Justice Department investigating Clinton Foundation over 'pay to play' allegations

Former presidential candidate goes 'Onward' with new anti-Trump resistance PAC, but 'Clinton Cash' author Peter Schweizer follows the money to find out what has become of The Clinton Foundation and delve into reports of insider trading in Congress #Tucker

The Justice Department has launched a new investigation into allegations the Clinton Foundation used "pay to play" politics while Hillary Clinton was U.S. secretary of state, Fox News has confirmed.

A source familiar with the investigation told Fox News late Thursday the investigation is being led by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI in Little Rock, Ark.

Fox News also has learned investigators are looking into whether the Clinton Foundation violated tax law. Accusers of "pay to play" have claimed the foundation promised favors in exchange for donations or pledges of cash or gifts.
The Hill, which broke the story Thursday evening, added that FBI agents have taken the lead in the investigation and have interviewed at least one witness in the last month.
JUDICIAL WATCH: EMAILS SHOW CLINTON FOUNDATION 'PAY FOR PLAY' SCHEME
The witness said that agents inquired specifically about donations to Clinton entities and official government actions during Clinton's leadership of the State Department under President Obama, according to the Hill.
The Hill reported that law enforcement officials said there will be "additional activities" relating to the investigation in the coming weeks.
In a statement to Fox News, Clinton Foundation spokesman Craig Minassian suggested that the organization had done nothing improper.
“Time after time, the Clinton Foundation has been subjected to politically motivated allegations, and time after time these allegations have been proven false," Minassian said. "None of this has made us waver in our mission to help people."
Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill told Fox News that the investigation is an attempt by the Trump administration to distract the public.
"Let’s call this what it is: A sham," Merrill said. "This is a philanthropy that does life-changing work, which Republicans have tried to turn into a political football.  It  began with a long-debunked project spearheaded by Steve Bannon during the presidential campaign.  It continues with Jeff Sessions doing Trump’s bidding by heeding his calls to meddle with a department that is supposed to function independently. The goal is to distract from the indictments, guilty pleas, and accusations of treason from Trump’s own people at the expense of our justice system’s integrity. It’s disgraceful, and should be concerning to all Americans."
Late last year, Attorney General Jeff Sessions told prosecutors to evaluate “certain issues” raised by congressional Republicans cocerning alleged unlawful dealings related to the Clinton Foundation, leading to speculation about the potential appointment of another special counsel.
In September, the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch said that emails from Clinton aide Huma Abedin's account showed Clinton Foundation donors requesting and receiving favors from the State Department.
Federal investigators are also reviewing Clinton's use of a private email server when she was secretary of state, according to The Daily Beast.

Mitt Romney Cartoons

Forget 2012! Press embraces Mitt Romney for Trump detractor-in-chief

The press is developing a strange new respect for Mitt Romney.

You know, the guy who drew such derision and ridicule when he ran for president in 2012.

That guy was widely depicted as an out-of-touch plutocrat who had a house with a car elevator, babbled about binders full of women, and strapped his dog to the roof of the family car.
Ah, but as Romney gears up to run for the Senate in the wake of Orrin Hatch's retirement, many pundits have found something to love about the man:
He's a fierce critic of President Trump.
And that's why the press has been in a run-Mitt-run mode.
Romney is considered the heavy favorite in Utah now that Hatch, at 83, says he’s hanging it up. And there is media excitement at the prospect of having a nationally known Trump detractor in Washington.
CNN says it all in the lead: "The Republican opposition to President Donald Trump is poised to get a new champion: Mitt Romney."
Politico delights in "the fraught relationship between the Republican heavyweights — one that will now take center stage as Romney prepares a Senate bid."
Center stage! That didn't take long.
Now it's obviously true that Trump and Romney don't exactly think highly of each other. The president, who backed the former Massachusetts governor six years ago, later accused him of choking like a dog. And Romney ripped the president last year, despite the little dance they had when Trump was ostensibly considering him for secretary of State—which never seemed like a serious prospect.
"While laying the groundwork for a prospective bid," Politico says, "Romney has made little secret that he will be unafraid of taking on the president. The 2012 GOP nominee has informed a series of Republican Party donors, senators and power brokers in recent weeks that, while he isn't looking to pick a fight with Trump, he is more than willing to speak out against him. During the 2016 campaign, Romney derided Trump as a 'phony' and 'fraud' and implored the party to nominate someone else ...
"Romney is also guided by frustration with the president ... The president and his top advisers remain suspicious of Romney, who criticized Trump over the course of his first year in office."
The New York Times says "Romney’s potential ascent is particularly alarming to the White House because the former presidential candidate has an extensive political network and could use the Senate seat as a platform to again seek the nomination. Even if he were not to run again for president, a Senator Romney could prove a pivotal swing vote, impervious to the entreaties of a president he has scorned and able to rally other Trump skeptics in the chamber."
Now some of this may be wishful thinking. Liberal Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent says the expectation is "that Romney will vote for Trump’s policy agenda 99.9999 percent of the time." But since the president is "catastrophically unfit to serve," in his view, left-wingers "should hope that Romney does become at least a serious voice of opposition to Trump."
Obviously, a presidential candidate draws far tougher media scrutiny than someone running for one of 100 Senate seats. And candidate Romney made more than his share of mistakes. But most of the media back then were wedded to a portrait of Romney as a wealthy 1950s sitcom dad who liked firing poor people.
Now that he’s poised to take on Donald Trump rather than running against Barack Obama, Romney is getting a far warmer media reception.

Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz. 

Matt Lauer still sending notes to 'Today' producers, report says

Fired "Today" host Matt Lauer has been sending unsolicited feedback to show producers, despite being kicked to the curb more than a month ago. 

The New York Post reported late Wednesday that Lauer's notes include critiquing the music that was used to launch a segment on the long-running news program. 

The report added that Lauer's feedback has "not been warmly received by 'Today' staff."

Video

Ex-NBC staffer details secret affair with Matt Lauer

Lauer was dismissed in late November after a colleague accused him of what NBC described as "inappropriate sexual behavior" at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Reports in Variety and The New York Times detailed a sordid history of sexual harassment and assault allegations against the anchor, who had been a fixture on "Today" since the mid-1990s.
The allegations against Lauer led to criticism of NBC News executives, some of whom were accused of turning a blind eye to the sordid deeds of one of the network's highest-paid stars.
EX-NBC NEWS PRODUCTION ASSISTANT REVEALS SECRET RELATIONSHIP WITH MATT LAUER
Addie Collins Zinone, a former NBC production assistant who had a consensual relationship with Lauer in the summer of 2000, wrote in Variety that there was "no way [Lauer] could have gotten away with it without others above him making these situations go away — manipulating, strategizing, whatever it is they did to wield their power against the powerless."

Video

Matt Lauer still living with wife, no plans for a comeback

In a statement after his firing, Lauer said, "Repairing the damage [from the allegations] will take a lot of time and soul searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job."
MATT LAUER STILL LIVING WITH WIFE IN HAMPTONS AS SOURCE REVEALS DISGRACED HOST JUST WANTS TO 'PLAY GOLF'
A source told the Post last month that Lauer "plans to disappear and play golf ... and stay in the Hamptons. He has no intention of mounting a Billy Bush-style comeback campaign. He is going to stick to his one statement and not address the allegations further."
On Tuesday, NBC named Hoda Kotb as co-anchor of the "Today' show's first two hours with Savannah Guthrie, the first all-female team to headline "Today" in the show's 65-year history.

House Intel committee to get long-sought documents from DOJ on Fusion GPS, Nunes says

The House and Justice Department reached a deal late Wednesday to provide records relevant to investigations of possible Trump 2016 campaign ties to Russia that could shed a light on whether the infamous Trump-Russia “dossier” was used to justify surveillance on Trump campaign officials and kick-start the FBI investigation.

The deal comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein met with House Speaker Paul Ryan to talk about the demands by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee to turn over documents related to the probe into the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election campaign to prop-up the Republican candidate against Hillary Clinton, Reuters reported.

"After speaking to Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein this evening, I believe the House Intelligence Committee has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice that will provide the committee with access to all the documents and witnesses we have requested," House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes said in the statement. "The committee looks forward to receiving access to the documents over the coming days.”
Last month, Nunes reportedly threatened to vote to hold the DOJ and FBI in contempt of Congress if they did not turn over the sought materials.
The House intelligence committee reportedly issued subpoenas to Wray and Rosenstein in August – with a deadline to comply in September – requesting records related to the bureau’s relationship with former British spy Christopher Steele who produced the salacious yet unverified “dossier”.

WOW, @foxandfrlends “Dossier is bogus. Clinton Campaign, DNC funded Dossier. FBI CANNOT (after all of this time) VERIFY CLAIMS IN DOSSIER OF RUSSIA/TRUMP COLLUSION. FBI TAINTED.” And they used this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage as the basis for going after the Trump Campaign!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2017

The dossier has come under increased scrutiny after it was revealed that it received funding from the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, prompting Trump to accuse the FBI of using “this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage” dossier to go after his campaign.
The panel, led by Nunes, also sought to know to what extent the dossier was used to justify FISA warrants to surveil Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and to launch the FBI’s probe into Russian alleged interference in the 2016 election campaign.
Both agencies refused to comply with the issued subpoenas until now, according to Reuters, because the FBI was in the process of conducting their investigation, as supervised by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump lawyer threatens 'imminent' legal action against Steve Bannon, gives 24 hours to cease and desist

President Trump’s lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter Wednesday night and threatened ‘imminent’ legal action against former top strategist Steve Bannon, capping a whirlwind day marked by a no-holds-barred war of words between the two men.

The letter is a response to sharply critical comments that Bannon reportedly made to journalist Michael Wolff about Trump’s campaign and leadership.

Charles Harder, Trump’s attorney, charges in the letter that Bannon violated a non-disclosure agreement signed during the campaign by disclosing confidential information, speaking to the media about the campaign and disparaging members of the Trump family.
Additionally, Harder suggests that Bannon told lies that defamed and slandered Trump.
FLEISCHER: TRUMP STATEMENT LIKE A '2x4 TO THE HEAD' OF BANNON
 “You have breached the Agreement by, among other things, communicating with author Michael Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company (the Trump campaign), disclosing Confidential Information to Mr. Wolff, and making disparaging statements and in some cases outright defamatory statements to Mr. Wolff about Mr. Trump, his family members, and the Company,” Trump attorney Charles Harder wrote to Bannon.
In a statement Wednesday night, Harder wrote that Bannon’s actions give rise to “numerous legal claims including defamation by libel and slander, and breach of his written confidentiality and non-disparagement agreement with our clients. Legal action is imminent.”
Harder requests in the letter that Bannon cease publishing defamatory or confidential information and immediately begin preserving relevant documents, a standard demand typically made before the commencement of legal action.
"Please confirm in writing within twenty-four (24) hours of the transmission of this letter that the foregoing demands will be, and are being, fully complied with," the letter states.
Bannon told Wolff in an interview that senior Trump officials’ meeting with Russians in Trump Tower in 2016 was “treasonous” and “unpatriotic,” multiple outlets reported.
“[T]hey’re going to crack Don Junior like an egg on national TV,” Bannon added, according to accounts of the interview.
And in excerpts from Wolff’s upcoming book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” also published Wednesday, Bannon is quoted maligning the Trump campaign’s organization and divulging other details of his time in the White House.
Trump fired back in an official White House statement later in the day.
“Steve Bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency,” the statement said. “When he was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind.”
“Steve had very little to do with our historic victory, which was delivered by the forgotten men and women of this country,” Trump added. “Yet Steve had everything to do with the loss of a Senate seat in Alabama held for more than thirty years by Republicans. Steve doesn’t represent my base—he’s only in it for himself.”
Bannon appeared on Sirius XM’s Patriot Channel’s “Breitbart News Tonight” late Wednesday and called Trump a “great man.” When asked by a caller about Trump’s comments about him on Twitter, Bannon appeared to shake off Trump’s remarks.
“You know I support him day in and day out, whether going through the country giving the Trump miracle speech or on the show or on the website,” he said.

New York Times Fake News Cartoons

It's a new year: Trump takes whack at New York Times' new publisher

No sooner did the new publisher of the New York Times promise his readers to uphold the principles of independent journalism yesterday than President Trump took a giant whack at the paper.

Welcome to 2018, which is shaping up much the same as 2017 when it comes to the president and the press.

A.G. Sulzberger, who just took over the job from his father, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., said in a full-page letter:
"Misinformation is rising and trust in the media is declining as technology platforms elevate clickbait, rumor and propaganda over real journalism, and politicians jockey for advantage by inflaming suspicion of the press."
Well, he’s right about the declining trust part. And it’s not hard to figure out which "inflaming" politician he had in mind.
That person quickly got on Twitter and said: "Get impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent 'sources,' and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you won't have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done!"
(Actually, Sulzberger Jr. had written a public letter after the 2016 election asking: "Did Donald Trump’s sheer unconventionality lead us and other news outlets to underestimate his support among American voters?" There was no apology.)
Just last week, President Trump told the same newspaper that he has an ace in the hole for 2020: the press.
Now this might seem a tad counterintuitive, since he has been lambasting the news business for more than two years as a bastion of bias, a fortress of fake news. And much of the media have responded with aggressive coverage that every study has found to be predominantly negative.
If there's any entity out there that is not exactly disposed to give this president the benefit of the doubt, it’s the fourth estate.
Yet Trump believes that, when it comes to the bottom line, the media need him.
This is not based on unnamed sources, whose very existence is often challenged by the president, but from the newsmaker-in-chief himself.
As Trump told Times reporter Michael Schmidt:
"Another reason that I'm going to win another four years, is because newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I'm not there because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes ...
"So they basically have to let me win. And eventually, probably six months before the election, they'll be loving me because they're saying, 'Please, please, don't lose Donald Trump.' O.K."
Well, let’s just say I’m skeptical about the "have to let me win" part. But I’ve been saying for a long time that Trump, as a political phenomenon, has been a gold mine for the media business.
Fox News was the highest-rated cable network in 2017, for the second straight year. But MSNBC and CNN also had record-breaking years. The Times is not so failing, enjoying a mammoth surge of digital subscriptions.
In fact, there are very few media outlets that haven’t benefited from Trump’s nonstop newsmaking. Those openly opposed to Trump are marketing themselves to the resistance, those openly backing Trump appeal to his loyal supporters (who don’t trust the MSM), and those that are trying to position themselves in the middle benefit from a hyped-up atmosphere in which everyone is debating politics, from the coffee shop to Twitter and Facebook.
That’s the great irony of this new era: the media, targeted and taunted by Trump, are also riding the financial wave he’s created.
And the president, in turn, feeds off the constant media attention to drive his agenda.
As a businessman, it's not surprising that Trump believes the press will want to keep the cash registers ringing after 2020. He thinks in terms of monetizing assets. He once threatened to pull out of a CNN debate, noting the soaring advertising rates, unless its president Jeff Zucker donated the profits to veterans' causes.
But most journalists don't think like corporate suits. The notion that they would go easy on Trump in the next campaign to avoid killing the golden goose strikes me as far-fetched (though they have a responsibility to be equally tough on the Democratic candidate). In fact, I could imagine many pundits taking a victory lap if they felt they had contributed to sending the president back to Trump Tower.
Donald Trump undoubtedly knows this. I suspect he's trolling the media, having a little fun at their expense. But he's also right that the constant combat has been ringing their cash registers.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m.). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.