White House Intervened in Case of Trump's Casino Pal Steve Wynn
Source: The Daily Beast
The move came just before the administration drafted new guidance that could have paid off for the gambling boss, and months before his resignation.
Sam Stein, Lachlan Markay
01.10.19 5:00 AM ET
In the summer of 2017, the Trump White House asked for a meeting with a top official at the Department of Justice to discuss a sensitive legal and administrative matter involving a top Republican donor.
The donor, then-Republican National Committee finance chairman and casino magnate Steve Wynn, was embroiled in litigation involving Obama-era rules governing how companies could distribute tips gathered by their employees. Months after the meeting request, the Trump administration revised those rules to make them far friendlier to employers.
It is unclear why the White House made the request for the meeting with acting Solicitor General Jeff Wall, which was uncovered in a Freedom of Information Act discovery by the group American Oversight and has not been previously reported. Nor is it clear if Wall actually met with White House officials about Wynn’s case. Both the White House and the Department of Justice did not return requests for comment.
Top legal officials of past administrations said it was not uncommon for White House officials to meet with the solicitor general or top DoJ officials to discuss pending business before the courts. But the email still struck legal ethicists as problematic, as it showed the Trump White House eager to keep tabs on litigation directly affecting one of the president’s highest-profile donors.
Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-intervened-in-trumps-casino-pal-steve-wynns-case?ref=home
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many questions that look like they aren't gong to be answered. The ground has been laid for Americans to never learn the entire story..... the gatekeepers will make sure.
