Federal prosecutors subpoenaed Monday President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee for documents related to donors, vendors and overall spending, a sign they are deepening the criminal investigation into the committee and its activities.
A copy of the sweeping subpoena shows prosecutors are seeking every piece of paperwork relating to contractors, bank accounts of the inaugural committee, attendees at a committee event and any information related to foreign contributors, The Washington Post writes.
A presidential inaugural committee can only receive donations from U.S. citizens and legal residents.
“We have just received a subpoena for documents. While we are still reviewing the subpoena, it is our intention to cooperate with the inquiry,” a spokesman for the committee said in a statement.
The subpoena indicates that New York prosecutors are investigating a series of potential crimes, including conspiracy against the US, false statements, mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, inaugural committee disclosure violations, and violations of laws prohibiting contributions by foreign nations.
The subpoena looks specifically into Los Angeles venture capitalist Imaad Zuberi and his investment firm Avenue Ventures LLC. Zuberi donated $900,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee.
However, a spokesman for Zuberi said considering others donated even more, “he is bewildered why” he is named in the subpoena. The spokesman also stressed there were no foreign connections to Zuberi’s donation.
President Trump’s inaugural committee raised twice the amount raised to fund his predecessor’s inaugural, mainly from corporate interests and wealthy Trump supporters, says a filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Much of the committee’s fundraising and operation was headed by Rick Gates, a former senior Trump campaign official who served as a deputy chairman of the inaugural committee. Gates, who pleaded guilty to various charges related to his work with campaign chairman Paul Manafort, testified at Manafort’s trial that he had stolen money from the inaugural committee by submitting false expense reports for his work.
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