>>> OKAY.
>>> OKAY. FOR THE LONGEST TIME ON THIS
SHOW, RACHEL AND THE TEAM HAVE
BEEN CHASING THIS GUY.
HIS NAME IS DJ ROBBIE DRUMS,
ALSO, THESE FELLOWS WHO CALL
THEMSELVES THE PIANO GUYS.
AND ALSO, THE FRONTMAN OF
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. ALSO, THESE BATON TWIRLERS.
FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS, THIS SHOW
HAS BEEN OBSESSED, OBSESSED WITH
ALL THESE GUYS.
BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW ALL OF THIS, THE
DONALD TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL
INAUGURATION COMMITTEE MANAGED
TO COST $100 MILLION.
THAT’S HOW MUCH THE TRUMP
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE RAISED TO
THROW AN INAUGURATION WITH EMPTY
BLEACHERS, C-LIST ACTS AND
DRAGSTER PARADES.
DRAGSTER PARADES. THEY SPENT MORE THAN DOUBLE WHAT
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA SPENT AT
HIS RECORD-BREAKING INAUGURAL
WHICH WAS FAR BETTER ATTENDED
AND HAD SUPER A-LIST CELEBRITY
ENTERTAINMENT, NO OFFENSE TO THE
BATON TWIRLERS.
BATON TWIRLERS. AND THE TRUMP INAUGURAL
COMMITTEE HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY
OPAQUE ABOUT HOW THEY SPENT ALL
THAT MONEY.
THAT MONEY. THE INAUGURAL COMMITTEE SAYS
THAT THEY’VE DONE AN AUDIT OF
THEIR FINANCES, SS BUT HAVE REFU
TO TELL THE PUBLIC ANYTHING
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. AT LEAST 40 MILLION DOLLARS
RAISED BY THE TRUMP INAUGURAL
COMMITTEE IS STILL UNACCOUNTED
FOR, BUT MAYBE NOT FOR LONG.
LAST NIGHT "THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL" BROKE THE BOMBSHELL
THAT FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ARE
INVESTIGATING WHETHER THE TRUMP
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE MISSPENT
SOME OF THAT $100 MILLION.
AND THEN TODAY "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" PUT ANOTHER SCOOP ON THAT
SUNDAY, REPORTING THAT
PROSECUTORS ARE NOT JUST
INVESTIGATING THE MONEY THAT
WENT OUT OF THE INAUGURAL, BUT
ALSO THE MONEY THAT CAME IN,
WHETHER FOREIGN CONTRIBUTORS
ILLEGALLY FUNNELED MONEY INTO
THE TRUMP INAUGURAL CAMPAIGN.
QUOTE, THE INQUIRY FOCUSES ON
WHETHER PEOPLE FROM MIDDLE
EASTERN NATIONS, INCLUDING
QATAR, SAUDI ARABIA, AND THE
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES USED STRAW
DONORS TO DISGUISE THEIR
DONATIONS TO THE TWO FUNDS.
IN JUST THE LAST 24 HOURS, WE
LEARNED THAT THERE IS AN ACTIVE
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION LOOKING
INTO HOW THE PRESIDENT’S
INAUGURAL COMMITTEE MANAGED TO
RAISE OVER $100 MILLION, AND
WHERE THEY CHOSE TO SPEND IT,
BUT THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE TO LOOK
FAR.
FAR. TODAY WNYC AND PROPUBLICA
DROPPED THIS INVESTIGATION INTO
THE TRUMP INAUGURAL SPENDING,
REVEALING FOR THE FIRST TIME ONE
OF THE PLACES ALL THAT MONEY
WENT WAS, TA-DA, THE TRUMP
ORGANIZATION.
ORGANIZATION. QUOTE, THE INAUGURATION PAID THE
TRUMP ORGANIZATION FOR ROOMS,
MEALS, AND EVENT SPACE AT THE
COMPANY’S WASHINGTON HOTEL,
ACCORDING TO INTERVIEWS AS WELL
AS INTERNAL E-MAILS AND
RECEIPTS.
RECEIPTS. DURING THE PLANNING, IVANKA
TRUMP WAS INVOLVED IN
NEGOTIATING THE PRICE THE HOTEL
CHARGED THE INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
FOR VENUE RENTALS.
A TOP INAUGURAL PLANNER E-MAILED
IVANKA AND OTHERS ON THE
COMMITTEE TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN
THAT THE HOTEL WAS OVERCHARGING
FOR ITS EVENT SPACES, ROARING OF
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THIS IS
AUDITED.
AUDITED. AS THE OFFICE OF THE PEACE NOTE,
IF THE TRUMP HOTEL CHARGED MORE
THAN THE GOING RATE FOR THE
VENUES, IT COULD VIOLATE TAX
LAW.
LAW. WHICH IS NOT GREAT NEWS IF YOUR
LAST NAME IS TRUMP.
THE REPORT ALSO GIVES NEW
DETAILS ABOUT RICK GATES,
REMEMBER HIM?
REMEMBER HIM? RICK GATES WAS THE DEPUTY
CHAIRMAN OF THE INAUGURAL
COMMITTEE AND A LONG-TIME
ASSOCIATE OF PAUL MANAFORT.
HE HAS ALSO PLEADED GUILTY TO
MULTIPLE FELONIES IN ROBERT
MUELLER’S RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
AND IS CURRENTLY AWAITING
SENTENCING.
SENTENCING. RICK GATES HAS ADMITTED THAT HE
PERSONALLY MAY HAVE POCKETED
SOME OF THE MONEY THAT FLOWED
THROUGH THE INAUGURAL COMMITTEE
THAT HE HELPED TO RUN, BUT THE
DETAILS OF HIS INVOLVEMENT IN
THE INAUGURATION HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN A LITTLE CLOUDY, UNTIL NOW.
QUOTE, INAUGURAL WORKERS HAD
OTHER MISGIVINGS.
OTHER MISGIVINGS. RICK GATES, THEN THE DEPUTY TO
THE CHAIRMAN OF THE INAUGURAL
ASKED SOME VENDORS TO TAKE
PAYMENTS DIRECTLY FROM DONORS
RATHER THAN THROUGH THE
COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEE. ACCORDING TO PEOPLE WITH DIRECT
KNOWLEDGE.
KNOWLEDGE. THE VENDORS FELT THE REQUEST WAS
UNUSUAL AND CONCERNING.
SO FEDERAL PROSECUTORS ARE
CURRENTLY PUTTING THE TRUMP
INAUGURAL UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
BECAUSE THEY’RE PEELING APART
THEIR FINANCES TO SEE IF THEY
BROKE THE LAW HEN THEY RAISED
AND SPENT THAT ENORMOUS AMOUNT
OF MONEY.
OF MONEY. WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN THEY REACH
THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION PAYMENTS?
THIS STORY IS QUICKLY BECOMING A