As far back as 2016, officials at Deutsche Bank — which has loaned more than $2 billion to Donald Trump over the past decade — noticed some unusual activity on accounts held by Donald Trump and his son-and-law, Jared Kushner, according to a blockbuster new report from The New York Times:
“Anti-money laundering specialists at Deutsche Bank recommended in 2016 and 2017 that multiple transactions involving legal entities controlled by Donald J. Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, be reported to a federal financial-crimes watchdog.
“The transactions, some of which involved Mr. Trump’s now-defunct foundation, set off alerts in a computer system designed to detect illicit activity, according to five current and former bank employees. Compliance staff members who then reviewed the transactions prepared so-called suspicious activity reports that they believed should be sent to a unit of the Treasury Department that polices financial crimes.”
Those reports were never filed with federal investigators, perhaps because the top brass at the German bank feared losing the two men as customers.
Keep in mind that Deutsche Bank paid $630 million worth of penalties in 2017 for a $10 billion Russian money-laundering scheme that involved its Moscow, New York and London branches.
Yes, Russian money-laundering. Which makes you wonder exactly how much of that money was washed through real estate projects owned by Trump and/or Kushner. After all, that scandal dates to almost exactly the same time as the reports from bank investigators that suggested Trump and his son-in-law had strange activity on their accounts.
This latest report from the Times is certain to draw the attention of the New York Attorney General’s office and various congressional committees:
“Congressional and state authorities are investigating that relationship and have demanded the bank’s records related to the president, his family and their companies. Subpoenas from two House committees seek, among other things, documents related to any suspicious activities detected in Mr. Trump’s personal and business bank accounts since 2010, according to a copy of a subpoena included in a federal court filing.
“Mr. Trump and his family sued Deutsche Bank in April, seeking to block it from complying with the congressional subpoenas. The president’s lawyers described the subpoenas as politically motivated.”
All of this suggests that neither Trump or Kushner are in the clear, despite not having been indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. And following the money could also provide evidence that will help determine whether or not Trump is impeached before the 2020 election is held.
For now, this latest revelation proves that Trump’s finances are indeed his Achilles’ heel. That’s why he’s trying so desperately to try and keep them hidden.