Probe Expands: Senate Intel Committee Announces Investigation Of Trump For ‘Financial Crimes’

Even if it is eventually proven that Donald Trump did not directly collude with Russian agents to rig the 2016 election, a new front has now opened up in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation of the alleged president, according to Virginia Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the committee.

In an interview with CNN, Warner revealed the committee has now made a formal request to Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the Treasury Department. Specifically, the committee is seeking information regarding the finances of Trump, officials in his administration, and his campaign aides.

Warner told CNN:

“We’ve made a request, to FinCEN in the Treasury Department, to make sure, not just for example vis-a-vis the President, but just overall our effort to try to follow the intel no matter where it leads.”

The Virginia Senator also noted that the committee will be looking at more than just financial ties to Russia, commenting:

“You get materials that show if there have been, what level of financial ties between, I mean some of the stuff, some of the Trump-related officials, Trump campaign-related officials and other officials and where those dollars flow — not necessarily from Russia.”

Until he has seen the information requested from the Treasury Department, Warner said he will not support Trump’s nominee for the Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. And Warner said that went for the chairman of the committee, Richard Burr:

“Chairman Burr and I requested that information — until we get it, I’m not going to support the administration’s nominee for undersecretary of Treasury finance, for terrorism and finance, because they owe us these documents first.”

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also expressed an interest in business dealings Trump might have in countries which are less than friendly to the United States, recalling a question he asked of former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper during a hearing earlier this week:

“I asked Clapper…’Is there any business dealings with the Trump organization that gave you concern?’ And he said, ‘No,’ with a caveat, ‘I don’t know what the FBI is looking at so I don’t want to run afoul with them.’”

Remember the lesson from Watergate: Follow the money.

This article was originally published by the same author at LiberalAmerica.org

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *