The Daily 202: Trump's pick to run DOJ criminal division worked for Russia bank
By James Hohmann July 25 at 7:01 AM
THE BIG IDEA: Almost every day, it feels like someone else in the administration’s orbit gets sucked into the Russian vortex. Here’s the latest development:
“President Trump’s nominee to lead the Justice Department’s criminal division, Brian A. Benczkowski, has disclosed to Congress that he previously represented Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest financial institutions, whose owners have ties to President Vladimir V. Putin,” the New York Times’s Charlie Savage and Adam Goldman reported last night. “Alfa Bank was at the center of scrutiny last year over potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia after computer experts discovered data suggesting a stream of communications between a server linked to the Trump Organization and a server linked to the bank. Reports about the mysterious data transmissions fueled speculation about a back channel. The F.B.I. investigated the matter, however, and concluded that the servers’ interactions were not surreptitious exchanges between the campaign and Russia, according to current and former law enforcement officials.”
The decision to take on such a controversial Russian client raises questions about Benczkowski’s judgment that could come up during his confirmation hearing today.
Benczkowski, who helped manage Trump’s transition team for the Justice Department, has signaled that he plans to be evasive when questioned about the specifics of his work for the Putin-linked bank: “(E)thical considerations prohibit me from disclosing confidential legal advice or any other information protected by the attorney-client privilege under any circumstances,” he wrote in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/07/25/daily-202-trump-s-pick-to-run-doj-criminal-division-worked-for-russia-bank/59769c1630fb04367954322c/?utm_term=.118d2b195c84&wpisrc=nl_daily202&wpmm=1
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