On the heels of the sentencing filings from the Special Counsel’s Office regarding Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, Trump couldn’t stay away from Twitter to voice his displeasure — and multiple false claims that the investigation has turned up no proof of wrongdoing by him.
All year, Trump tweeted about the cost of the investigation — as though that should have any bearing on whether or not it’s completed. He simultaneously suggests that an investigation — no matter the cost — should be done into whether Democrats colluded.
A.P. has just reported that the Russian Hoax Investigation has now cost our government over $17 million, and going up fast. No Collusion, except by the Democrats!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 1, 2018
AFTER TWO YEARS AND MILLIONS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS (and a cost of over $30,000,000), NO COLLUSION!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2018
…..who is being totally protected by his best friend, Bob Mueller, & the 13 Angry Democrats – leaking machines who have NO interest in going after the Real Collusion (and much more) by Crooked Hillary Clinton, her Campaign, and the Democratic National Committee. Just Watch!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2019
The only Collusion with the Russians was with Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee…And, where’s the Server that the DNC refused to give to the FBI? Where are the new Texts between Agent Lisa Page and her Agent lover, Peter S? We want them now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2019
But just over a month ago, Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel team of prosecutors filed new paperwork in federal court lodging their hold on convicted Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s homes and properties.
The document listed both his home in the Hamptons and, perhaps worryingly for Donald Trump himself, Manafort’s condo inside Trump Tower in Manhattan. That was the location of the FBI raid that produced evidence that bolstered the breadth and scope of the charges that were brought against the former pro-Russian lobbyist who laundered millions through shady accounts unrepentantly for years.
The action also means that for an unspecified period of time, Robert Mueller will control part of Donald Trump’s building, a space that could potentially be used for government action including warranted surveillance or data analysis — a move that could make Trump just nervous enough to crack.
The seizures are part of “the broader forfeiture” in Manafort’s plea deal, according to NPR’s Carrie Johnson, which includes a third home in New York and one in Virginia, as well as four bank accounts and a large life insurance policy.
According to the filing, Mueller took control of the Hamptons home and the Trump Tower condo on or just after October 20th, 2018.
The total of the forfeiture Manafort has been ordered to pay is nearly $50 million. That’s a heck of a lot more than the $30 million Trump is complaining about.
Featured image via screen capture
