Federal prosecutors question legal fee arrangement in case against former Trump adviser
CNN
Federal prosecutors in New York have asked a judge to inquire about potential conflicts of interest in their case against an employee of Tom Barrack, a former adviser to then-President Donald Trump who is facing federal foreign lobbying charges.
Matthew Grimes, an assistant to Barrack at his company Colony Capital, was charged along with Barrack in July with acting as a back channel for the United Arab Emirates to influence US policy during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and his time in office. Prosecutors with the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York are now raising questions about potential conflicts of interest after learning that Grimes' co-defendant and former boss is paying his legal fees.
In a letter to the judge on Thursday, the prosecutors advised that they had recently learned about the fee arrangement, in which Barrack "has agreed to advance Grimes' legal fees." They asked the judge to inquire with Grimes whether he understands the potential conflict of interest, including whether his' lawyer will provide the best legal advice for him or for Barrack, who is paying his bill.
The man said he was locked in an eight-by-nine-foot room and was fed two sandwiches a day with two cups of water for years, according to a police affidavit in Connecticut.
Pete Buttigieg is expected to forgo a run for Michigan’s open US Senate seat in 2026, according to two people familiar with the former transportation secretary’s plans, setting up a potential presidential bid in 2028.
The ambiguity of the president’s warning could pave the way for lawsuits. It also could be damaging, critics say, if it has the effect of stifling freedom of speech, among the nation’s most fundamental and heralded rights.
New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s decision to not seek reelection marks the latest bit of tough luck for Senate Democrats, who face an increasingly challenging midterm election map as they fight to climb out of the minority.
President Trump’s move to revoke deportation protections for Venezuelans has sparked a sense of betrayal in Doral, Florida, a Miami suburb that is home to more Venezuelan immigrants than any other city in the US.
A month after losing her job at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Corinne Bazarnyj is still waiting to be approved for unemployment benefits.
An explosion on the Texas Tech University campus in Lubbock set off fires and power outages Wednesday, leading school officials to issue evacuation orders for several buildings and cancel classes for the rest of the week.
Tim Walz is headed back out on the road – this time, for a tour of House districts represented by Republicans, some of whom have stopped holding town halls amid the raucous receptions their colleagues have gotten across the country.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has announced a “strategic alliance” to fight organized crime with Erik Prince, the founder of the controversial private defense contractor formerly known as Blackwater.
CNN’s 5 Things PM brings you the stories you might have missed during your busy day.
Indian authorities have arrested a Lithuanian man wanted by the US for allegedly running a $96 billion cryptocurrency exchange that allowed terrorist organizations, drug traffickers and cybercriminals to launder money.
A federal judge on Wednesday halted parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order that targeted a Democratic-linked law firm.
The sister of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was the target of a bomb threat at her home earlier this month in Charleston, South Carolina, police said Wednesday.