1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 1: Now let's get more details on this Bloomberg exclusive. It's 2 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:07,080 Speaker 1: the focus of today's Bloomberg lobraref exploring legal issues in 3 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: the news and Bloomberg Lajos Greg's store and June Grasso 4 00:00:10,360 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: speak with the Bloomberg News reporter Christian Berthelson, who broke 5 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: the story. Give us a sense of just how broad 6 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:22,240 Speaker 1: this investigation into Donald Trump's business dealings seems to be. 7 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,680 Speaker 1: Based on your reporting. Robert Mueller was just appointed a 8 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: little about two months ago to take over the US 9 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 1: inquiry into whether Russia meddled in the presidential election, and 10 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: they're still gathering a lot of various sort of strains 11 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: of inquiry into the president's relationship with Russia and Eastern 12 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: European businesses in general. UM. As part of that, what 13 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: they're looking at are sort of the origins of Trump's 14 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: relationship with Russia and other countries in Eastern Europe. Uh, 15 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: probably to sort of give them a a base from 16 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: which to go forward in understanding uh, the other more 17 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: reinteractions and whether any of them wood to law. Christian, 18 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 1: in your story, according to someone familiar with the developing 19 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: inquiry but not authorized to speak publicly, you say the 20 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:19,600 Speaker 1: roots of Muller's investigation lie in a wide ranging money 21 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: laundering probe launched by former Manhattan US Attorney pre Berrara 22 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: last year. Tell us about that part of it. The 23 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: US Turns Office in New York, under Mr Barrara, initiated 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: an investigation into Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort, looking at 25 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 1: money laundering issues in several different transactions. You know. Mr 26 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: Barra was fired in March, along with forty five other 27 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: U S attorneys around the country who were Obama administration 28 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: and pointees, and that inquiry was then sort of absorbed 29 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: into Mr Mueller's Russia investigation. He was appointed Christian. In 30 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,440 Speaker 1: the interview with The New York Times, the President said 31 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:03,120 Speaker 1: that if Mueller starts looking into business dealings that are 32 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: not connected to Russia, that would be a red line 33 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: for him. Is everything that you've learned about this investigation 34 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: connected to Russia in one we or another. Yeah, definitely. 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: That seems to be, uh, the sort of unifying link 36 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: between all of it. If you look at the letter 37 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,840 Speaker 1: that Rod Rosenstein wrote to a point Mr Mueller, it's 38 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 1: a fairly broad mandate in there. I mean, you know, 39 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: obviously it talks about investigating Russian manipulation of the US 40 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: election last year. But there's also sort of catch all 41 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,639 Speaker 1: language that basically allows the investigation to go wherever it 42 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 1: logically should. But you're right, I mean, Trump's comments to 43 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: The New York Times appeared throw down this gauntlet where 44 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: he's saying, a certain level of Russia inquiry is fine, 45 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: but if you start going into my business dealing sets 46 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 1: off limits, which sort of raises a question of whether 47 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: where this is ultimately going to end in some kind 48 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: of standoff something between them and Christian As far as 49 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 1: Jared Kushner, where does the investigation there go, because there 50 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: was also some questions about the twenty billion dollar investment 51 00:03:12,120 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: in the black Stone Group, which has ties the Christian 52 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: family has tied to, shortly after he negotiated the arm 53 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: sale to Saudi Arabia. So is it going that far? 54 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,119 Speaker 1: We don't know. We we have not heard from our 55 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: sources if that is a part of it. But you know, 56 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: definitely financing of Kushner developments is part of the inquiry 57 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: as well as sort of more back in the main 58 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: about you know, Kushner's contacts with Russians that he first 59 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: did not disclose. Uh, in uh in all of his 60 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: ethics forms and such. This is just one avenue that 61 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: Robert muller is is pursuing, right, What else is he 62 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 1: looking at? More broadly, all the sort of financial transactions 63 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 1: and business dealings are only one part of of what 64 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 1: sounds like a very sort of wide ranging and possibly 65 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: definitive examination of all things related to Russia and the 66 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: election last year. As Bloomberg News reporter Christian Berthelsen speaking 67 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: with the Bloomberg La host Gregg Store and Jim Grasso, 68 00:04:19,920 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: you can listen to Bloomberg Law week days at one 69 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:26,239 Speaker 1: pm Wall Street Time here on Bloomberg Radio Now. Among 70 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: the top legal stories from Bloomberg Law, it's a battle 71 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: involving two of President Trump's most prominent cabinet members. X 72 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: On Mobile is going to court challenge a two million 73 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: dollar fine imposed by the Treasury Department for violating Russian sanctions. 74 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: The alleged violation happened while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson 75 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: was excens CEO. Exxon's complaint names Treasury Secretary Steve Manuchin 76 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: as the lead defendant. There'll be a big payday for 77 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: two whistle blowers in a case involving JP Morgan, they'll 78 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: share a record sixty one million in dollar award. The 79 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: SEC says they helped make the case that JP Morgan 80 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 1: didn't tell wealthy clients it was steering them into investments 81 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: that would be most profitable for the bank. Two former 82 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,360 Speaker 1: Deutsche Bank traders have new ammunition and they're fight against 83 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: federal charges that they rigged interest rates. Matthew Connolly and 84 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: Gavin Black have asked the judge in New York to 85 00:05:21,839 --> 00:05:24,839 Speaker 1: dismiss the charges. A point to an appeal scored ruling 86 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: this week involving former Rabble Bank traders. That ruling makes 87 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: it harder for prosecutors to prove cross border crimes. And 88 00:05:33,320 --> 00:05:35,840 Speaker 1: that's this morning's Bloomberg Labbrary. If you can find more 89 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: legal news at Bloomberg Law dot com and Bloomberg b 90 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,599 Speaker 1: n A dot com. Attorneys will find exceptional legal research 91 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: and business development tools there as well. Visit Bloomberg Law 92 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: dot com and Bloomberg b NA dot com for more 93 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: information