Catchin’ Trump’s Secret Deals Outta Da Country Since 2017″ 🌍🔎💼
Da special counsel stay lookin’ at former Presiden’ Trump’s handling of dem classified documents and went serve one subpoena to Trump Organization fo’ get records related to seven different countries. 🕵️♂️📚📋
Da federal prosecutors wey stay handling da investigation into how Mr. Trump wen deal with classified documents wen go subpoena fo’ information about Mr. Trump’s business dealings in foreign countries from da time he wen take office, according to two guys who stay in da know about da situation. 🌐💵🏛️
Still stay unclear what da prosecutors wen hope fo’ find by sending da subpoena to Mr. Trump’s company, da Trump Organization, or when it wen come out. But da subpoena suggest dat investigators stay throwin’ one wider net than we thought befo’ as they check if he wen break da law by taking sensitive government materials with him afta he left da White House and then neva fully comply with da demands fo’ give dem back. 🤷♂️🔍📝
Da subpoena — drafted by da office of da special counsel, Jack Smith — wen look fo’ details on da Trump Organization’s real estate licensing and development dealings in seven countries: China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, da United Arab Emirates and Oman, according to da people who know about da matter. Da subpoena wen look fo’ da records fo’ deals reached since 2017, when Mr. Trump wen swear in as president. 🗂️🌍🏛️
Da Trump Organization wen promise no make any kine foreign deals while he was in da White House, and da only such deal Mr. Trump is known fo’ make afta dat was with one Saudi-based real estate company to license its name to one housing, hotel, and golf complex dat going be built in Oman. He wen make dat deal right befo’ he announced his third run fo’ president last fall. 🏡🏨⛳🤝
Da push by Mr. Smith’s prosecutors fo’ get more info on da former president’s foreign business was part of a subpoena — previously reported by The New York Times — that wen get sent to da Trump Organization and wen look fo’ records related to Mr. Trump’s dealings with a Saudi-backed golf venture known as LIV Golf, which stay holding tournaments at some of his golf clubs. (Mr. Trump’s arrangement with LIV Golf was reached well after he removed documents from the White House.) 🏌️♂️🇸🇦⛳💼
All togetha, da subpoena’s demand fo’ records related to da golf venture and other foreign ventures since 2017 suggest dat Mr. Smith stay looking if get any connection between Mr. Trump’s deal-making abroad and da classified documents he wen take with him when he left office. 🌍💼📝💡
Still unclear what kine material da Trump Organization wen give in response to da subpoena or if Mr. Smith wen get any separate evidence dat support dat theory. But since da start of their investigation, prosecutors wen try fo’ understand not only what kind materials Mr. Trump wen take from da White House, but also why he might have taken them with him. 🕵️♂️📚💭
Among da government documents they wen find in Mr. Trump’s possession was some related to Middle Eastern countries, according to one guy who stay familiar with Mr. Smith’s work. And when da F.B.I. wen execute one search warrant in August 2022 at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, among da items they wen recover was material related to President Emmanuel Macron of France, according to court records. 🏜️🔍📚🇫🇷
A spokesman for Mr. Trump neva reply to emails looking for comment. A Trump Organization spokeswoman neva immediately respond to one request for comment. 📨🤐🚫
Mr. Trump always wen argue dat da documents belong to him and that he no need give them back to da government. When da Justice Department wen subpoena him last year fo’ turn over any classified documents, he wen ask his lawyers if he need to comply with da demand, according to one guy with knowledge of da discussion. They wen tell him he had to. 📝🔒🏦👩⚖️
Since it wen become public dat Mr. Trump had hundreds of classified documents at his private properties, including Mar-a-Lago, in early 2022, people close to him have said that he often referred to da boxes of material that federal officials wanted back as “mine.” 🏝️📦📚🔒
Dis month, Mr. Trump wen say something similar during a televised town hall event on CNN, declaring that he knowingly took government records from the White House when he left. He wen further claim that he was allowed fo’ do so because he considered da documents to be his personal property. 📺🏛️🗃️🔏
“I wen take da documents; I’m allowed to,” Mr. Trump said during da town hall, saying at one point that he had “da absolute right” to take control of government records under da Presidential Records Act. That law, enacted in 1978 afta da Watergate scandal, gave control of presidential records to da government itself — not to individual presidents. 📜🔐🏦🚫
Mr. Trump’s comments about da records being his personal property was in line with advice he was said to have received from Tom Fitton, da head of da conservative group Judicial Watch, who has given testimony to prosecutors investigating the case, according to people familiar with their conversations. 🗣️📢🎙️💬
While finding out why Mr. Trump wen hold on to certain documents could help Mr. Smith, it no necessarily be required in proving dat Mr. Trump willingly kept possession of national defense secrets or dat he obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to get da materials back. Those two potential crimes have long been at da heart of da government’s documents investigation. 🧐🔎💼🕵️♂️
Mr. Smith also stay checking Mr. Trump’s efforts to hang on to power afta he lost da November 2020 election to President Biden, an inquiry that includes what role he may have played in starting da violence that wen break out at da Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 🗳️🇺🇸👊💥
One third part of Mr. Smith’s investigation is focused on Mr. Trump’s efforts to use claims of investigating election fraud to raise money. Mr. Trump raised tens of millions of dollars in small increments from donors as he aired allegations about election fraud that wen eventually debunked. 💰💸👥🚫
Mr. Smith’s team still stay bringing witnesses to the grand jury in connection with that matter. One witness dis week is William Russell, one aide to Mr. Trump who worked for him in da White House and who was paid by Mr. Trump’s political action committee, Save America, where most of the money raised went. 👥🏛️💸📚
Mr. Trump was recently indicted in Manhattan, where prosecutors accused him of covering up a sex scandal during the 2016 election, and is under investigation by a prosecutor in Georgia over his effort to overturn the election results there. 🗽⚖️🔎🏛️
NOW IN ENGLISH
🌍🔎💼 Catching Trump’s Secret Deals Abroad Since 2017
The special counsel is investigating former President Trump’s management of classified documents, issuing a subpoena to the Trump Organization for records associated with seven different countries. 🕵️♂️📚📋
Federal prosecutors overseeing the investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents have subpoenaed information about Mr. Trump’s business dealings in foreign countries during his tenure in office, according to two individuals knowledgeable about the situation. 🌐💵🏛️
It remains unclear what the prosecutors hoped to discover by issuing the subpoena to Mr. Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, or when it was made public. The subpoena, however, suggests that investigators are casting a wider net than previously thought, examining if he broke the law by taking sensitive government materials with him upon leaving the White House, then failing to fully comply with requests to return them. 🤷♂️🔍📝
The subpoena, drafted by the office of the special counsel, Jack Smith, sought details on the Trump Organization’s real estate licensing and development dealings in seven countries: China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman, according to individuals familiar with the matter. The subpoena requested records for deals reached since 2017, when Mr. Trump was inaugurated as president. 🗂️🌍🏛️
The Trump Organization pledged not to engage in any foreign deals during his time in the White House, and the only such deal Mr. Trump is known to have made after that was with a Saudi-based real estate company to license its name to a housing, hotel, and golf complex to be built in Oman. He brokered this deal just before announcing his third run for president last fall. 🏡🏨⛳🤝
The effort by Mr. Smith’s prosecutors to gather more information on the former president’s foreign business was part of a subpoena previously reported by The New York Times. It was sent to the Trump Organization and sought records related to Mr. Trump’s dealings with a Saudi-backed golf venture known as LIV Golf, which holds tournaments at some of his golf clubs. (Mr. Trump’s arrangement with LIV Golf was made well after he removed documents from the White House.) 🏌️♂️🇸🇦⛳💼
Collectively, the subpoena’s demand for records related to the golf venture and other foreign ventures since 2017 suggest that Mr. Smith is investigating any connection between Mr. Trump’s deal-making abroad and the classified documents he took with him when he left office. 🌍💼📝💡
It’s unclear what material the Trump Organization provided in response to the subpoena or if Mr. Smith has obtained any separate evidence that supports that theory. But since the start of their investigation, prosecutors have attempted to understand not only what materials Mr. Trump took from the White House, but also why he might have taken them with him. 🕵️♂️📚💭
Among the government documents found in Mr. Trump’s possession were some related to Middle Eastern countries, according to someone familiar with Mr. Smith’s work. And when the F.B.I. executed a search warrant in August 2022 at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida, among the items they recovered was material related to President Emmanuel Macron of France, according to court records. 🏜️🔍📚🇫🇷
A spokesman for Mr. Trump did not reply to emails seeking comment. A Trump Organization spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 📨🤐🚫
Mr. Trump has consistently argued that the documents belong to him and that he is not required to return them to the government. When the Justice Department subpoenaed him last year to turn over any classified documents, he asked his lawyers whether he needed to comply with the demand, according to someone with knowledge of the discussion. They advised him that he did. 📝🔒🏦👩⚖️
Since it became public in early 2022 that Mr. Trump had hundreds of classified documents at his private properties, including Mar-a-Lago, those close to him have said that he often referred to the boxes of material that federal officials wanted returned as “mine.” 🏝️📦📚🔒
This month, Mr. Trump made a similar assertion during a televised town hall event on CNN, declaring that he knowingly took government records from the White House when he left. He went further to claim that he was allowed to do so because he considered the documents to be his personal property. 📺🏛️🗃️🔏
“I took the documents; I’m allowed to,” Mr. Trump said during the town hall, claiming at one point that he had “the absolute right” to take control of government records under the Presidential Records Act. This law, enacted in 1978 after the Watergate scandal, assigned control of presidential records to the government — not to individual presidents. 📜🔐🏦🚫
Mr. Trump’s comments about the records being his personal property were in line with advice he was said to have received from Tom Fitton, the head of the conservative group Judicial Watch. Fitton has given testimony to prosecutors investigating the case, according to people familiar with their conversations. 🗣️📢🎙️💬
While determining why Mr. Trump retained certain documents could assist Mr. Smith, it isn’t necessarily required to prove that Mr. Trump intentionally kept possession of national defense secrets or obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to retrieve the materials. These two potential crimes have long been at the core of the government’s documents investigation. 🧐🔎💼🕵️♂️
Mr. Smith is also examining Mr. Trump’s attempts to hold onto power after he lost the November 2020 election to President Biden. This inquiry includes investigating his potential role in inciting the violence that erupted at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. 🗳️🇺🇸👊💥
A third aspect of Mr. Smith’s investigation is focused on Mr. Trump’s efforts to fundraise off claims of investigating election fraud. Mr. Trump raised tens of millions of dollars in small increments from donors as he aired allegations about election fraud that were eventually debunked. 💰💸👥🚫
Mr. Smith’s team continues to bring witnesses before the grand jury in connection with this matter. A witness this week is William Russell, a former aide to Mr. Trump who worked for him in the White House and who was paid by Mr. Trump’s political action committee, Save America, where most of the money raised was directed. 👥🏛️💸📚
Mr. Trump was recently indicted in Manhattan, where prosecutors have accused him of concealing a sex scandal during the 2016 election, and is under investigation by a prosecutor in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the election results there. 🗽⚖️🔎🏛️
