Derek Kravitz

Trump Is Finally Almost Done Resigning From His Businesses

President Trump has nearly finished handing over management of his businesses — nearly 100 days after he promised to do so.

Al Shaw
Derek Kravitz
By Al Shaw
And Derek Kravitz
Heavily armed police officers stand guard in the rain outside Trump Tower, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

At a press a conference before he took office, then-President-elect Donald Trump said he had signed paperwork "turning over complete and total control" of his business empire to his sons. His lawyer said the more than 400 businesses would be placed in a trust by Inauguration Day. Now, nearly 100 days later, he's nearly fulfilled this

Read Full Article

Remember Those Temporary Officials Trump Quietly Installed? Some Are Now Permanent Employees

At least five of the new permanent staffers are former lobbyists or consultants now working at the agencies they once sought to influence.

Derek Kravitz
By Derek Kravitz
(Photo: Valeriano DiDomenico/WEF)

Last month, ProPublica revealed that the Trump administration had installed hundreds of political appointees across the federal government without formally announcing them. The more than 400 officials were hired in temporary positions for what the White House calls “beachhead teams.” Government hiring rules allow them to have those positions for

Read Full Article

Trump Can Pull Money From His Businesses Whenever He Wants — Without Ever Telling Us

Previously unreported changes to President Trump’s trust stipulate that it “shall distribute net income or principal to Donald J. Trump at his request.”

Al Shaw
Derek Kravitz
By Al Shaw
And Derek Kravitz
idlib

When President Donald Trump placed his businesses in a trust upon entering the White House, he put his sons in charge and claimed to distance himself from his sprawling empire. "I hope at the end of eight years I'll come back and say, ‘Oh you did a good job,'" Trump said at a Jan. 11 press conference. Trump's lawyer explained that the president

Read Full Article

The Continuing Muddle At A Pro-Trump Political Committee

‘America Comes First’ can’t seem to decide if it’s a PAC or a super PAC, but in either case its federal filings remain problematic.

Robert Faturechi
Derek Kravitz
By Robert Faturechi
And Derek Kravitz
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump

(REPORT) — A political action committee that backed Donald Trump's bid for the presidency is continuing to flout campaign finance laws. Earlier this month, ProPublica reported that the America Comes First PAC had violated the rules by not disclosing the source of its funding before Election Day and by exceeding caps on contribution

Read Full Article

Trump’s Pick For Commerce Secretary May Have The Biggest Conflicts Of Them All

Wilbur Ross has made a fortune in steel — and the Commerce Department will soon make decisions that will affect his firms.

Derek Kravitz
By Derek Kravitz
Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross talks with reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Many of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks are titans of industry with significant potential business conflicts of interest. But there is one in a class by himself: Commerce secretary choice Wilbur Ross. Ross has made a fortune in the steel industry 2014 an industry of which the Commerce Department has significant oversight. Indeed,

Read Full Article

Apple And Others Help Customers Donate To The Red Cross, And Only The Red Cross

Despite yet more evidence of trouble with the Red Cross’ disaster response — this time to floods in Louisiana — Apple, Amazon, T-Mobile, and many others have made the venerable charity the exclusive conduit for helping victims.

Derek Kravitz
By Derek Kravitz
James Hennessy, a Red Cross mental health volunteer from Tallahassee, Florida, takes a photo of Old Jefferson Highway which he was hoping to cross to reach Baton Rouge in Prairieville, La., Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016.

This month's epic flooding in Louisiana, which destroyed roughly 60,000 homes, is the worst natural disaster in the United States since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. And just like after Sandy and other disasters, local officials have been troubled by the Red Cross' response. Louisiana's governor has been so concerned by the charity's relief work

Read Full Article