WTF Just Happened Today

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

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1/ Robert Mueller obtained warrants to search Michael Cohen's emails and cell phones in July, August and November 2017, according to the unsealed search warrant applications. One warrant allowed Mueller's office to search Cohen's emails dating to June 2015 when Cohen still worked for the Trump Organization. In particular, Mueller sought records of any "funds of benefits received by or offered" to Cohen "on behalf of, any foreign government," as well as evidence of efforts "to conduct activities on behalf of, for the benefit of, or at the direction of any foreign government." In February 2018, Mueller's office began referring parts of its Cohen investigation to federal prosecutors in New York, including relevant emails from its warrants. Investigators used the search warrants as the basis for an April 2018 raid of Cohen's office, home, safety deposit box and a hotel room where he had been staying. Cohen ultimately pleaded guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. Mueller was was appointed special counsel in May 2017. (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Politico / CNN / NBC News)

• The prosecutor who handled Michael Flynn's guilty plea has left the special counsel's office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zainab Ahmad is the third senior member of Mueller's team confirmed to leave the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts but hasn’t yet been sentenced. (Politico)

• Rod Rosenstein will stay at the Justice Department "a little longer" despite previously announced that he would leave in mid-March. (NBC News)

2/ Deutsche Bank loaned more than $2 billion to Trump over nearly two decades during his time as a real estate developer at a time when other banks wouldn't lend to him. The bank repeatedly loaned money to Trump despite multiple business-related "red flags," including instances where Trump exaggerated his wealth by an extra $2 billion in order to secure additional loans from the bank. In 2010, Trump returned to Deutsche Bank for $100 million loan, even though it had concluded at the time that Trump had overvalued some of his real estate assets by up to 70%. (New York Times / New York Times / CNBC)

3/ The Supreme Court ruled that the government can detain immigrants indefinitely with past criminal records, even if they were previously released from criminal custody. The ruling provides Trump more authority to arrest, detain and deport immigrants convicted of crimes. (