“Whenever a foreign nation uses its financial wealth to violate the laws of our country, it undermines our democracy,” Schiff said in a statement. The line of inquiry already resulted in one charge: In late August, an American political consultant, W. Samuel Patten, admitted steering $50,000 from a Ukrainian politician to the inaugural committee through a straw donor. Patten pleaded guilty to failing to register as a foreign lobbyist and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. Among those questioned was Los Angeles investor Tom Barrack, a close Trump friend who chaired the inaugural committee. This week, the Wall Street Journal reported that federal prosecutors in New York are examining whether the inaugural committee misspent some of its funds.

Source: Washington Post December 15, 2018 00:33 UTC