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| FILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump waves after stepping off Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Federal prosecutors in New York have issued a subpoena seeking documents from Trump's inaugural committee. A spokeswoman says the committee intends to cooperate with the inquiry. She said the committee received the subpoena late Monday and was still reviewing it. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) |
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During the April raids on Cohen's home, office, and hotel room, federal investigators discovered a taped conversation between Cohen and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who worked with the inaugural committee, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The contents of the recording are unclear but Wolkoff, according to the Journal, voiced concerns over how some of the inaugural funds were being spent.
Trump's inaugural committee responded to the reports with a statement to CNN, saying no one had been contacted thus far about any investigation and the committee was in "full compliance with all applicable laws."
Federal authorities are investigating whether the president's inauguration committee misspent some of the millions of dollars it raked in, according to several media reports.
The investigation is being led by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and is examining whether donors gave money in return for access to Donald Trump and his administration, the Wall Street Journal and CNN reported.
The investigation is the latest in a series of criminal inquiries into Trump's campaign and presidency. Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation.
Read this news from AP on Yahoo News at: https://news.yahoo.com/federal-prosecutors-subpoena-trumps-inaugural-011753201.html
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Federal prosecutors subpoena Trump's inaugural committee
Inaugural committee spokeswoman Kristin Celauro told The Associated Press that the committee had received the subpoena and was still reviewing it.
"It is our intention to cooperate with the inquiry," she said.
A second spokesman, Owen Blicksilver, declined to answer questions about which documents prosecutors requested. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which issued the subpoena, declined to comment.
The investigation is the latest in a series of criminal inquiries into Trump's campaign and presidency. Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation. In a separate case in New York, prosecutors say Trump directed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a copy of the subpoena, reported that prosecutors asked for "all documents" related to the committee's donors and vendors, as well as records relating to "benefits" donors received after making contributions.
The newspaper reported late last year that federal prosecutors are investigating whether committee donors made contributions in exchange for political favors— a potential violation of federal corruption laws. It said the inquiry also was focused on whether the inauguration misspent the $107 million it raised to stage events celebrating Trump's inauguration.
The subpoena also requested documents relating to donations "made by or on behalf of foreign nationals, including but not limited to any communications regarding or relating to the possibility of donations by foreign nationals," the Journal reported.
The New York Times reported late last year that federal prosecutors are examining whether anyone from Qatar, Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries made illegal payments to the committee and a pro-Trump super political action committee. Foreign contributions to inaugural funds and PACs are prohibited under federal law.
The head of the inaugural committee, Tom Barrack, confirmed to The Associated Press that he was questioned by Mueller in 2017. He told the AP he was not a target of the Mueller investigation.
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