Issues: Russian Interference

American Bridge Statement On The First Charges Filed In The Trump-Russia Investigation

American Bridge Vice President Shirpal Shah released the following statement after the first charges were filed in the Special Council’s investigation into Donald Trump, his campaign and the Russian cyber attack during the 2016 election.

“Paul Manafort wasn’t the only member of Trump’s inner circle to have a relationship with Russian oligarchs that spanned a decade. He also wasn’t the only one who lied about secret meetings with Russian government officials during the 2016 campaign. The question the public is asking this morning isn’t solely focused on what Manafort did, they’re also asking what’s next and who from Trump world will receive the next indictment.”

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Sanders Questions: ‘Liddle Donnie Edition

Senator Bob Corker really hit the nail on the head this morning when he said of President Trump, “the debasement of our nation is what he’ll be most remembered for.” Is it too little, too late? Probably, especially considering the Republican just a few months ago was singing Trump’s praises as he angled for a job in his Cabinet.  But Corker’s honesty is nonetheless welcome at a time when virtually every other Republican in Washington can’t come to grips with the dangers that Trump presents for the country and the world.

As White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders takes the podium today it is important to remember the role that she, and all others in this White House and Congress, play in enabling this debasement of our country, our values, and our standing in the world.

American Bridge Rapid Response Director Emily Aden calls on Sanders to answer the following questions:

1. […]

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Five Events Michael Cohen Is Going To Have To Answer For

Donald Trump’s “pitbull” Michael Cohen is meeting with House and Senate Intelligence Committee investigators today and tomorrow behind closed doors about his central role in the Trump-Russia scandal. Cohen is perhaps the figure in Trump’s orbit who most represents the cross-section between the Trump Organization and the Trump campaign’s desire to get closer to Russia.

American Bridge Rapid Response Director Emily Aden stated, “From expanding Trump’s business in Russia during the campaign to drafting a secret plan to lift US sanctions on Russia after Trump won the election, Michael Cohen is at the crux of the Trump-Russia scandal. Congressional investigators–and Special Counsel Robert Mueller–have their work cut out for them.”

Here are five deeply disturbing events that congressional investigators will surely press Michael Cohen on in their meetings:

1. October 28, 2015: Michael Cohen had Donald Trump, already a presidential candidate, sign a Letter of Intent to build Trump Tower Moscow with Moscow-based developer I.C. Expert Investment Co.

2.  Read more after the jump.

ATTN: Senators Burr and Warner: More Evidence Than Ever That Steele Dossier Is Accurate

This afternoon, Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr and Ranking Member Mark Warner reiterated that the “question of collusion” remains open in their investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win.

One of the key focuses of the congressional investigation is the Steele dossier, which first unearthed explosive allegations against Trump and his top aides back in January. Chairman Burr stated in this afternoon’s press conference that “the committee has hit a wall” when it comes to probing the claims in the dossier because its author, British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, will not testify.

Luckily for Burr, Warner, and the rest of the Senate Intelligence Committee, the team at American Bridge has compiled the latest evidence verifying some of the most damning accusations in the dossier.

Here’s an overview of what we’ve recently learned:

Trump pursued real estate deals in Moscow during the campaign.
Trump’s aide and career criminal Felix […]

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Reminder: You Can’t Believe Anything Donald Trump Jr. Says

Donald Trump Jr. has changed his story about collusion with Russia yet again, this time in testimony to investigators from the Senate Judiciary Committee. He can be charged with a crime if he’s found to have lied to congressional investigators. 

It’s clear Trump Jr. must be counting on congressional investigators, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and the American people to suspend their disbelief and blindly accept his conflicting explanations. Unfortunately for Trump Jr. and his father, however, that’s simply not going to happen. 

Here are the three most likely lies from Trump Jr.’s testimony today: 

1. Trump Jr. now says he doesn’t remember if the White House helped craft his initial misleading response to reports about the June 9, 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and Russian officials. 

FACT CHECK: The President dictated his son’s response on-board Air Force One. 

2. Trump Jr. now says he had reservations about […]

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TOMORROW: Don Jr Will Have To Account For His Dad’s Lies Before Senate Judiciary Committee

When Donald Trump Jr. appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow to answer questions about arranging the now-infamous meeting with Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and a Kremlin-linked lawyer promising dirt on Secretary Clinton, he will also have to explain why his father tried to deceive the American people about the real intent behind the meeting.

Donald Trump’s attempted cover-up is central to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and so far, the White House’s conflicting explanations about their lies have only led to more questions than actual answers surrounding the June 9, 2016 meeting.

“The only reason for a cover up is when you’ve done something wrong,” said Kevin McAlister, a Bridge Project spokesperson. “That’s why everyone from Robert Mueller to members of the House and Senate – not to mention the public – are anxiously awaiting a real, truthful explanation about the events surrounding the now infamous June meeting with a Putin operative and the subsequent lies about the […]

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Evidence Of More Trump Campaign Lies About Russia

American Bridge Vice President Shripal Shah released the following statement on the bombshell report from NBC News, citing notes taken by then Trump campaign Chair Paul Manafort, that donations and the RNC were discussed at the June 2016 meeting between the Trump campaign and an alleged Russian government attorney. 

“The evidence uncovered in this report is at odds with Jared Kushner’s testimony before Congress where he alleged this meeting was about adoption policy, not the campaign. It doesn’t take a federal prosecutor to figure out one of them is lying, and with the evidence now suggesting Kushner wasn’t telling the whole story, he may have committed a federal crime. If that’s the case, he must be held accountable.” 

Background: 

Manafort’s Notes From The Trump Tower Meeting Mention “Donations” And The Republican National Committee. According to NBC News, “Paul Manafort’s notes from a controversial Trump Tower meeting with Russians during the 2016 presidential […]

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Who is Felix Sater? A convicted criminal

The man at the center of the latest bombshell reports on the Russia scandal is a convicted felon. As a young stockbroker in 1991, Felix Sater stabbed a man in a Manhattan bar and was subsequently sentenced to prison and effectively barred from selling securities by the National Association of Securities Dealers. Later, he was implicated in a Mafia-connected stock manipulation scheme in 1998.  Despite that fact, Sater went on to work Donald Trump throughout the 2000s, partnering with him on the scandal-plagued Trump Soho and Fort Lauderdale projects that were the subject of various lawsuits.

Sater is also a former executive of the Bayrock Group, a scandal-plagued real estate firm that worked extensively with the Trump Organization. And as reported in the last 24 hours, on an unsuccessful project in Moscow, Sater advised Trump Organization lawyer Michael Cohen to email Vladimir Putin’s top press aide for help in expediting the […]

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What’s Putin Have On Trump?

“What does Putin have on Trump?” is a question we’ve asked for over a year now. 

The full story still isn’t yet out there, but we now know that during the 2016 election, President Trump was personally involved in pursuing a Russian real estate deal, and that Trump’s aides directly contacted the Kremlin seeking assistance from Vladimir Putin.

Trump and his associates subsequently for months denied any such interactions took place, putting themselves at the mercy of Putin, who knew they were lying to the American public and had the documentation to back it up. In other words, Putin probably has plenty of blackmail material and is likely using this leverage to shape what Trump does in the White House. 

To repeat: a U.S. presidential candidate during the course of the election sought to enlist a foreign government in a business deal to enrich himself, and later, a quid pro […]

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Pence Plays Coy On Russian Collusion, But His Denial Still Doesn’t Hold Up 

Mike Pence tried to play coy when CNN asked the Vice President about communication between the Trump campaign and Russia.  But his evasive, half-hearted denials don’t hold up to scrutiny. The facts that have surfaced about contacts between Trump officials and Russia directly contradict the White House’s ever changing rhetoric, and the Vice President’s denials are impossible to believe. More likely is that he’s knee-deep in the scandal just like other members of the administration, he knows this, and now he’s trying to distance himself.

“Vice President Pence can’t escape the Russia scandal that is rapidly tainting every member of the Trump campaign and White House. Pence can try to brush the evidence aside, but the fact is that he was cheering when Wikileaks published emails stolen by Russian hackers, and as head of the Trump transition, he turned a blind eye to warnings about Michael Flynn. When all […]

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