Hush Money, Russia And An Inauguration Under Investigation: Trump Is In The Middle Of A Legal Storm

Every day it seems that President Donald Trump has another legal problem on his hands. In the same week that his former lawyer was sentenced for an illegal hush money payment, investigators announced that they’re looking into Trump’s inauguration for potential crimes.

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether Trump’s inauguration was used to sell access to the the administration. Investigators want to know how $107 million were spent on the inauguration festivities and where the money came from. There may be evidence of illegal payments.

Trump’s inauguration set a spending record, and investigators believe some of that money may have been received from people who wanted to influence the new administration. Some of the money is believed to come from the Middle East. A probe into illegal donations and corruption has been launched.

Separately, it has been reported that Trump was in the room when a plan to use campaign funds to ‘catch and kill’ harmful news story was discussed. Trump was reportedly in the room with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and recently sentenced Michael Cohen. Trump was there in 2015 for a discussion about paying $150,000 in hush money ‘in concert with the campaign.’

To the casual observer, it might look like everything Trump touches ends up under investigation. Indeed, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election has not yet concluded. When Mueller reports, the President’s legal troubles could get even worse.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but his recent defenses for Michael Cohen’s actions have been contradictory and not credible. While Trump threatens a government shutdown, his administration is still struggling to find a new chief of staff and the potential for serious legal jeopardy grows by the day.