Federal Prosecutors Investigating Trump Inauguration Spending

President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol

A new report from the Wall Street Journal says that federal prosecutors are investigating the expenditures of President Donald Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee. The committee raised $107 million, which was more than double what President Barack Obama raised for his 2009 inauguration. The probe is being led by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office and is in its early stages.

The investigation is looking into whether or not donors gave money in exchange for access to the Trump administration. it is also looking at whether any funds were diverted from the committee, which is considered a non-profit organization. 

The investigation was launched after FBI investigators discovered an audio recording during the raid of President Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen. In the tape, Cohen is reportedly speaking with Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who led WIS Media Partners, an event production company that helped put the inauguration together. She conveyed her concerns with how the committee was spending money, though the Journal report did not provide specific details about her complaints. 

This is not the first time the inaugural committee has come under investigation. In August, Special Counsel Robert Mueller obtained a guilty plea from a consultant who admitted to acting as a "straw purchaser" for a Ukrainian oligarch who wanted to attend the inauguration. It is against the law for foreign individuals to give money to the inaugural committee. 

Photo: Getty Images


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