Dowd Quits

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, L'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

John Dowd has quit as the lead of Trump’s legal team. Dowd’s departure comes days after Trump called for an end to Robert Mueller’s inquiry and days after Dowd said the investigation should end, initially claiming he was speaking for Trump before saying he was only speaking for himself. Trump’s attorneys are in negotiations with the special counsel’s team over … Read More

DO NOT CONGRATULATE

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Russia, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Yeah. Trump is going rogue and it is dangerous: President Trump did not follow specific warnings from his national security advisers Tuesday when he congratulated Russian President Vladi­mir Putin on his reelection — including a section in his briefing materials in all-capital letters stating “DO NOT CONGRATULATE,” according to officials familiar with the call. Trump also chose not to heed talking points … Read More

Trump Can’t Avoid Groping Lawsuit

Ken AshfordSex Scandals, Sex/Morality/Family Values, Stormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Bloomberg: As busy as Donald Trump is being president, he can’t avoid a former “Apprentice” contestant’s defamation lawsuit where he may be forced to respond under oath to allegations of sexual assault and his treatment of women. It’s an issue that flared up during the election campaign and while he’s been president. Trump is separately embroiled in a scandal involving a $130,000 payment to an … Read More

Updates On Cambridge Analytica

Ken AshfordCrime, Cybersecurity, Election 2016, L'Affaire Russe, Local Interest, Social Media & Networking, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

(1)  Score one for the Democrats on the House Intel Committee The whistleblower who publicly revealed how Trump-affiliated data firm Cambridge Analytica used information mined from Facebook under false pretenses during the 2016 election cycle will give an interview to Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee as part of their investigation of Russian interference in the election, including possible ties … Read More

Channel 4 Exposes Cambridge Analytica

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Election 2016, L'Affaire Russe, Social Media & Networking, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The data firm behind Brexit, and the Trump Administration, gets an unflattering expose: Make no mistake — Trump’s digital consultants admit to using bribes and sex workers to entrap political opponents. This segment just aired on Channel 4 in Britain (and loaded up to YouTube) so it is breaking news.  And already, there are repercussions… BREAKING: Channel 4 just announced … Read More

Breaking: Trump To Hire Attorney Who Holds Deep State Conspiracy Theory

Ken AshfordBreaking News, L'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

Oh, this is getting good.  New York Times: MANCHESTER, N.H. — President Trump has decided to hire the longtime Washington lawyer Joseph E. diGenova, who has pushed the theory on television that Mr. Trump was framed by F.B.I. and Justice Department officials, to bolster his legal team, according to three people told of the decision. As seen on TV…. of … Read More

Your Facebook Data, Cambridge Analytica, and Russia: Was There Collusion?

Ken AshfordCybersecurity, L'Affaire Russe, Social Media & Networking, Trump & Administration, Voter Suppression & Voter SecurityLeave a Comment

During an interview on TODAY this morning, Christopher Wylie, a former employee of U.K.-based data analytics company Cambridge Analytica, revealed the company worked with two key Trump campaign aides prior to President Donald Trump’s candidacy. “Cambridge Analytica was meeting with Corey Lewandowski in 2015 before Trump had even announced and offering the services that I’m talking about right now,” Wiley said, referring to Trump’s … Read More

Trump Continues To Tweet Against Probe

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

New York Times headline reads “Newly Emboldened, Trump Says What He Really Feels”.  Fact check: True. For months, President Trump’s legal advisers implored him to avoid so much as mentioning the name of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel, in his tweets, and to do nothing to provoke him or suggest his investigation is not proper. Ignoring that advice … Read More

Stormy Isn’t The Only One

Ken AshfordStormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The Hill: Stormy Daniels’s lawyer said on Thursday that he has been approached by six other women with stories about President Trump similar to that of the adult-film actress. Michael Avenatti cautioned in an appearance on CNN that he had not yet vetted the cases “to any great degree,” but said that at least two of the women have nondisclosure agreements. Daniels, … Read More

Breaking: Mueller Subpoenas Trump Organization for Russia Documents

Ken AshfordBreaking News, L'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

From The New York Times reporting: WASHINGTON — The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization to turn over documents, including some related to Russia, according to two people briefed on the matter. The order is the first known time that the special counsel demanded documents directly related to President Trump’s businesses, bringing the investigation closer to the … Read More

Trump Organization Lawyer Was Involved In Effort To Silence Stormy Daniels

Ken AshfordStormy Daniels & Karen McDougal Affairs, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

An attorney tied to the Trump Organization has been listed on recent documents in arbitration proceedings preventing porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking publicly about her alleged 2006 affair with Donald Trump. The Wall Street Journal’s Michael Rothfeld and Joe Palazzolo report that Jill Martin, a Trump Organization lawyer, is listed on confidential arbitration documents as representing Essential Consultants, LLC, which is the Delaware-based limited liability … Read More

Trump Administration (Finally) Imposes Sanctions On Russia

Ken AshfordL'Affaire Russe, Russia, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

… although the President himself remains mute. The Trump administration announced today it is enacting new sanctions on Russia, including individuals indicted last month by special counsel Robert Mueller, in a sweeping new effort to punish Moscow for its attempts to interfere in the 2016 US election. The measures come a month-and-a-half after the administration missed a congressionally mandated deadline to … Read More