach Everson</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Forbes Staff</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">I took an unusual route to get here. In a past life, I worked as a travel and food writer, which is how I got the assignment in 2016 to cover the grand opening of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., just a couple miles from my home. When Trump won the election and refused to divest his business, I stayed on the story, starting a newsletter called 1100 Pennsylvania (named after the hotel’s address) and contributed to&nbsp;<b>Vanity Fair, Politico and NBC News.&nbsp;</b>I’m still interested in Trump, but I’ve broadened my focus to follow the money connected to other politicians as well—both Republicans and Democrats.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">4,683 views&nbsp; |&nbsp; May 13, 2022</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Checks & Imbalances: Pro-Choice Billionaires, Abortion-Themed Ads</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">We continue looking at abortion’s impact on the midterm elections, as well as the latest district attorney who wants a crack at Donald Trump.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">3,674 views&nbsp; |&nbsp; May 10, 2022</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Checks & Imbalances:<b>&nbsp;Cawthorn</b>’s Check, Vela’s Whirl, Trump’s Cell</font></span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">We look at who just donated to Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C</span>.), the philosophy of Gordon Sondland and Donald Trump's latest reason to not comply with a subpoena.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">15,989 views&nbsp; |&nbsp; May 9, 2022</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Madison Cawthorn’s Campaign Gets Donation From Associate Of Sanctioned Russian Billionaire</font></b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The cousin and one-time asset manager for billionaire Viktor Vekselberg made his first-ever contribution to the controversial North Carolina Republican on Friday.</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">5,424 views&nbsp; |&nbsp; May 6, 2022..</font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div style=""><p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">chalk up one more controversy for Rep. Madison Cawthorn, the North Carolina Republican who seems enveloped in it. Cawthorn’s cash-strapped campaign for re-election received a donation Friday from the&nbsp;<b>cousin and business associate of a sanctioned Russian oligarch,&nbsp;</b>according to a report filed Sunday night with the Federal Election Commission.</font></p><div id="halfway_hardwall_2" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Andrew Intrater, a U.S. citizen who’s an asset manager for New York-based Sparrow Capital Holdings,&nbsp;<a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/218/202205089502710218/202205089502710218.pdf" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/218/202205089502710218/202205089502710218.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/218/202205089502710218/202205089502710218.pdf" aria-label="contributed $1,000 to Cawthorn’s campaign" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">contributed $1,000 to Cawthorn’s campaign</a>.</span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">&nbsp;Intrater’s cousin and, at least at one time,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/business/trump-donor-russia-sanctions.html" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/business/trump-donor-russia-sanctions.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/01/business/trump-donor-russia-sanctions.html" aria-label="biggest investor" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">biggest investor</a>&nbsp;is billionaire&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/viktor-vekselberg/?sh=63e6c39630b1" target="self" class="color-link" title="https://www.forbes.com/profile/viktor-vekselberg/?sh=63e6c39630b1" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/profile/viktor-vekselberg/?sh=63e6c39630b1" aria-label="Viktor Vekselberg" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">Viktor Vekselberg</a></span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">, who has been under U.S. sanctions since April 2018. Last month, Spanish police, with assistance from U.S. law enforcement,&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2022/04/04/spanish-police-and-fbi-seize-viktor-vekselbergs-superyacht-tango-in-mallorca/?sh=3a3771b34854" target="self" class="color-link" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2022/04/04/spanish-police-and-fbi-seize-viktor-vekselbergs-superyacht-tango-in-mallorca/?sh=3a3771b34854" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/giacomotognini/2022/04/04/spanish-police-and-fbi-seize-viktor-vekselbergs-superyacht-tango-in-mallorca/?sh=3a3771b34854" aria-label="seized Vekselberg’s superyacht" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102); text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer;">seized Vekselberg’s superyacht</a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;on the resort island of Mallorca.</span></b></font></p><div id="halfway_hardwall_3" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Friday made for interesting timing for Intrater, who has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Andrew+Intrater&max_date=12%2F31%2F2022" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Andrew+Intrater&max_date=12%2F31%2F2022" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Andrew+Intrater&max_date=12%2F31%2F2022" aria-label="donated $250,000 to Republican campaigns" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">donated $250,000 to Republican campaigns</a>&nbsp;since 2017.&nbsp;</b>Cawthorn, 26, has been through a tumultuous few months. Since the beginning of March, Cawthorn has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/27/a-timeline-of-madison-cawthorns-missteps-from-visiting-nazi-retreat-to-wild-orgy-claims/?sh=7a71625e7089" target="self" class="color-link" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/27/a-timeline-of-madison-cawthorns-missteps-from-visiting-nazi-retreat-to-wild-orgy-claims/?sh=7a71625e7089" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/27/a-timeline-of-madison-cawthorns-missteps-from-visiting-nazi-retreat-to-wild-orgy-claims/?sh=7a71625e7089" aria-label="been charged" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">been charged</a>&nbsp;with driving with a revoked license,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/politics/madison-cawthorn-volodymyr-zelensky-comments/index.html" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/politics/madison-cawthorn-volodymyr-zelensky-comments/index.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/politics/madison-cawthorn-volodymyr-zelensky-comments/index.html" aria-label="called" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">called</a>&nbsp;Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/28/politics/madison-cawthorn-orgy-invite-cocaine-claim/index.html" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/28/politics/madison-cawthorn-orgy-invite-cocaine-claim/index.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/28/politics/madison-cawthorn-orgy-invite-cocaine-claim/index.html" aria-label="claimed" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">claimed</a>&nbsp;he was invited to a “sexual get-together” with other politicians and witnessed some of them doing cocaine, been cited for having a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/madison-cawthorn-gun-airport.html" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/madison-cawthorn-gun-airport.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/us/politics/madison-cawthorn-gun-airport.html" aria-label="loaded gun" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">loaded gun</a>&nbsp;in his carry-on bag at the Charlotte airport and had a Republican Senator from his home state&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/27/crypto-probe-thom-tillis-urges-probe-of-madison-cawthorn-over-possible-insider-trading.html" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/27/crypto-probe-thom-tillis-urges-probe-of-madison-cawthorn-over-possible-insider-trading.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/27/crypto-probe-thom-tillis-urges-probe-of-madison-cawthorn-over-possible-insider-trading.html" aria-label="call on Congress" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">call on Congress</a>&nbsp;to investigate him for insider stock trading.</font></p><div id="halfway_hardwall_4" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Intrater’s check comes as Cawthorn’s campaign is underwater. Last week, it&nbsp;<a href="https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/312/202205059502670312/202205059502670312.pdf" target="blank" class="color-link" title="https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/312/202205059502670312/202205059502670312.pdf" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" data-ga-track="ExternalLink:https://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/312/202205059502670312/202205059502670312.pdf" aria-label="reported debts of $325,000" style="text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">reported debts of $325,000</a>&nbsp;with $138,000 of cash on hand.</b></font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Polls have shown Cawthorn’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/28/cawthorns-reelection-support-plummets-after-wave-of-controversy-gop-poll-finds/?sh=290a4df75995" target="self" class="color-link" title="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/28/cawthorns-reelection-support-plummets-after-wave-of-controversy-gop-poll-finds/?sh=290a4df75995" data-ga-track="InternalLink:https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/04/28/cawthorns-reelection-support-plummets-after-wave-of-controversy-gop-poll-finds/?sh=290a4df75995" aria-label="favorability rating and support declining" style="text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline: none; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; background-color: transparent;">favorability rating and support declining</a>&nbsp;among GOP primary voters in his district, but he still holds a double-digit lead over his closest rival. Voting ends May 17.</font></p><div class="article_paragraph_7" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem;"><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Intrater and a spokesperson for the Cawthorn campaign didn’t respond to inquiries.</font></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1.2rem; box-sizing: border-box;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[no doc]</font></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">lgally, things are looking incredibly bleak for President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort. On January 8, CNN and others reported that, according to special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, Manafort shared polling data with Russian operative Konstantin Kilimnik when they met in 2016. This is on top of all the federal tax evasion and bank fraud charges Manafort was convicted on August 22, 2018.<b> Yet despite his legal peril, Manafort’s family received a $1 million loan during the Summer of 2017—and Bloomberg News has reported that the loan came a few weeks after his home had been raided by the FBI.</b></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In a January 9 post on Twitter, journalist Jeff Grocott (known for his Bloomberg articles) wrote, “This is wacky. Paul Manafort’s family got a $1 million loan in his moment of legal peril—just after FBI raided his home in summer 2017. So who loaned the money?”</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Grocott has posted an entire Twitter thread about the loan, stressing that the identity of the lender remains a mystery.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The lender, Grocott explains, called itself Woodlawn LLC. It’s unclear exactly who Woodlawn LLC is, although the lender is connected to Hollywood producer Joey Rappa—whose name appears on a November 2018 filing that was made when Mueller moved to seize Manafort’s properties. In the filing, Rappa (who was a production associate on the 1996 film “The Nutty Professor”) is described as a “managing member” of the Nevada-based company that made the $1 million loan and is making a claim on the Manhattan condominium that Manafort’s family offered as collateral.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Bloomberg has reported that according to Rapp’s lawyer, he had nothing to do with making the loan. However, Rapp is, through his film work, linked to <b>Andrew Intrater—an American financier and cousin of Ukraine-born oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, </b>who Mueller’s team questioned in 2018 about his connection to Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Intrater, Bloomberg reports, has been working on a film with Rapp.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">According to California-based attorney Keith Berglund—who represents Woodland, LLC—Intrater had nothing to do with the loan either. Berglund told Bloomberg that Rappa agreed to be the public face of the loan because of the lender’s desire for secrecy.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On Twitter, Grocott posted, “But who’s behind Woodlawn? For four months, its ‘managing member,’ for legal purposes, was a guy named Joey Rappa. He’s worked in Hollywood and has had legal troubles over debt. Doesn’t look like his money.”</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Grocott also noted, “The money behind the Manafort loan isn’t Intrater’s, the lawyers say. Rappa’s appearance on the court docs, according to Woodlawn’s lawyer, is the result of ‘some extremely unfortunate and unforeseeable coincidences.’….. Now, Rappa’s name is back off the court documents. Whose money went to Manafort remains a mystery.”</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">ALEX HENDERSON</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">wapo</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">joey Rappa has spent decades on the fringes of Hollywood. He was a production associate on The Nutty Professor and an assistant to Keanu Reeves.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Recently he played an unlikely bit part - front man for a company seeking to collect the US $1 million (NZ $1.5m) it lent to the family of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rappa's name appeared in a November federal filing after Special Counsel Robert Mueller moved to seize several Manafort properties. He was identified as the "managing member'' of a Nevada company that had made the loan and is now making a claim against a Manhattan condominium that the Manaforts pledged as collateral.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Although that filing added Rappa to the cast of characters on the periphery of Mueller's investigation, it didn't address who actually funded the million-dollar lifeline to the Manaforts in August 2017, a few weeks after a federal raid on his home deepened his legal peril.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">READ MORE:</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">* Manafort lied after guilty plea, Mueller says, and should be sentenced immediately</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">* Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort guilty of 8 charges; mistrial declared on 10 others</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">* Manafort trial: Rick Gates forced to admit affair</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Those involved with the loan aren't saying. Rappa, with a history of alleged unpaid debts, doesn't appear to have that sort of money. In fact, he had nothing to do with making the loan, according to Rappa's lawyer and another representing the lender.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The lawyer for the lender said the loan's backers preferred to remain anonymous after news emerged of Manafort's indictment, given the "potential for public embarrassment." If the lenders thought that they were getting, in Rappa, a front man with no connections to anyone who'd intersected with Mueller, they were wrong. Through his movie work, Rappa is linked to someone whose name has turned up in the course of the special counsel's investigation: Andrew Intrater, an American financier who is the cousin of Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">
</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rappa's name appeared in a November federal filing after Special Counsel Robert Mueller, pictured, moved to seize several Manafort properties.&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">AP</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rappa's name appeared in a November federal filing after Special Counsel Robert Mueller, pictured, moved to seize several Manafort properties.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Intrater, who also produces movies, has been working on a film with Rappa for the past few years, and the pair took a production-related trip to Europe last month.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Intrater is perhaps better known as the CEO of Columbus Nova, a New York-based investment firm that has managed money for Vekselberg's Renova Group. Intrater attracted attention last year over his US$250,000 donation to Trump's inauguration and Columbus Nova's half-million-dollar payment for consulting services to a company set up by longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. Both Intrater and Vekselberg have been interviewed by Mueller's office. Neither has been accused of wrongdoing.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Intrater had nothing to do with the loan, and his link to Rappa is coincidental and unrelated to it, said<b> Keith Berglund, the California lawyer</b> who negotiated the loan and represents Woodlawn LLC, the Nevada-registered lender.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In a five-page letter to Bloomberg about the loan, Berglund wrote that in light of the lenders' desire for secrecy, Rappa agreed to be the public face of the loan. "He did not have a high public profile nor any known associations with anyone who was of interest to the special counsel," he wrote.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"Although I fully understand how subsequent events - and some extremely unfortunate and unforeseeable coincidences - have made the loan seem as though it might have something to do with politics and/or international affairs, it simply doesn't. None of us had met Paul Manafort, nor had we heard of Andrew Intrater prior to July of 2017,'' Berglund wrote. He added that he first heard Intrater's name when Bloomberg began inquiring about the loan.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"When you and your colleagues discovered the entirely coincidental apparent link between Mr. Rappa and Mr. Intrater," he wrote, "the pressure on Mr. Rappa increased exponentially."</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Concerned about "negative and misleading publicity," Rappa asked to be removed from Woodlawn, according to the lawyer, who did so in December. In hindsight, Rappa's involvement in the company amounted to a "highly unfortunate favour he did for me," Berglund wrote.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rappa, who turns 50 this month, didn't respond to several requests for comment. "I find it sad and deplorable that you feel the need to report on Joey Rappa, who had nothing to do with the loan to Paul Manafort,'' said an attorney representing him, Chris Clark of Latham & Watkins.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Intrater's company, Columbus Nova, said that "the first time Andy learned of any loan was when Bloomberg called asking about it."</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">"He has many friends and business associates and obviously is not aware of what they might do in their private, unrelated dealings. The only reason to use Andy's name in the article is to create a sensational, false inference that he is somehow associated with this loan even when you know that is factually untrue," Columbus Nova said in the statement.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman.&nbsp;</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">AP</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">When Manafort was charged - in late October 2017 - Mueller's office subpoenaed all records pertaining to the loan, Berglund said. The lender complied fully and has received no further inquiries, he added. A spokesman from Mueller's office declined to comment.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Now, Woodlawn is trying to get what it's owed as the government moves to seize Manafort's properties. Among the half dozen creditors with claims on his properties is Federal Savings Bank, which earlier made loans to Manafort or related entities at the urging of Chief Executive Officer Stephen Calk, a bank employee has testified.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Back in mid-2017, Manafort's legal troubles were deepening. After resigning from the Trump campaign a year before amid questions about his political consulting in Ukraine, he was being investigated by Mueller's office. FBI agents seized thousands of records from a Manafort storage locker in May 2017. Then, on July 26, the feds raided his home.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><b>A week later, Berglund registered Woodlawn in Nevada. Within days, according to court papers, Woodlawn lent US$1,025,000 - at a 7.25 per cent annual rate, due in full at year's end - to a company controlled by Manafort's wife.</b> Manafort guaranteed the loan, which was for "professional expenses," according to court records. A family condominium on Baxter Street in Manhattan, valued at US$4.7 million, was pledged against default.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">With a relatively high interest rate and a desirable property as collateral, the loan was smart business, Berglund said. It's not clear how the loan with the Manaforts came about. Citing client confidentiality, the lawyer said only that the lender or lenders are "US citizens and/or domestic entities.''</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The loan was negotiated before Manafort was accused of wrongdoing, Berglund wrote. When news of the FBI raid emerged, he and his clients decided to move ahead because they'd signed a letter of intent and liked the loan's fundamentals, he said.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The proposition soon soured. Payments were sporadic, according to court papers. Manafort was indicted in October 2017 and was convicted last year. As part of a subsequent guilty plea in a related case, he agreed to forfeit most of his family's properties.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On August 31, with the collateral backing the loan potentially at risk, Rappa was identified in Nevada records as the manager of Woodlawn. Rappa also turned up as the managing member of Woodlawn in a November 30 federal court filing in which the company claimed a "first priority security lien" on the Baxter Street condo. Berglund filed the document, with Rappa's signature at the end.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">In the amended court filing that ended Rappa's nearly four-month stint as managing member following inquiries from Bloomberg, Woodlawn said Rappa didn't have an interest in the company when the loan was made.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Rappa would seem to be an unlikely debt collector. He has been working in film and television since 1991, according to online movie database IMDB, including as an assistant to Reeves on A Walk in the Clouds and Chain Reaction. He was an executive producer in 2007 on Talk to Me with Don Cheadle, and two years later on Get Low with Robert Duvall and Bill Murray.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Over that period, he left behind liens and lawsuits over unpaid debts, according to public records. One of those debts coincided with the emergence of an unusual relationship with Berglund.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Berglund sued Rappa in January 2016 over US$85,000 in unpaid short-term loans on behalf of a client he'd represented in other matters, a California company run by a lender named William M. Bryan. Two months later, while that lawsuit was pending, Berglund set up a Nevada company with Rappa listed as the managing member. Bryan said he consented to the arrangement.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Nevada company, DT 16 LLC, appears to have paid for a now-defunct website that satirised then-candidate Donald Trump. During the 2016 election, the site, Dicktrump16.com, and a related Twitter feed facetiously suggested that Trump has a twin brother - Richard, portrayed as a penis - who also ran for president.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As for Rappa's debt, the suit was settled amicably, Berglund said.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">By then, Rappa had started working on a movie with Intrater. Filmed in Poland with Intrater as an executive producer, My Name is Sara is about a 13-year-old girl whose family is killed by the Nazis. It's expected to be in theatres in 2019.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">It wasn't his first film with Intrater and director Steven Oritt. Rappa is thanked in the closing credits of a 2014 Intrater-produced movie by Oritt, "American Native." Oritt said he's known Rappa for two decades and declined to respond to other emailed questions.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">On "My Name is Sara," Rappa was involved since before filming began, screenwriter David Himmelstein said. Rappa helped recruit Himmelstein to the project and was with Intrater and many others in Poland for the several days in October 2017 when Himmelstein says he was present for shooting there.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Intrater and Rappa worked together on the film and were in Poland together recently for post-production work, said Justyna Pawlak of Watchout Studio in Warsaw, which produced the film in Poland. They stayed at the same Warsaw hotel, according to an employee there.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">Berglund said he hadn't known the details of Rappa's film projects and associates when he put his name on the company documents.</font></p><p><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">As for extending the loan itself, presented again with the same proposition, the lenders would "probably make the same mistake," Berglund said. "Of course, we all now regret it."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" /></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">The Washington Post</font></font></font></font></font></p><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" /></font></font><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div>ggl 5 22</div><div>
</div><div>Hollywood bit player had curious walk-on role in Manafort loanhttps://www.stuff.co.nz › americas › donald-trumps-america</div><div>Jan 10, 2019 — Intrater is perhaps better known as the CEO of Columbus Nova, a New York-based investment firm that has managed money for Vekselberg's Renova ...</div><div>
</div><div>Paul Manafort's family got a $1 million loan in 2017, but the ...https://www.salon.com › ... › Alex Henderson's Articles</div><div>Jan 9, 2019 — Yet despite his legal peril, Manafort's family received a $1 ... “The money behind the Manafort loan isn't Intrater's, the lawyers say.</div><div>
</div><div>Hollywood Bit Player Had Curious Walk-On Role in Manafort ...https://www.bqprime.com › OnWeb</div><div>Jan 9, 2019 — Hollywood Bit Player Had Curious Walk-On Role in Manafort Loan. Intrater is perhaps better known as the CEO of Columbus Nova, ...</div><div>
</div><div>Hollywood Bit Player Had Curious Walk-On Role in Manafort ...https://www.bloomberg.com › news › articles › hollyw...</div><div>Jan 9, 2019 — Joey Rappa, lender's front man, did movie with Andrew Intrater · Neither is behind $1 million loan, lawyers say, but who is?</div><div>
</div><div>1 DOCUMENT REQUESTS Please produce the ... - Just Security&nbsp; https://www.justsecurity.org › andrewintrater-doc-...PDF</div><div>Andrew Intrater. 1. DOCUMENT REQUESTS. Please produce the documents set forth in Schedule A, provided, however, that in order to.</div><div>
</div><div>1 DOCUMENT REQUESTS Please produce the ... - Just Securityhttps://www.justsecurity.org › georgenader-doc-re...PDF</div><div>Donald Trump Jr., Natalia Veselnitskaya, Donald Trump, Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, ... Cohen and any of the following: Viktor Vekselberg, Andrew Intrater, ...</div><div>
</div><div>Analysis: 81 people and organizations looped into Trump ...https://www.mcall.com › opinion › mc-opi-trump-investig...</div><div>Mar 5, 2019 — Who he is: A pollster who had worked for Paul Manafort and who did work ... Why he's important: Intrater, as founder of a company linked to ...</div><div><a href="https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-trump-investigations-house-81-who-20190305-story.html">
</a></div><div><a href="https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-trump-investigations-house-81-who-20190305-story.html">https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-trump-investigations-house-81-who-20190305-story.html</a></div><div>
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</div><div>Manafort's Mystery Lender Steps Forward After Gaffe in Filing https://www.bloombergquint.com › Politics</div><div>Man Who Secretly Lent Paul Manafort $1 Million Has Finally Come Forward ... Andrew Intrater, only as he was being questioned by Bloomberg News in December.</div><div>
</div><div>How Putin's Oligarchs Got Inside the Trump Team | Timehttps://time.com › World › russia</div><div>Sep 20, 2018 — Moscow reached Paul Manafort at a crucial moment in the U.S. presidential ... thanks to his cousin Andrew Intrater, whose American firm, ...</div></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4"></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Analysis: 81 people and organizations looped into Trump ...https://www.mcall.com › opinion › mc-opi-trump-investig...</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Mar 5, 2019 — Who he is: A pollster who had worked for Paul Manafort and who did work ... Why he's important: Intrater, as founder of a company linked to ...</div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><a href="https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-trump-investigations-house-81-who-20190305-story.html">
</a></div><div style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large"><a href="https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-trump-investigations-house-81-who-20190305-story.html">https://www.mcall.com/opinion/mc-opi-trump-investigations-house-81-who-20190305-story.html</a></div></div><div style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="" /><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style=""><font face="Times New Roman" size="4" style="">
</font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">morn call</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">members of the House Judiciary Committee's Democratic caucus sent letters Monday requesting information from more than 80 people and organizations linked directly or tangentially to President Donald Trump, his administration, his campaign or the Russian effort to interfere with the 2016 election's results.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The list is exhaustive and contains any number of names that might not be familiar to people who aren't deeply immersed in the investigations into Trump and the campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Below, all 81 targets of the letters,</b> in alphabetical order, with explanations of who they are. Many of the documents requested from these individuals are both generic and sweeping, jumping off points for the specific reasons why each person was probably included. Those reasons are also identified below.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">(Highlighted individuals themselves received letters and are included in the list.)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rinat Akhmetshin at the Newseum in Washington in 2016 (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rinat Akhmetshin</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A former Soviet military intelligence official who now does lobbying work in the U.S.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: He joined his colleague Natalia Veselnitskaya, a lawyer linked to the Kremlin, at the June 9, 2016, meeting in Trump Tower predicated on providing information that would undermine Hillary Clinton's campaign. The focus of the meeting instead reportedly focused on the Magnitsky Act — a law that resulted in sanctions on numerous prominent Russians. The law was a focus of the lobbying work undertaken by Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Akhmetshin would be able to tell investigators about what happened in the meeting and how it came to be scheduled.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">American Media Inc. is the parent company of the National Enquirer (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">American Media Inc.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The parent company of the tabloid newspaper National Enquirer.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: AMI has admitted to having worked with Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen on a deal meant to cover up an alleged affair involving Trump. In August 2016, former Playboy model Karen McDougal sold the rights to any story involving her having a relationship with a married man to AMI. AMI never intended to run any such story.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">AMI CEO David Pecker later sought reimbursement from Cohen for the deal but was reportedly told by his attorneys that receiving such a payment would increase his exposure to criminal charges related to the payoff.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP/Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Julian Assange</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: The founder and head of WikiLeaks.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: An indictment obtained by special counsel Robert Mueller indicates that in June 2016, WikiLeaks reached out to the hackers who accessed the Democratic National Committee's network offering to host material. Assange would probably have information on those interactions and the eventual transfer of material stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He'd also be able to provide information about possible contacts with the Trump campaign or with people tangentially connected to the campaign, such as Ted Malloch.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Christopher Bancroft Burnham</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Burnham is the CEO of Cambridge Global Capital (not to be confused with Cambridge Analytica). He also served on Trump's transition team.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: In addition to possible questions about his service on the transition team, Burnham was recently named to the board of En+ Group, the parent company of Russian aluminum giant Rusal. En+ is controlled by an oligarch named Oleg Deripaska, who employed Paul Manafort and Rick Gates before they were senior figures in Trump's campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The U.S. government recently lifted sanctions against En+ that were imposed after the Russian interference effort in the 2016 campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Steve Bannon</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former campaign CEO and adviser to his administration.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Bannon could speak to a broad range of issues within the campaign and White House.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chairman of the Inaugural Committee and real estate investor Thomas J. Barrack Jr. (Anthony Behar / TNS)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tom Barrack</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Barrack is a longtime business partner of Trump's who also served as the head of Trump's inaugural committee.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: There is a number of questions regarding fundraising and spending during the inaugural period about which Barrack could presumably offer information. His long history with Trump might also be of interest. He's already been interviewed by Mueller's team.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
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</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert (Oliver Contreras / TNS)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tom Bossert</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former Homeland Security adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Bossert was K.T. McFarland's first point of contact after she'd spoken with Michael Flynn after one of Flynn's conversation with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016. During these conversations, Flynn and Kislyak discussed Russia not retaliating against sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama's administration. Bossert sent the email to other transition officials, including Bannon, Reince Priebus, who would be come White House chief of staff and Sean Spicer, who would become press secretary.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">After the inauguration, Bossert was present for a number of decisions in the White House, including some related to possible sanctions. He was also in an Oval Office meeting in May 2017 between Trump and two Russian officials during which Trump reportedly revealed classified information.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Matthew Calamari</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A longtime Trump Organization staffer who served as Trump's bodyguard before being promoted to chief operating officer.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: During his testimony before the House Oversight Committee last week, Michael Cohen identified Calamari as being able to verify that Trump had inflated his assets for insurance purposes. Presumably, Calamari could speak about other aspects of the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A Cambridge Analytica sign at the entrance of the building which houses its offices in central London (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP/Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Cambridge Analytica</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: A political data firm founded by Steve Bannon and conservative donor Robert Mercer. It closed in 2018.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The firm became a subject of international attention when it was revealed that it had exploited Facebook's terms of service to aggregate information on millions of people. The company used its data to develop profiles of voters that became central to its sales pitch.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Trump campaign hired Cambridge to help with its outreach efforts. Mueller's team has reportedly been investigating if there was data passed from the Trump campaign to Russian actors or vice versa. There have also been questions about possible outreach from Cambridge employees to WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Caputo</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A former Trump campaign staffer who had previously worked with both Paul Manafort and Roger Stone. During the 1990s, he worked in Russia.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Caputo has also been interviewed by Mueller about his work for the Trump campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer (Alex Brandon / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Cohen</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former personal attorney.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: As revealed during his testimony last week, Cohen has a wealth of information about the Trump campaign and the Trump Organization. Of the most immediate interest to investigators will be Cohen's involvement in a proposal to build a tower in Moscow, a project initiated by former Trump business partner Felix Sater.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">There's also the question of Cohen's role in the hush-money payments to Karen McDougal and adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, including the role of American Media Inc. and its CEO, David Pecker. He revealed last week that he'd been paid by the Trump Revocable Trust.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Columbus Nova</span></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">What it is: The U.S. affiliate of a Russian company called Renova Group, which is owned by the oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.</span></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</span></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Why it's important: Columbus Nova paid Michael Cohen $500,000 for consulting help during the beginning of Trump's presidency, and its CEO, Andrew Intrater, gave $250,000 to Trump's inaugural committee. There will be questions about what, if anything, those investments returned.</span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><b>Concord Management and Consulting</b></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: A Russian consulting company under sanction by the U.S. government.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: Concord and an affiliate company were identified in an indictment obtained by Mueller's team as having helped bankroll the alleged Russian effort to interfere with the 2016 election over social media.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mark Corallo</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A former spokesman for Trump's legal team.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Last year, it was reported that Corallo would tell Mueller about a conference call in which he participated. After Donald Trump Jr.'s initial explanation for the Trump Tower meeting — which he said was focused on adoption — Corallo reportedly was told by Trump's communications staffer Hope Hicks that the truth, as contained in emails sent by Trump Jr., would "never get out."</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jerome Corsi</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A conservative writer and conspiracy theorist associated with Roger Stone.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Corsi and Stone exchanged a number of messages over 2016. Shortly after WikiLeaks began releasing material stolen from the DNC, Stone emailed Corsi (apparently at the behest of an official with the Trump campaign) to see whether he could figure out what else WikiLeaks had. Corsi passed the request on to Ted Malloch, later telling Stone that two more drops were expected, one in August and one in October.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">How Corsi might have known this and what he was told by Malloch are unclear.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Corsi also says in a book that Stone asked him to tell WikiLeaks to drop material stolen from Podesta to distract from the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape Oct. 7, 2016 — a release that occurred on that day.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Randy Credico</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A New-York-based radio host and associate of Roger Stone.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Like Corsi, Credico had interactions with Stone related to the WikiLeaks releases. After having interviewed Julian Assange, Credico exchanged texts with Stone about what might be expected. As the Oct. 7 release approached, Corsi appears to have indicated to Stone in text messages when there were expected delays.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Keith Davidson</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: An attorney who represented both Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal as they reached hush-money agreements with American Media Inc. and Michael Cohen.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: He can provide more details about the genesis of those agreements, including the extent to which the Trump campaign was involved and whether Cohen identified that the goal was to influence the election. That point is central to the determination of criminal liability.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In a tweet, Davidson expressed his willingness to assist the probe.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sheri Dillon</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who she is: A former attorney for Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why she's important: Dillon and Stefan Passantino, at one point Trump's deputy counsel in charge of ethics, have been accused by Democrats of making false statements to the Office of Government Ethics. After it was revealed that Trump had been reimbursing Michael Cohen for the hush-money payment to Daniels, questions arose about his having failed to report the debt on his financial disclosure documents.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dillon's role was raised during Cohen's testimony last week.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Annie Donaldson</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who she is: Former chief of staff to former White House counsel Donald McGahn.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why she's important: Donaldson joined the White House in early March 2017 and would probably have been involved in or known about key moments affecting the counsel's office, like the timeline of the firing of Michael Flynn or the push to fire former FBI director James Comey. She was also asked for any documents related to Trump's subsequent efforts to fire Mueller — efforts that reportedly had McGahn considering his resignation.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Paul Erickson, a political operative, in 2003 (Lloyd Cunningham / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Paul Erickson</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A conservative political operative.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Erickson had a close relationship with Maria Butina, a Russian who last December pleaded guilty to conspiracy to act as an agent of the Russian government. Butina and another Russian, Alexander Torshin, allegedly sought to build relationships with Republican officials by leveraging the National Rifle Association. Torshin at one point sought a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. The two met briefly at an NRA event in late May 2016.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tony Fabrizio</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A pollster who had worked for Paul Manafort and who did work for the Trump campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Fabrizio's polling appears to have ended up in the hands of Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian believed to be linked to Russian intelligence who'd worked with Manafort in the past. At an Aug. 2, 2016, meeting in which he was accompanied by Rick Gates, Manafort is believed to have given polling apparently conducted by Fabrizio to Kilimnik, who then reportedly passed it to two Russian oligarchs.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Fabrizio could offer more information about what the polling showed.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Federal Bureau of Investigation</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The FBI was asked for information on a wide range of information including Michael Flynn, the Comey firing and possible information about contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian individuals.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn (Carolyn Kaster / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Flynn</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: An early Trump supporter, Flynn briefly served as Trump's national security adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Flynn could speak to a range of issues. Those include a December 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in which Flynn and Jared Kushner allegedly sought to establish a communications back-channel with Russia. He could also speak to his conversations with Kislyak later that month related to upcoming sanctions on Russia — the issue for which he eventually lost his position with the White House after it became publicly obvious that his story about the conversation differed from Vice President Mike Pence's. That it took so long to fire Flynn appears to be something of interest to investigators.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Flynn also met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2015 at an event in Moscow. After leaving the White House, he attracted negative attention for his work lobbying for Turkey through his company Flynn Intel Group. Part of that work also apparently involved advocating for a deal aimed at bringing nuclear power plants to Saudi Arabia. A whistleblower alleged that Flynn texted about the proposed deal moving forward during Trump's inauguration.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Flynn Intel Group</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: Michael Flynn's consulting firm.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: See above.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Michael Flynn Jr.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Michael Flynn's son.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Flynn Jr. has been an outspoken defender of his father. The document request sent to Flynn Jr. covers a broad range of possible communications — including any discussion of possible pardons from Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Frontier Services Group</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: A company created and led by Blackwater founder Erik Prince.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: It's not immediately clear. Last May, The Washington Post reported on questions about Frontier's work, though it doesn't seem to be related to Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alan Garten</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Chief legal officer to the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: The focus of the document requests for Garten is on payments from foreign companies to Trump Organization businesses. (There are limits on money that the president can receive from foreign entities.) Garten can also inform investigators about the proposed development of a tower in Moscow that was under discussion during the campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rick Gates, former deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump (Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rick Gates</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former deputy campaign chairman and a member of the Trump Inaugural Committee. Before that, Gates worked closely with Paul Manafort.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Gates, who's cooperating with the Mueller probe, can answer a range of questions about subjects of interest to investigators, including possible Russian contacts. He's also reported to have asked inaugural donors to pay vendors directly, sidestepping reporting requirements.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">General Services Administration</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: An agency that serves as an office manager for the federal government.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The GSA holds the lease for the building on Pennsylvania Avenue that's now operated as a hotel by the Trump Organization. As such, it can provide information about the development of that lease, information offered by the Trump Organization as the lease was under discussion and, possibly, data on foreigners' use of the Trump hotel property.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Publicist Rob Goldstone in 2013 (Irina Bujor / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rob Goldstone</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A music promoter who represents a Russian singer named Emin Agalarov.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Goldstone was the person who first proposed a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-linked attorney who allegedly had information that could damage Hillary Clinton's campaign. He pitched the meeting and helped facilitate the date and time on which it would occur in early June 2016. He ended up attending, along with Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and Rinat Akhmetshin.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">J.D. Gordon</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A Trump campaign staffer.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Gordon helped lead Trump's foreign policy advisory team, two members of which - George Papadopoulos and Carter Page - had demonstrated connections to Russian actors during the campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Gordon was involved in discussions before the Republican convention in 2016 in which the party's position on Ukraine was changed in a way viewed as favorable to Russia. He was also close with Maria Butina, whom he invited to his birthday party shortly before the election.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rhona Graff</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who she is: Trump's longtime assistant and scheduler.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why she's important: Graff could provide information on a number of meetings and discussions in which Trump was involved during the 2016 campaign. (Trump generally worked from his Trump Organization office while running for president.)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">She was also identified by Michael Cohen as being likely to have important information on his conversations with Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hope Hicks</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who she is: A former Trump campaign and White House communications official.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why she's important: Hicks was close to many decisions made by Trump in 2016 and 2017. That includes the conversation in which Mark Corallo suggests that she said emails from Donald Trump Jr. contradicted his statement about the Trump Tower meeting never being public.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Hicks was also asked for any documents related to Michael Flynn's firing.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Dylan Howard</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: The former editor in chief for the National Enquirer.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Howard was identified in documents related to Michael Cohen's plea agreement as having participated in conversations related to the hush-money agreements Cohen later brokered. Those documents also indicate that both Howard and his boss David Pecker personally informed Cohen about the stories being pitched by McDougal and Daniels.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Howard can speak not only to the genesis of those agreements but also to the extent to which they focused on the 2016 presidential campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Presidential Inaugural Committee</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The nonprofit entity that raised money for and organized Trump's inauguration.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The committee has come under fire for its fundraising and spending. Committee documents could shed light on how money was raised, what was promised and details on where money was spent.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Andrew Intrater</span></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Who he is: The founder of Columbus Nova.</span></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">
</span></div><div style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Why he's important: Intrater, as founder of a company linked to<b> oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, met with Michael Cohen </b>shortly before the 2016 election. The company later signed a contract with Cohen that paid him <b>$500,000. Intrater himself gave $250,000 to the inaugural committee.</b></span></div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Department of Justice</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: As with the FBI, investigators seek a wide range of documents on a number of issues.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Brittany Kaiser</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who she is: A former executive at Cambridge Analytica.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why she's important: Kaiser was director of business development for the company and has been asked for information related to possible contacts with Russia or with WikiLeaks.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Irakly Kaveladze</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: The U.S. representative of the Crocus Group, the company owned by Aras Agalarov.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Kaveladze also attended the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting organized by Rob Goldstone on behalf of Agalarov's son Emin Agalarov. He, like Rinat Akhmetshin and Goldstone, could discuss the content of the meeting but, as a representative of Crocus Group, might also have more information about how Agalarov came to want to organize the meeting in the first place.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Senior advisor Jared Kushner (Olivier Douliery / TNS)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jared Kushner</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: As with Steve Bannon, the documents requested from Kushner cover a broad range of activity - as does the information he might be able to provide investigators.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kushner Cos.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The private company founded by Jared Kushner's father Charles which Jared took over in 2005.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: There have been several deals involving Kushner Cos. properties that have raised eyebrows, including a Deutsche Bank loan that came just before Election Day and links between a company that bailed out a struggling Kushner property last year and the government of Qatar.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Corey Lewandowski</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's original campaign manager.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Present for the first year of Trump's campaign, Lewandowski would have been privy to many of the early decision-making processes that occurred. Investigators are seeking a similarly sweeping set of documents from Lewandowski as they are Steve Bannon.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ronald Lieberman</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Vice president of management and development at the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Lieberman was identified by Michael Cohen during his testimony last week as being aware that Trump inflated his assets when providing information to an insurance company.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ted Malloch</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A conservative writer based in the U.K.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Malloch has said he was an informal adviser to the Trump campaign in 2016. More importantly, he's believed to have some connection to WikiLeaks. When Roger Stone asked Jerome Corsi to find out more information about WikiLeaks' upcoming document releases in July 2016, Corsi passed the request on to Malloch. Corsi later gave Stone information about additional releases.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jason Maloni</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Paul Manafort's spokesman.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Maloni, who testified before Mueller's grand jury, was asked for a number of documents, including any related to a possible pardon for Manafort. The question of whether Manafort was expecting a pardon has become salient after the revelation that Manafort lied to Mueller's investigators.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman (Andrew Harnik / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Paul Manafort</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Former campaign chairman for the 2016 Trump campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Manafort not only led the campaign but his vast history of work for Russia-connected individuals and the various questionable actions he undertook while working for the campaign — including extending an offer for a private campaign briefing to oligarch Oleg Deripaska — make him an important potential witness.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Manafort, if he chose to cooperate, could offer more information about the Trump Tower meeting, about the sharing of polling with Konstantin Kilimnik and about Trump's approach to or awareness of Russian interference efforts.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kathleen Troia "K.T." McFarland, Deputy National Security Advisor Designate (CHRIS KLEPONIS / AFP/Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">K.T. McFarland</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who she is: Former deputy national security adviser under Michael Flynn.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why she's important: Flynn and McFarland worked together closely after he was named national security adviser-designate by Trump in November 2016.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The next month, Flynn called McFarland after speaking with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. McFarland, in turn, sent an email about the call to Tom Bossert.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"If there is a tit-for-tat escalation Trump will have difficulty improving relations with Russia," the email read, "which has just thrown U.S.A. election to him." It's not clear what she meant by that last phrase.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Former White House counsel Don McGahn (Jose Luis Magana / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Donald McGahn</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Former White House counsel.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: McGahn was involved in a number of key decisions in the first two years of the Trump White House, including Trump's reported efforts to oust Mueller, and the firings of Michael Flynn and James Comey.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">George Nader</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A businessman with ties to the United Arab Emirates.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Nader participated in a meeting in the Seychelles during the Trump transition period in which Erik Prince had a conversation with a Russian businessman, Kirill Dmitriev, who's believed to be close to Putin. That meeting is alleged to have been a possible effort to establish a private back-channel between Trump's team and Russia and was reportedly set up by the United Arab Emirates, for which Nader worked as an adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">National Rifle Association</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: There have been questions about the NRA's advocacy for Trump in 2016 for some time, focused on whether the organization accepted money from Russian interests that helped pay for its advertising.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The NRA denies the allegation. It's not clear what documents were requested.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alexander Nix</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Former CEO of Cambridge Analytica.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: In addition to the extant questions about Cambridge Analytica's role in the 2016 election, Nix admits to having reached out to WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign to offer to help Julian Assange's group release deleted emails from Hillary Clinton's private email server — documents that there's no evidence Assange or WikiLeaks had.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sam Nunberg</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Nunberg began working as a political adviser to Trump in 2014 before being fired in July 2015.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Nunberg had connections with a number of people central to the Trump campaign, most importantly Roger Stone. Mueller's team requested and received emails from Nunberg to a number of campaign officials on this list.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Carter Page (Pavel Golovkin / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Carter Page</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Page was first interviewed by the FBI in 2013 after a suspected Russian agent identified him as a target for recruitment. In July 2016, while working for the campaign, he traveled to Moscow, where he met with a former deputy prime minister who, he said in an email back to the campaign, had expressed support for Trump's candidacy.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The dossier of reports alleging collusion between the campaign and Russia written by former British intelligence official Christopher Steele alleged deeper ties between Page and Russian actors. In October 2016, after leaving the campaign, Page was the target of a surveillance warrant by the FBI.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Page, like J.D. Gordon, was asked to provide documents related to the change in the Republican platform.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos (Alex Wong / Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">George Papadopoulos</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Papadopoulos triggered the FBI's counterintelligence investigation when he told an Australian diplomat in May 2016 that he'd been informed that Russia had thousands of emails compromising Clinton. That information had been given to him by a Russia-linked professor based in the U.K.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Brad Parscale</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's 2016 campaign data chief and 2020 campaign manager.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Parscale, as one of the senior officials in the Trump campaign, was asked for a range of documents. Most central to the investigation, though, is the request for documents about "discussions or attempts to provide or receive election information, campaign data, or campaign communications with, to, or from foreign entities or individuals in connection with the 2016 U.S. Presidential primary or general elections."</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It's been reported that Mueller is looking at whether the campaign and Russian actors shared data. The question above gets to that directly. (Interestingly, Parscale wasn't asked for any documents about Cambridge Analytica specifically, though the section above may get at related questions.)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Stefan Passantino</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Former deputy White House counsel in charge of ethics.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Passantino and Sheri Dillon have been accused by Democrats of making false statements to the Office of Government Ethics. After it was revealed that Trump had been repaying Michael Cohen for the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels, questions arose about his having failed to report the debt on his financial disclosure documents.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">David Pecker, Chairman and CEO of American Media (Marion Curtis / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">David Pecker</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: CEO of American Media Inc.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Pecker was involved in discussions centered on the hush-money payment made to Karen McDougal in August 2016, a payment allegedly made in coordination with Michael Cohen and Trump. Pecker expected to be repaid by Trump, but he later rescinded that request, apparently after his attorneys suggested that it might further implicate him in campaign finance crimes.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A document filed as part of Cohen's plea agreement indicates that both Pecker and the National Enquirer's editor in chief, Dylan Howard, personally informed Cohen about the stories being pitched by McDougal and Daniels. That probably stemmed from a meeting in August 2015 in which Pecker told Cohen and another person - probably Trump - that AMI would help kill stories detrimental to Trump's candidacy.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Reince Priebus</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former White House chief of staff.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Priebus led Trump's staff during the period in which Michael Flynn and James Comey were fired. He was also part of the transition team and received the email from Tom Bossert about Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Erik Prince</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: The founder of Frontier Services Group and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Prince met with a Russian businessman, Kirill Dmitriev, who was believed to be close to Putin in the Seychelles in early 2017. The meeting was alleged to have been a possible effort to establish a back-channel with the Russian government, an allegation Prince denies. Prince says he was invited to the meeting by Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (ROSLAN RAHMAN / AFP/Getty Images)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: The crown prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan encouraged Erik Prince to meet with a connected Russian businessman shortly before the inauguration in 2017, but, a few weeks earlier, he had a secret meeting at Trump Tower with Jared Kushner, Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon. The Seychelles meeting involving Prince was allegedly intended to set up a back-channel with Russia - also the alleged goal of a Trump Tower meeting in early December 2016 involving Kushner, Flynn and the Russian ambassador.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The business entity created to distance Trump from the day-to-day workings of the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The trust was the source of payments reimbursing Michael Cohen for the hush money he paid Stormy Daniels shortly before the election. Documents related to those payments were requested from the trust, as were any documents that might suggest foreign payments to the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Anatoli Samochornov</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A translator who once contracted with the State Department.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Samochornov joined the Trump Tower meeting in June 2016, which was also attended by Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and Rinat Akhmetshin. He could potentially offer more information about that conversation.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Felix Sater</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A longtime business partner of Trump's who pitched Michael Cohen on the proposal for a development in Moscow.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Sater, who in the past has worked as an informant for the federal government, was integral to the Moscow proposal. He could provide investigators with information about the duration of conversations about the project as well as what he'd learned from both Cohen and Russian officials about how the proposal was progressing.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">For example, Cohen had a conversation with an assistant to Putin's spokesman on Jan. 20, 2016. The next day, Sater informed Cohen that he'd received a call from Putin's office. The content of that call isn't known.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sater also worked on the project with a former general in the Russian intelligence agency.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">SCL Group</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The parent company of Cambridge Analytica.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: As with the various former Cambridge staffers on this list - Alexander Nix, Julian David Wheatland and Brittany Kaiser — investigators are seeking information about possible data links to Russia.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">One noteworthy detail is the request from those individuals (and many others) for "any contacts, direct or indirect, from January 1, 2016 to the present between Paul Manafort and/or Rick Gates and any of the following individuals: Konstantin Kilimnik, Serhiy Lyovochkin, and/or Rinat Akhmetov." That's a reference to the polling information shared by Manafort with Kilimnik, which he passed on to the oligarchs Lyovochkin and Akhmetov (not to be confused with Rinat Akhmetshin).</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jay Sekulow (Steve Helber / AP)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jay Sekulow</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Attorney for President Donald Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Sekulow, like Donald McGahn, was asked for a broad range of information related to the Trump administration. He'd have access to a great deal of information about Trump and the presidency, but it's unlikely he would or could provide it.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jeff Sessions</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former attorney general.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Sessions could provide investigators with information about the firing of James Comey as well as Comey's descriptions of his interactions with Trump, which he indicates he often shared with Sessions. He could also corroborate reports that Trump sought to fire Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Among the other documents requested from Sessions were any that related to possible pardons for Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn or Michael Cohen.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Estate of Peter Smith</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The documents and material left behind by Peter Smith, a Republican activist.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The Wall Street Journal reported that Smith had undertaken an effort to dig up emails from Hillary Clinton's private email server that may have been stolen by hackers. (There's no evidence that they were.) In late 2015, he met with Michael Flynn, before Flynn began working for the Trump campaign, and claimed broader connections to the Trump campaign. He worked with a small team, including John Szobocsan.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Smith is believed to have committed suicide shortly after The Journal's first report about his efforts was made public, "weeks after telling friends that he believed he had finally obtained the missing emails, according to a person familiar with the matter." Part of Smith's effort involved asking experts such as Matt Tait to verify material he'd acquired.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sean Spicer (Olivier Douliery / Bloomberg)</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Sean Spicer</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's former press secretary.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Spicer's tenure at the White House overlapped with the firings of Michael Flynn and James Comey. In particular, though, Spicer's representations of the Flynn firing during a Feb. 14, 2017, press briefing seem to have captured investigators' interest.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Roger Stone</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A longtime aide to Trump.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Stone repeatedly alleged connections to WikiLeaks during the campaign. Last week, Michael Cohen testified that he was present for one of the first times Stone did so: an alleged call to Trump in early July predicting the imminent release of emails by WikiLeaks.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">It's not clear how he might have known this, but a campaign official soon asked Stone to see what else WikiLeaks had. Stone emailed Jerome Corsi, who passed on the request to Ted Malloch. After Randy Credico interviewed Julian Assange in August, Stone began texting with him and making public predictions about WikiLeaks' plans based on that information.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">He did have direct contact with WikiLeaks - focused on WikiLeaks's insistence that he stop saying that he'd spoken with them.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">John Szobocsan</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A partner of Peter Smith.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Szobocsan worked with Smith on his effort to uncover emails stolen from Clinton's private email server. He has been interviewed by Mueller's team multiple times.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Matt Tait</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A former British spy who was among the first to connect Russia to material stolen from the DNC.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Tait was contacted by Peter Smith and asked to help verify material that Smith had obtained which he believed might have been emails hacked from Clinton's private email server. When Tait suggested that the hackers who'd provided Smith with the material might be Russian - if it was authentic at all - he indicates that Smith didn't seem to care.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Tait spoke with both Smith and John Szobocsan by phone but never saw the allegedly hacked material.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Eric Trump</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's son and a senior campaign adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Eric Trump wasn't as centrally involved in many of the questionable issues as Donald Trump Jr., but investigators are still seeking a broad range of possible documents related to his awareness of issues included in this article.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The Trump campaign</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The campaign has been asked for a range of documents related to individuals on the list. Among them are any documents related to Michael Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels — a payment that he and federal prosecutors say was related to the campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Donald Trump Jr.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Trump's son and a senior campaign adviser.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Last March we outlined the various reasons it was strange that Trump Jr. hadn't yet talked to Mueller. The list is now longer: his involvement in the genesis of the Trump Tower meeting, his efforts to cover that meeting up, questions about his having told Trump about the meeting, his knowledge of the Trump Organization's business in Russia and his involvement in the Moscow project with Michael Cohen.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The documents requested by investigators cover nearly every subject in this document, presumably under the assumption that Trump Jr. and Trump would have had conversations about many of them.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Trump Foundation</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: Trump's defunct private charity.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: The charity for years was involved in questionable activity, as The Washington Post has documented.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Specifically, though, Trump is alleged to have used the charity to bolster his 2016 campaign. At one point, CFO Allen Weisselberg allegedly contacted Corey Lewandowski — Trump's then-campaign manager — to ask how charitable donations could be distributed to benefit the campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Trump Organization</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: Trump's private business.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: For a variety of reasons. Questions about Trump's past business relationships have swirled since he began running for office, questions that remain in part because of the president's refusal to release his tax returns. Among the documents sought by investigators are ones related to Michael Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels and the way in which he was repaid.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Trump Transition Team</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: The group of advisers who worked on ensuring that Trump was prepared to assume control of the government.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: Among other documents, investigators are seeking information about Michael Cohen's contract work during the period between the election and the inauguration. There have been questions raised about how Cohen might have tried to deliver for his consulting clients, which such documents might help answer.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Viktor Vekselberg</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: A Russian oligarch who runs the Renova Group.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: A subsidiary of Renova, Columbus Nova, hired Michael Cohen to act as a consultant for the first half of 2017. Vekselberg also attended Trump's inauguration — and was at the December 2015 dinner during which Michael Flynn met Putin.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Allen Weisselberg</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: CFO of the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: Weisselberg first popped up in the Russia investigation when it was revealed that he was providing information to federal investigators about the hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. During his testimony last week, Michael Cohen identified Weisselberg as a source of information about the specifics of those agreements.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">In fact, Cohen recommended that investigators talk to Weisselberg about a wide range of subjects. As CFO of the private Trump Organization, he could offer insight into a number of different areas. Included in the document requests was any information about foreign payments coming into the Trump Organization since Trump's inauguration, documents related to the proposed Moscow deal and information about any Russian money coming into the Trump Organization.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Weisselberg was also involved in the Trump Foundation, at one point allegedly contacting Corey Lewandowski - Trump's then-campaign manager - to ask how charitable donations could be distributed to benefit the campaign.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Julian David Wheatland</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Who he is: Cambridge Analytica's CEO until its dissolution and the chairman of SCL Group, the predecessor to Cambridge.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why he's important: As with Alexander Nix and Brittany Kaiser, Wheatland was asked for information about possible contacts with Russia or WikiLeaks.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The White House</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: Documents sought by investigators cover a broad range of the issues on this list.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">WikiLeaks</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">What it is: An organization that publishes material often obtained from government agencies.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Why it's important: WikiLeaks obtained material stolen from the Democratic National Committee in July 2016 and, at some point that same year, data stolen from Hillary Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta. The material is believed to have been stolen by hackers linked to Russian intelligence.</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div><div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">During the campaign, Roger Stone repeatedly claimed to have contact with WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange, which WikiLeaks denied. (Stone did seem to have information about upcoming releases that suggested some connection.) Late in the campaign, WikiLeaks also reached out to Donald Trump Jr. over Twitter, though nothing significant appears to have been shared.</div></div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></p><div><font face="Times New Roman" size="4">nyt
</font><div>
</div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">sept 21&nbsp;</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">wASHINGTON —<b>&nbsp;The team led by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, failed to do everything it could to determine what happened in the 2016 election, shying away from steps like subpoenaing President Trump and scrutinizing his finances out of fear he would fire them,</b>&nbsp;one of Mr. Mueller’s top lieutenants argued in the first insider account of the inquiry.</font></div><div><div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">“Had we used all available tools to uncover the truth, undeterred by the onslaught of the president’s unique powers to undermine our efforts?” wrote the former prosecutor, Andrew Weissmann, in a new book, adding, “I know the hard answer to that simple question: We could have done more.”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The team took elaborate steps to protect its files of evidence from the risk that the Justice Department might destroy them if Mr. Trump fired them</b>&nbsp;and worked to keep reporters and the public from learning what they were up to, Mr. Weissmann wrote in “Where Law Ends: Inside the Mueller Investigation,” which Random House will publish next week.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>While he speaks reverently of Mr. Mueller, he also says his boss’s diffidence made him ill-suited for aspects of shepherding the politically charged investigation. He saw Mr. Mueller and his deputy, Aaron M. Zebley, as overly cautious.</b></font></p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column" /></div><div class="css-8atqhb"><div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Weissmann also defended against accusations by the president and his allies that he and other investigators were politically biased “angry Democrats”; Mr. Weissmann said his personal views had no bearing on the crimes that Russian operatives and Trump aides committed.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">And he elevates particular details — for example, emphasizing that the&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/us/politics/michael-cohen-shell-company-payments.html" title="">same business account</a>&nbsp;that sent hush payments to an adult film star who alleged an extramarital affair with Mr. Trump had also received “payments linked to a Russian oligarch.</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">” The president has denied the affair; his former lawyer Michael D. Cohen controlled the account. Mr. Mueller transferred the Cohen matter to prosecutors in New Yor</span>k.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><span style="font-family: " times="Times" new="New" roman="Roman" font-size="font-size" large="large">Previously a mafia and Enron prosecutor and then a lawyer at the F.B.I. for Mr. Mueller, who was the bureau’s director for 12 years, Mr. Weissmann ran one of three major units for the special counsel’s office. His “Team M” prosecuted Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort for numerous financial crimes. The goal was to flip him and learn whatever he knew about any Trump campaign links to Russia.</span></p><div class="css-16l7vy9" data-testid="inline-message" aria-live="polite"><div class="css-1od6ynp"><div class="css-16858bh"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Mr. Manafort had worked for pro-Russian interests in Ukraine, and the investigation uncovered ties by his business partner<b>, Konstantin V. Kilimnik</b>, to Russian intelligence. The book builds toward investigators’ discovery that Mr. Manafort had shared internal campaign polling data with Mr. Kilimnik, who flew to the United States to meet with Mr. Manafort during the campaign, asking whether Mr. Trump would permit a peace plan for Russia to essentially take over all of eastern Ukraine.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">But while admitting this much, Mr. Manafort — seeing the dangle of a potential pardon from Mr. Trump — refused to cooperate further. Investigators did not obtain any final puzzle pieces and lacked the evidence to charge anyone in the campaign with a criminal conspiracy involving Russia’s covert electoral assistance.</font></p></div></div><div class="css-8atqhb"><div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">“It would seem to require significant audacity — or else, leverage — for another nation to even put such a request before a presidential candidate,” Mr. Weissmann wrote of Mr. Kilimnik’s request. “This made what we didn’t know, and still don’t know to this day, monumentally disconcerting: Namely, why would Trump ever agree to this? Why would Trump ever agree to this Russian proposal if the candidate were not getting something from Russia in return?”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Mr. Weissmann explained the significance of Mr. Manafort’s interactions with Mr. Kilimnik — also a major focus of&nbsp;<a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/18/us/politics/senate-intelligence-russian-interference-report.html" title="">a recent bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report</a>, which explicitly labeled Mr. Kilimnik a Russian intelligence agent — more clearly than the Mueller report did.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Mueller had strictly forbidden leaks, and the special counsel team took extraordinary care to protect the high-profile, high-stakes investigation, Mr. Weissmann wrote. They kept window blind slats tilted at an angle to keep out prying eyes, shutting out natural light. They concocted an “almost comically elaborate and surreal” plan to sneak in “through the many hidden arteries of the courthouse” to obtain a grand jury indictment without tipping off reporters.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And worried about the possibility that Mr. Trump would fire them and the Justice Department would then seal off or destroy their evidence, the Mueller team members packed their numerous applications to judges for search warrants with extensive, up-to-date details about their investigation — ensuring they backed up their work beyond the reach of the executive branch.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ty Cobb, a lawyer for Mr. Trump, also privately promised to be a “canary in the coal mine” and provide a heads up if Mr. Trump was going to fire the special counsel team, according to Mr. Weissmann. In an email, Mr. Cobb wrote that he “never made the commitment” described by Mr. Weissmann.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The investigation played out against the backdrop of regular vilification of the Mueller team by Mr. Trump and his allies like Fox News’s Sean Hannity — who turned out to be in regular contact with Mr. Manafort cooking up a “smear campaign” over text messages. Mr. Weissmann, a major target, wrote that such “ad hominem” insinuations of bias appealed to emotion rather than reason.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“I am a registered Democrat,” he wrote. “Does this make Paul&nbsp;<b>Manafort</b>&nbsp;or any of the other 32 people our office charged any less guilty? Did Russia not attack our democracy and disrupt our election with its self-described online information warfare operation? Which facts that we alleged in our various indictments — and to which many of those we indicted, including Manafort, would plead guilty — did our attackers believe were invented as a result of our alleged bias as ‘angry Democrats?’”</font></p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column" /></div><div class="css-8atqhb"><div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Trump’s allies have recently&nbsp;<a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mcenany-calls-out-press-mueller-phone-wiping" title="" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="blank">pointed with alarm</a>&nbsp;to documents showing that cellphones issued to Mr. Mueller’s team were erased during the investigation; Mr. Weissmann twice entered an incorrect passcode too often, triggering a security measure that erased his phone. In an interview, he portrayed the concerns as a “tempest in a teapot” and said his understanding was that all emails and other such data from phones were backed up. He called on the Justice Department to release information about the special counsel’s data backup system.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Weissmann also wrote that he is not “anti-Trump” but rather “pro the rule of law.” Still, the distinction is less than clear in a book that also portrays Mr. Trump as a liar and a dangerous demagogue trying “to peel the world around him away from the rule of law — away from reason itself — and mold it to accommodate his desire for unchecked power.”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Weissmann was equally scathing about Attorney General William P. Barr, calling him an enabler and likening&nbsp;<a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/mueller-report-barr-judge-walton.html" title="">his misleading letter</a>&nbsp;last spring&nbsp;<a class="css-1g7m0tk" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/19/us/politics/mueller-report-william-barr-excerpts.html" title="">about the then-still-secret Mueller report</a>&nbsp;as a betrayal and “gut punch.”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Weissmann also criticized colleagues, portraying the special counsel team as divided between aggressive investigators like him, the F.B.I. special agent Omer Meisel and the prosecutor Jeannie Rhee — who headed “Team R,” which investigated Russian issues other than those centered on Manafort — and far more risk-averse law enforcement officials like Mr. Zebley who pulled punches.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In one episode in 2017, the Mueller team issued subpoenas to Deutsche Bank for information about Mr. Manafort’s income in Ukraine. Deutsche Bank had also lent large sums to the Trump Organization, and the White House somehow found out about the still-secret subpoenas — though not their focus. The White House demanded to know what investigators were doing, and Mr. Mueller authorized Mr. Zebley to tell the White House that they had not been seeking Mr. Trump’s financial information.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“At that point, any financial investigation of Trump was put on hold,” Mr. Weissmann writes. “That is, we backed down — the issue was simply too incendiary; the risk, too severe.”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The book provides many other examples of concessions large and small. Investigators did not try to question Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka — who had spoken in the lobby to a delegation of Russians who came to Trump Tower in June 2016 to meet with campaign leaders who had been promised that they were offering dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government.</font></p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column" /></div><div class="css-8atqhb"><div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">They “feared that hauling her in for an interview would play badly to the already antagonistic right-wing press —&nbsp;<em class="css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0">look how they’re roughing up the president’s daughter&nbsp;</em>— and risk enraging Trump, provoking him to shut down the special counsel’s office once and for all,” he wrote.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Similarly, they did not subpoena the Trump Organization for emails about its efforts to develop a Trump-branded building in Moscow, which were active deep into the 2016 campaign.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">And they did not immunize Mr. Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr., a step that would have prevented him from being able to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying about matters like the Trump Tower meeting. Bound by grand-jury secrecy rules, Mr. Weissmann did not come out and say whether Donald Trump Jr. was threatened with or actually issued a subpoena and used his right against self-incrimination to repel it.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Weissmann laid much of the blame for what he saw as a pattern of timidity on Mr. Zebley, portraying him as a primary decision maker. “Repeatedly during our 22 months in operation, we would reach some critical juncture in our investigation only to have Aaron say that we could not take a particular action because it risked aggravating the president beyond some undefined breaking point.”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mr. Weissmann acknowledged, but did not clearly address, concerns that the aging Mr. Mueller had lost a step, both declaring that he was capable of making the tough decisions despite “speculative concerns” about his health but also describing him in one scene as looking drained and worn down by his years of grueling public service.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">While Mr. Zebley obtained Mr. Mueller’s sanction for many of his cautious directives, in one striking episode, Mr. Zebley appeared in Mr. Weissmann’s telling to have unilaterally agreed — without Mr. Mueller’s knowledge — to a request by the office of the deputy attorney general overseeing them, Rod J. Rosenstein, not to coordinate with state prosecutors “as it would undermine the president’s pardon power.”</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Two other former officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disputed the account. Mr. Rosenstein did not decline any request to share information with state prosecutors, a person familiar with his thinking wrote in an email.</font></p></div><aside class="css-ew4tgv" aria-label="companion column" /></div><div class="css-8atqhb"><div class="css-1fanzo5 StoryBodyCompanionColumn"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Another person familiar with how the special counsel’s office interacted with Mr. Rosenstein’s office denied that there had been any agreement about sharing evidence with or withholding it from state prosecutors, and said Mr. Zebley had consulted with Mr. Mueller on every material decision.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">On the failure to subpoena Mr. Trump, Mr. Mueller was determined to avoid “any public disagreements” with Mr. Rosenstein, Mr. Weissmann wrote. Because the special counsel regulations required telling Congress about any instance in which Mr. Rosenstein overruled him, Mr. Mueller never actually proposed subpoenaing Mr. Trump, instead coyly asking what Mr. Rosenstein’s reaction would be. Mr. Rosenstein just kept demurring.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In the end, Mr. Weissmann said in an interview, the caution was more justified early on to avoid provoking Mr. Trump into firing them before they could get going. But he and Ms. Rhee, among others, believed the office should have been willing to be more aggressive later on, after they had learned much of what Russia had done and had already used indictments to drag it into public view.</font></p><p class="css-158dogj evys1bk0"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">“We would have subpoenaed the president after he refused our accommodations, even if that risked us being fired,” he wrote. “It just didn’t sit right. We were left feeling like we had let down the American public, who were counting on us to give it our all.”</font></p></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">ref no lnx</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</div><div><b>Firm Tied to Russian Oligarch Made Payments to&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Michael Cohen</span></b></div><div>Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s lawyer and fixer. His shell company received payments from a firm linked to a Russian oligarch, as well as corporations with business before the Trump administration.</div><div>
</div><div>
</div><div>By Mike McIntire, Ben Protess and Jim Rutenberg</div><div>
</div><div>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;<b>May 8, 2018</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">A shell company that Michael D. Cohen used to pay hush money to a pornographic film actress received payments totaling more than $1 million from an American company linked to a Russian oligarch and several corporations with business before the Trump administration, according to documents and interviews.</span></div><div>
</div><div><b>Financial records reviewed by The New York Times show that Mr.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Cohen,&nbsp;</span>President Trump’s personal lawyer and longtime fixer, used the shell company, Essential Consultants L.L.C., for an array of business activities that went far beyond what was publicly known. Transactions adding up to at least $4.4 million flowed through Essential Consultants starting shortly before Mr. Trump was elected president and continuing to this January, the records show.</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Among the previously unreported transactions were payments last year of about $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm in New York whose biggest client is a company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, the Russian oligarch. A lawyer for Columbus Nova, in a statement on Tuesday, described the money as a consulting fee that had nothing to do with Mr. Vekselberg.</span></div><div>
</div><div>Other transactions described in the financial records include hundreds of thousands of dollars Mr. Cohen received from Fortune 500 companies with business before the Trump administration, as well as smaller amounts he paid for luxury expenses like a Mercedes-Benz and private club dues.</div><div>
</div><div><b>References to the transactions first appeared in a document posted to Twitter on Tuesday by Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for Stephanie Clifford, the adult film star who was paid $130,000 by Essential Consultants to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Mr. Trump.</b>&nbsp;The lawyer’s seven-page document, titled “Preliminary Report of Findings,” does not explain the source of his information but describes in detail dates, dollar amounts and parties involved in various dealings by Mr. Cohen and his company.&nbsp;<b>Most of the transactions involved two banks: First Republic Bank and City National Bank.</b></div><div>
</div><div><b>The Times’s review of financial records confirmed much of what was in Mr. Avenatti’s report. In addition, a review of documents and interviews shed additional light on Mr. Cohen’s dealings with the company connected to Mr. Vekselberg, who was stopped and questioned at an airport earlier this year by investigators for Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel examining Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.</b></div><div>
</div><div>[ImageViktor Vekselberg, left, the Russian oligarch, with Marat Khusnullin, deputy mayor of Moscow, before the inauguration ceremony of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia this week.]</div><div>
</div><div>Taken together, The Times’s findings and Mr. Avenatti’s report offer the most detailed picture yet on Mr. Cohen’s business dealings and financial entanglements in the run-up to the election and its aftermath. F<b>ederal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating Mr. Cohen for possible bank fraud and election-law violations, among other matters, according to people briefed on the investigation. Stephen Ryan, a lawyer representing Mr. Cohen, declined to comment.</b></div><div>
</div><div>Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels, is suing Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump to break her nondisclosure agreement related to the $130,000.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">It is unclear whether that or any of the other transactions were improper, but Mr. Avenatti has asserted that Mr. Cohen’s use of<b>&nbsp;Essential Consultants&nbsp;</b>potentially violated banking laws. The financial records indicate that at least some of the money that passed through Essential Consultants was from sources and in amounts that were inconsistent with the company’s stated purpose.</span></div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>Mr. Cohen also used the company to collect $250,000 after arranging payments in 2017 and 2018 by a major Republican donor, Elliott Broidy, to a former Playboy model he allegedly impregnated, according to news reports last month.</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Among the other payments to Mr. Cohen’s company described in the financial records were four for $99,980 each between October and January by Novartis Investments S.A.R.L., a subsidiary of&nbsp;<b>Novartis,</b>&nbsp;the multinational pharmaceutical giant based in Switzerland.&nbsp;<b>Novartis — whose chief executive was among 15 business leaders invited to dinner with Mr. Trump at the World Economic Forum in January — spent more than $10 million on lobbying in Washington last year and frequently seeks approvals from federal drug regulators</b>. Novartis said in a statement that its agreement with Essential Consultants had expired.</span></div><div>
</div><div>In addition,<b>&nbsp;Korea Aerospace Industries&nbsp;</b>paid Mr. Cohen’s company $150,000 last November, according to the records. The company, an aircraft manufacturer, has teamed with the American defense contractor Lockheed Martin in competing for a multibillion-dollar contract to provide trainer jets for the United States Air Force that is expected to be awarded this year. A representative for Korea Aerospace declined to comment.</div><div>
</div><div><b>How Michael Cohen Is Connected to a Russian Oligarch</b></div><div>
</div><div>Mr. Cohen, President Trump’s lawyer and longtime fixer, met with a Russian oligarch at Trump Tower to discuss Russia and was later paid by a company connected to him.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>AT&T&nbsp;</b>made four payments totaling $200,000 between October 2017 and January 2018, according to the documents. AT&T, whose proposed merger with Time Warner is pending before the Justice Department, issued a statement on Tuesday evening confirming that it made payments to Mr. Cohen’s firm.</span></div><div>
</div><div>“Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration,” the statement said. “They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017.”</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">The payments by Columbus Nova occurred between January and August of last year.</span><b style=""><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">Andrew Intrater, </span><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">the company’s American chief executive and Mr. Vekselberg’s cousin, donated $250,000 to Mr. Trump’s inauguration</span></b><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">, campaign finance records show. He and Mr. Vekselberg attended the event together and met with Mr. Cohen there, according to a person briefed on the matter. Columbus Nova retained him as a consultant soon afterward.</span></div><div>
</div><div>The consulting deal was worth $1 million and was supposed to last for a year, according to documents reviewed by The Times. But Columbus Nova decided to end the agreement midway through after it yielded a few investment ideas but no actual deals.</div><div>
</div><div>A person close to Mr. Intrater said that the executive had no idea Essential Consultants was used for the separate payment to Ms. Clifford, and that he hired a number of other consultants at the time for similar prices.</div><div>
</div><div>“Columbus Nova is an investment management company solely owned and controlled by Americans,” said Richard Owens, a lawyer for Mr. Intrater and Columbus Nova, adding that Mr. Vekselberg has never owned the firm. “After the inauguration, the firm hired Michael Cohen as a business consultant regarding potential sources of capital and potential investments in real estate and other ventures.</div><div>
</div><div><b>“Reports today that Viktor Vekselberg used Columbus Nova as a conduit for payments to Michael Cohen are false.</b> The claim that Viktor Vekselberg was involved in or provided any funding for Columbus Nova’s engagement of Michael Cohen is patently untrue,” Mr. Owens said. “<b>Neither Viktor Vekselberg nor anyone else outside of Columbus Nova was involved in the decision to hire Cohen or provided funding for his engagement.”</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">A lawyer for Mr. Vekselberg did not respond to a request for comment.</span></div><div>
</div><div><b>In addition to questioning Mr. Vekselberg, Mr. Mueller’s investigators have also interviewed Mr. Intrater, though there is no indication that either man is suspected of wrongdoing, T</b>he Times reported last week.</div><div><b>
</b></div><div><b>The person close to Mr. Intrater said that he was encouraged to attend the inauguration by an American friend, unrelated to Mr. Cohen, and that he had wanted to use the trip as an opportunity to meet with business associates in Washington.</b></div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">Mr. Vekselberg has invested in Columbus Nova’s private equity funds through his sprawling Russian-based conglomerate, the <b>Renova Group</b>, which operates in the energy sector and elsewhere. Mr. Vekselberg was one of seven Kremlin-linked oligarchs hit with sanctions in April by the Trump administration, which also imposed the penalties on the Renova Group.</span></div><div>
</div><div><b>Renova has had a financial relationship with VTB, one of the largest state-owned banks in Russia,</b>&nbsp;according to documents that were part of the “Panama Papers” leak of files from an offshore law firm. The documents show that Mr. Vekselberg’s companies received at least $350 million in loans or investments from VTB and a subsidiary, VTB Capital. The current state of the debt is unclear, though one document suggests it was discharged in 2010.</div><div>
</div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Mr. Cohen created Essential Consultants in&nbsp;<b>Delaware</b>&nbsp;less than two weeks before he completed his deal with Ms. Clifford, who is now contesting her contract with Mr. Cohen as invalid.</span>&nbsp;Mr. Cohen initially said he paid her out of his own pocket by way of a home equity line of credit.</div><div>
</div><div><b>But last week, former Mayor Rudolph W.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Giuliani&nbsp;</span>of New York said that Mr. Trump had reimbursed Mr. Cohen through several $35,000 monthly transactions that amounted to more than $400,000 —<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;covering the payment to Ms. Clifford and, he said, other “incidental expenses.”</span></b></div><div>
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</div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">=</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">AN</font></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></div><div><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Legally, things are looking incredibly bleak for President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort. On January 8, CNN and others reported that, according to special counsel Robert Mueller’s office, Manafort&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/09/politics/paul-manafort-donald-trump-robert-mueller/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 191, 165); transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><span class="s2" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">shared polling data</span></a>&nbsp;with Russian operative Konstantin Kilimnik when they met in 2016. This is on top of all the federal tax evasion and bank fraud charges Manafort was convicted on August 22, 2018. Yet despite his legal peril, Manafort’s family received a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-09/hollywood-bit-player-had-curious-walk-on-role-in-manafort-loan" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 191, 165); transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><span class="s2" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">$1 million loan</span></a>&nbsp;during the Summer of 2017—and Bloomberg News has reported that the loan came a few weeks after his home had been raided by the FBI.</span></p><div class="p0_8" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/JeffGrocottNYC/status/1083029082219167744" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 191, 165); transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><span class="s2" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">January 9 post</span></a>&nbsp;on Twitter, journalist Jeff Grocott (known for his Bloomberg articles) wrote, “This is wacky. Paul Manafort’s family got a $1 million loan in his moment of legal peril—just after FBI raided his home in summer 2017. So who loaned the money?”</span></p><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Grocott has posted an entire Twitter thread about the loan, stressing that the identity of the lender remains a mystery.</span></p><div class="p2_8" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The lender, Grocott explains, called itself Woodlawn LLC. It’s unclear exactly who Woodlawn LLC is, although the lender is connected to Hollywood producer Joey Rappa—whose name appears on a November 2018 filing that was made when Mueller moved to seize Manafort’s properties. In the filing, Rappa (who was a production associate on the 1996 film “The Nutty Professor”) is described as a “managing member” of the Nevada-based company that made the $1 million loan and is making a claim on the Manhattan condominium that Manafort’s family offered as collateral.</span></p><div class="p3_8" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Bloomberg has reported that according to Rapp’s lawyer, he had nothing to do with making the loan. However, Rapp is, through his film work, linked to Andrew&nbsp;<b>Intrater—an American financier and cousin of Ukraine-born oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, who Mueller’s team&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alternet.org/2018/12/russian-oligarch-reportedly-bragged-his-us-influence-after-trumps-election-and-he/" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; color: rgb(0, 191, 165); transition: color 0.3s ease 0s; cursor: pointer;"><span class="s2" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">questioned in 2018</span></a>&nbsp;about his connection to Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen</b>. Intrater, Bloomberg reports, has been working on a film with Rapp.</span></p><div class="p4_8" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div class="teadsNative" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">According to California-based attorney Keith Berglund—who represents Woodland, LLC—Intrater had nothing to do with the loan either. Berglund told Bloomberg that Rappa agreed to be the public face of the loan because of the lender’s desire for secrecy.</span></p><div class="p5_8" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">On Twitter, Grocott posted, “But who’s behind Woodlawn? For four months, its ‘managing member,’ for legal purposes, was a guy named Joey Rappa. He’s worked in Hollywood and has had legal troubles over debt. Doesn’t look like his money.”</span></p><div class="p6_8" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; font-size: 17px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><p class="p1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px 0px 17px; padding: 0px; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.8; color: rgb(49, 49, 49); font-family: Cabin, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Grocott also noted, “The money behind the Manafort loan isn’t Intrater’s, the lawyers say. Rappa’s appearance on the court docs, according to Woodlawn’s lawyer, is the result of ‘some extremely unfortunate and unforeseeable coincidences.’…..</span>&nbsp;<span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Now, Rappa’s name is back off the court documents. Whose money went to Manafort remains a mystery.”</span></p></div><div><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></div><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;Trump has an interesting relationship with Russia, to say the least. He’s&nbsp;praised Vladimir Putin. His&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/us/politics/paul-manafort-ukraine-donald-trump.html?r=0" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">former campaign chairman</a>, Paul Manafort,&nbsp;had business dealings with pro-Russia leaders in Ukraine.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-s-intel-officials-probe-ties-between-trump-adviser-and-kremlin-175046002.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">U.S. intelligence officials are investigating</a>&nbsp;whether one of Trump’s foreign policy advisers met with senior Russia officials to discuss lifting economic sanctions in the event of a Trump presidency.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Here’s another tie:&nbsp;Simon Grigorievich Kukes</b>, former chief executive&nbsp;of a now-defunct Russian oil company once owned by the government, who contributed more than $150,000 to Trump’s campaign and joint fundraising committee,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/jfc/top.php?type=C&cycle=2016" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Trump Victory</a>. This is the first election cycle he has contributed, according to FEC documents. Kukes gave $2,700 directly to Trump’s campaign in March, and then a total of $149,000 to Trump Victory in June and July; another $2,700 of that went to Trump directly, while the remainder was divided between the Republican National Committee’s main account, its convention account and its headquarters account.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kukes headed&nbsp;Yukos Corp. for a year&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kommersant.com/p541561/r_500/Simon_Kukes_Prefers_Drugs_to_Oil_/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">starting in June 2003</a>, replacing&nbsp;Putin foe Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the wealthiest man in Russia at the time. In what was widely seen as a political prosecution, Khodorkovsky was charged with fraud and sent to prison for 10 years.&nbsp;<a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/russia-ordered-pay-50b-over-yukos" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">An international court ruled</a>&nbsp;in 2014 that Putin’s government would have to pay $50 billion for using tax claims to take control of and bankrupt Yukos. The court said the government was trying to silence Khodorkovsky, who was using his riches to fund opposition parties to Putin.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Born in the then-U.S.S.R., Kukes immigrated to the U.S. in his twenties and became an American citizen, but has gone back and forth between Russia and the U.S. since then. Kukes served as&nbsp;president&nbsp;and CEO&nbsp;of Russia’s Tyumen Oil Company from 1998 to 2003. After his stint at Yukos, he was general director&nbsp;of ZAO Samara-Nafta, a Russia-based oil producing company&nbsp;and subsidiary of<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"> Lukoil, one of Russia’s largest oil companies, and was a&nbsp;<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/profiles/people/1790711-simon-kukes'" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">partner</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000034447" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Hess Corporation</a></span>, a New York-based oil and gas company.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Although he listed his occupation as “retired” in FEC documents, Kukes appears to be busy:</font></p><div id="attachment_16323" class="wp-caption alignright" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; max-width: 211px; clear: both; border: none; padding: 13px 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; text-align: center; float: right; display: inline;"><a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kukes.jpg" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" color="#000000"><img class=" wp-image-16323" src="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kukes.jpg" alt="Simon Kukes, new chief executive of oil giant Yukos, speaks at a news conference in Yukos headquarters in Moscow, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2003. Russia's embattled Yukos oil giant said Tuesday that it had appointed a new chief executive to replace Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who has been jailed on charges of fraud and tax evasion in what is widely seen as a politically driven probe. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)" width="205" height="238" srcset="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kukes.jpg 1203w, https://www.opensecrets.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kukes-258x300.jpg 258w, https://www.opensecrets.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kukes-768x894.jpg 768w, https://www.opensecrets.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/kukes-880x1024.jpg 880w" sizes="(max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; display: block; width: 211px;" /></font></a><p class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; text-align: left; padding: 0px 0px 0px 22px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; width: 211px; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border: 0px; position: relative; line-height: 18px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Kukes at a news conference after he was appointed CEO of oil giant Yukos in 2003. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)</font></p></div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">He’s CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.naftallc.com/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">NAFTA Consulting</a>, a firm that advises&nbsp;American and Russian oil and gas companies on how to do business together. And he’s also&nbsp;<a href="http://www.financemagnates.com/binary-options/technology/oil-magnate-simon-kukes-explains-why-he-became-a-major-leverate-investor/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">on the board</a>&nbsp;of Leverate, an on-demand software company for foreign exchange brokers.<strong style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px;">&nbsp;</strong></font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Kukes has another link with Trump: He&nbsp;bought a five-room condominium at Trump Parc in Midtown West for $1.7 million in 2000, according to the&nbsp;<a href="http://observer.com/about/" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Observer</a>, (which is published by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.)</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Trump isn’t the only beneficiary of Kukes’ funds: <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">He also&nbsp;<a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.php?name=simon+kukes&cycle=2016&sort=R&state=&zip=&employ=&cand=&submit=Submit" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">contributed the max</a>&nbsp;to Elizabeth Cheney’s campaign for Wyoming’s congressional seat in June. Cheney is the daughter of former vice president Dick Chene</span>y.</font></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Neither Kukes nor the Trump campaign had responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><a href="https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/05/08/putins-proxies-helped-funnel-millions-gop-campaigns">https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">/2018/05/</span>08/putins-proxies-helped-funnel-millions-gop-campaigns</a></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">&nbsp;no lnx infogragfix:</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Blavatnik contributed a total of </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$3.5 million</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to a PAC associated with Senate Majority Leader </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Blavatnik contributed </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$1.5 million</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to the GOP Senate Leadership Fund PAC in the name of Access Industries and another </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$1 million</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in the name of AI-Altep Holdings during the 2015/2016 election season. And as of September 2017, he had contributed another </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$1 million </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">this year through AI–Altep.</span></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Dallas Morning News</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>How Putin's oligarchs funneled millions into GOP campaigns</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">FILED UNDER COMMENTARY&nbsp; AT MAY 8 SHARE</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ruth May, Contributor</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Connect with Ruth May Email</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Don't miss a story. Like us on Facebook.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Editor's note May 8, 2018: This column originally published December 15, 2017. New allegations about $500k in payments from a Russian oligarch made to Trump attorney Michael Cohen have placed it back in the news.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">As Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team probes deeper into potential collusion between Trump officials and representatives of the Russian government, investigators are taking a closer look at political contributions made by U.S. citizens with close ties to Russia.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Buried in the campaign finance reports available to the public are some troubling connections between a group of wealthy donors with ties to Russia and their political contributions to President Donald Trump and a number of top Republican leaders. And thanks to changes in campaign finance laws, the political contributions are legal. We have allowed our campaign finance laws to become a strategic threat to our country.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Oligarch steered cash to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's account, Avenatti says</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">An example is<b>&nbsp;Len Blavatnik,&nbsp;</b>a dual U.S.-U.K. citizen and one of the largest donors to GOP political action committees in the 2015-16 election cycle. Blavatnik's family emigrated to the U.S. in the late '70s from the U.S.S.R. and he returned to Russia when the Soviet Union began to collapse in the late '80s.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Data from the Federal Election Commission show that Blavatnik's campaign contributions dating back to 2009-10 were fairly balanced across party lines and relatively modest for a billionaire. During that season he contributed $53,400. His contributions increased to $135,552 in 2011-12 and to $273,600 in 2013-14, still bipartisan.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">In 2015-16, everything changed. Blavatnik's political contributions soared and made a hard right turn as he pumped $6.35 million into GOP political action committees, with millions of dollars going to top Republican leaders including Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">In 2017, donations continued, with $41,000 going to both Republican and Democrat candidates, along with $1 million to McConnell's Senate Leadership Fund.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">[<span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Blavatnik contributed a total of </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$3.5 million</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to a PAC associated with Senate Majority Leader </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Blavatnik contributed </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$1.5 million</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> to the GOP Senate Leadership Fund PAC in the name of Access Industries and another </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$1 million</b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> in the name of AI-Altep Holdings during the 2015/2016 election season. And as of September 2017, he had contributed another </span><b style="background: 0px center rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap; box-sizing: content-box !important; text-shadow: none !important; line-height: normal !important; outline: none !important; transition-property: none !important; transform: none !important; border-radius: 0px !important; box-shadow: none !important; left: auto !important; top: auto !important; max-width: none !important;">$1 million </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">this year through AI–Altep.]</span></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Touch chart to see info:</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">So is this legal?</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the ranking Democratic leader on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC News in September: "Unless the contributions were directed by a foreigner, they would be legal, but could still be of interest to investigators examining allegations of Russian influence on the 2016 campaign. Obviously, if there were those that had associations with the Kremlin that were contributing, that would be of keen concern."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Under federal law, foreigner nationals are barred from contributing directly or indirectly to political campaigns in local, state and federal elections.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Should Blavatnik's contributions concern Mueller's team of investigators? Take a look at his long-time business associates in Russia.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">GOP campaigns took $7.35 million from oligarch linked to Russia</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The Oligarchs</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Oleg Deripaska is said to be one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's favorite oligarchs, and he is founder and majority shareholder of Russia's Rusal, the second-largest aluminum company in the world. Blavatnik holds a stake in Rusal with a business partner.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Further, nearly 4 percent of Deripaska's stake in Rusal is owned by Putin's state-controlled bank, VTB, which is currently under U.S. sanctions. VTB was exposed in the Panama Papers in 2016 for facilitating the flow of billions of dollars to offshore companies linked to Putin.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Earlier this year, The Associated Press reported that Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign manager, began collecting $10 million a year in 2006 from Deripaska to advance Putin's interests with Western governments. Deripaska's name turned up again in an email handed over to Mueller's team by Manafort's attorneys. According to The Washington Post, in the email dated July 7, 2016, just two weeks before Trump accepted the Republican nomination for president, Manafort asked an overseas intermediary to pass a message on to Deripaska: "If he [Deripaska] needs private briefings, tell him we can accommodate."</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Viktor Vekselberg&nbsp;</b>is one of the 10 richest men in Russia. He and long-time business partner Blavatnik hold a 20.5 percent stake in Rusal. (They met while attending university in Russia.)</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In 1990, Blavatnik and Vekselberg co-founded the Renova Group for large-scale investments in energy, infrastructure, aluminum and other metals.</b>&nbsp;One of their earliest investments was in Tyumen Oil Co. (TNK), founded in 1995.&nbsp;<b>TNK is best known for its contentious partnership with British Petroleum after the two entities formed a joint venture in 2003.</b>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">That rocky relationship ended 10 years later when they sold out to the state-controlled energy giant, Rosneft, under pressure from the Russian government.</span></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">As for BP, that pressure took the form of growing harassment and intimidation from Russian authorities who at one point, according to Forbes, refused to renew visas for BP employees, forcing BP's joint venture chief Robert Dudley (who is now chief executive of BP) to flee Russia and manage TNK-BP from a foreign outpost in a secret location.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Vekselberg has connections to at least two Americans who made significant GOP campaign contributions during the last cycle. They are among several Americans who also merit Mueller's scrutiny.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The Americans</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Andrew Intrater, according to Mother Jones, is Vekselberg's cousin. He is also chief executive of Columbus Nova, Renova's U.S. investment arm located in New York.</b>&nbsp;(FEC records list his employer as Renova US Management LLC.)</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Intrater had no significant history of political contributions prior to the 2016 elections<b>. But in January 2017 he contributed $250,000 to Trump's Inaugural Committee. His six-figure gift bought him special access to a dinner billed as "an intimate policy discussion with select cabinet appointees,"</b> according to a brochure obtained by the Center for Public Integrity.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Alexander Shustorovich</b>, chief executive of IMG Artists, attempted to give the Republican Party $250,000 in 2000 to support the George W. Bush presidential campaign, but his money was rejected because of his ties to the Russian government, according to Quartz. So why didn't the Trump team reject Shustorovich's $1 million check to Trump's Inaugural Committee?</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Simon Kukes is an oil magnate who has something in common with Intrater. From 1998 to 2003, he worked for Vekselberg and Blavatnik as chief executive of TNK.</b>&nbsp;Redacted CIA documents released in 2003 under the Freedom of Information Act said "TNK president Kukes said that he bribed local officials." The CIA confirmed the authenticity of the reports to The Guardian newspaper but would not comment further. In 2016, Kukes contributed a total of $283,000, much of it to the Trump Victory Fund. He had no significant donor history before last year's election.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>There is no doubt that Kukes has close ties to the Putin government</b>.&nbsp;<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">When he left his job as CEO of TNK in June 2003, he joined the board of Yukos Oil, which at the time was the largest oil company in Russia owned by the richest man in Russia, Mikhail Khodorkovsky.<b>&nbsp;Four months after Kukes joined the board, authorities arrested Khodorkovsky at gunpoint on his private plane in Siberia on trumped up charges of tax evasion and tapped Kukes to be CEO.</b>&nbsp;This decision could only have been made at the highest levels in the Kremlin. The arrest of Khodorkovsky rattled the nerves of international investors and was the first tangible sign that Putin was not going to be the kind of leader that global executives and Western governments had expected him to be when he first took office in 2000.</span></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Khodorkovksy&nbsp;</b>was given a 13-year sentence in a Siberian prison and served 10 years before being released by Putin in December 2013, a month before the start of the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, as a sign of goodwill. As for the fate of Khodorkovksy's company, its largest oil subsidiary was sold in a sealed bid auction to Baikal Financial Group, a shell company with an unpublished list of officers. Baikal was registered at an address that turned out to be a mobile phone store in Tver, Russia. Three days after the auction, all of Baikal's assets were acquired for an undisclosed sum by Rosneft, the Russian oil giant that went on to buy TNK-BP in 2013.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>In total, Blavatnik, Intrater, Shustorovich and Kukes made $10.4 million in political contributions from the start of the 2015-16 election cycle through September 2017, and 99 percent of their contributions went to Republicans</b>. With the exception of Shustorovich, the common denominator that connects the men is their association with Vekselberg. Experts who follow the activities of Russian oligarchs told ABC News that they believe the contributions from Blavatnik, Intrater and Kukes warrant intense scrutiny because they have worked closely with Vekselberg.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Even if the donations by the four men associated with Russia ultimately pass muster with Mueller, one still has to wonder: Why did GOP PACs and other Trump-controlled funds take their money? Why didn't the PACs say, "Thanks, but no thanks," like the Republicans said to Shustorovich in 2000? Yes, it was legal to accept their donations, but it was incredibly poor judgment.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>McConnell surely knew as a participant in high level intelligence briefings in 2016 that our electoral process was under attack by the Russians.</b>&nbsp;Two weeks after the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint statement in October 2016 that the Russian government had directed the effort to interfere in our electoral process, McConnell's PAC accepted a $1 million donation from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings. The PAC took another $1 million from Blavatnik's AI-Altep Holdings on March 30, 2017, just 10 days after former FBI Director James Comey publicly testified before the House Intelligence Committee about Russia's interference in the election.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>And consider Steve Mnuchin, Trump's campaign finance chairman</b>. Could he have known that the Trump Victory Fund, jointly managed by the Republican National Committe and Trump's campaign, took contributions from Intrater and Kukes?<b>&nbsp;Mnuchin owned Hollywood financing company RatPac-Dune with Blavatnik until he sold his stake to accept Trump's appointment as the Treasury secretary.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Which PAC officials are making the decisions to accept these donations?</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The Supreme Court</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The contributions are legal because the Supreme Court's 2010 ruling, Citizens United,</b>&nbsp;and several subsequent decisions, allowed American corporations and citizens to give unlimited amounts of money to PACs and non-profit 501c4 organizations, regardless of how they make their money, where they make their money, or with whom they make their money. The only caveat is that PACs and non-profits cannot coordinate their activities with the political candidates they support.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>The man who led the winning fight for Citizens United was David Bossie,&nbsp;</b>president of the conservative non-profit since 2001. In 1996, Bossie was hired by Republican Rep. Dan Burton to lead an investigation into President Bill Clinton's campaign fundraising. Burton fired him 18 months later for manipulating recordings of conversations among law officials and Webb Hubbell, a Clinton confidant who resigned as associate attorney general and pleaded guilty to tax fraud during the Whitewater investigation. CNN reported at the time that Newt Gingrich, who was speaker of the House, called Bossie's tampering with the Hubbell recordings an embarrassment to the Republicans.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Bossie served as Trump's deputy campaign chairman.</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The Super PAC, Make America Number 1, is primarily funded by Trump's largest donor, Robert Mercer. His Renaissance Technologies hedge fund donated $15.5 million to the PAC</span>.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Mercer's daughter, Rebekah, assumed control of Make America Number 1 in September 2016 and is now tainted by her role in the communications between Wikileaks and Cambridge Analytica, the firm that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, hired for $5.9 million to handle the digital portion of the Trump campaign.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Robert and Rebekah Mercer are major investors in Cambridge Analytica. According to The Wall Street Journal, Rebekah Mercer asked Cambridge chief executive Alexander Nix if the firm could compile stolen emails related to Hillary Clinton so that they could be more easily searched. (This suggestion came from someone she met at an event supporting Sen. Ted Cruz, according to The Hill. Cambridge Analytica had worked on digital marketing for Cruz before he dropped out of the Republican primary.)</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Nix confirmed that he had asked Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to forward the Clinton-related emails. Assange said he declined the request.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Rebekah Mercer also heads the non-profit Making America Great, formed in March 2017. The non-profit ran a seven-figure ad campaign highlighting Trump's achievements.<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">&nbsp;Bossie is the group's chief strategist.[russia in brezit w/ c anal?]</span></b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>
</b></font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);"><b>Erik Prince, brother of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, contributed $150,000 to Mercer's Make America Number 1 PAC&nbsp;</b>and another $100,000 to the Trump Victory Fund. Prince has recently testified to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence about his trip to the remote Seychelles for a secret meeting in December 2016 with a close ally of Putin, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund. The purpose of the meeting was allegedly to setup a back channel of communication between then president-elect Donald Trump and the Russians, though Prince has denied this allegation. Before the 2015-16 elections, Prince's political contributions totaled a mere $31,800 as far back as 2007, according to FEC records</span>.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The hybrid super-PAC, The Committee to Defend the President, was formed in 2013 under the name Stop Hillary PAC. It is managed by<b>&nbsp;Dan Backer</b>, the lead attorney who won the McCutcheon vs. Federal Election Commission case in 2014. The Supreme Court decision eliminated the cap on how much wealthy individuals can donate to federal candidates, parties and PACs in a single, two-year election cycle.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Like Bossie, Dan Backer helped to open the floodgates to millions of dollars of influence brought to bear on incumbents and their political challengers who are now pressured to kowtow to their donors with the biggest bank accounts, even if their billions are earned in Russian rubles.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Backer was born in Russia and emigrated with his family to the U.S. in 1978.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">The changes to our campaign finance laws created an avenue for Russia to try to influence our elections. There are holes in our firewall and they aren't on the internet.</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman"><b>Cyprus</b>&nbsp;is at the center of a circle of corruption surrounding Trump</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Touch chart to see info:</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">
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</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">Ruth May is a business professor at the University of Dallas and an expert on the economies of Russia and Ukraine. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News. Twitter: @ruthcmay</font></p><p><font size="4" face="Times New Roman">===</font></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>