Trump’s Russia Lawyer Has A Major Russia Conflict: Report
Donald Trump’s personal attorney Marc Kasowitz, who is now representing him in the Russia investigation, appears to have a major conflict of interest in the case.
According to a new report by The Guardian, in 2015 Kasowitz’s law firm Kasowitz Benson Torres represented the owners of the former New York Times building in a transaction that gave Donald Trump’s son-in-law Kushner partial ownership of the Times Square property.
Jared Kushner’s financial dealings are now under investigation by the Special Counsel as part of the Russia investigation.
And the deal for the Times building has a direct connection to the Russia probe.
Jared Kushner’s real estate company paid $296 million for the ownership stake in 2015.
In October of 2016, Kushner refinanced the debt on the Times building with a $285 million loan from Deutsche Bank, according to the Washington Post.
Deutsche Bank is at the center of the Russia investigation.
Over the years, as all major banks stopped lending money to Donald Trump, Deutsche Bank gave Trump nearly $400 million in loans. Deutsche Bank is still Donald Trump’s largest lender, according to Trump most recent financial disclosure filing.
And at the same time, Deutsche Bank has been investigated by U.S. authorities for a massive Russian money laundering scandal. According to reports, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara was believed to be investigating in the southern district of New York before the president fired him.
Deutsche Bank was ordered by U.S. and British regulators to pay $628 million in fines for failing to stop suspicious transfers of more than $10 billion out of Russia.
It is also believed that the Special Counsel investigation is looking into the connection between Russian money and Donald Trump’s loans with Deutsche Bank.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee have sent Deutsche Bank several requests for information regarding their loans to Donald Trump.
It is also important to note that it has been reported that Trump’s attorney Marc Kasowitz bragged to friends and colleagues about getting Preet Bharara fired by telling Trump, “This guy is going to get you.”
You can read the full report by The Guardian here.
[image via screengrab]
