A quid pro quo scandal involving former White House counselor and alternative facts enthusiast Kellyanne Conway and a firm with ties to right-wing activist Leonard Leo appears to be emerging as certain “transactions” in connection with Trump judicial nominees were revealed this week.
According to a report by Politico, “Leo appears to have helped facilitate the sale of Conway’s polling company in 2017 — as she was playing a key role in advocating for Leo’s handpicked list of Supreme Court candidates.”
The report cites previously unreported financial documents reviewed by government ethics and finance experts.
“The transaction came at a critical moment for Conway — shortly after her ownership of The Polling Company had come under scrutiny from a congressional oversight committee for potential ‘conflicts of interest,’ likely creating pressure to unload it even though its value was unclear because she was its biggest asset and committed to her White House job,” the report states.
Politico revealed that Leo, via one of his dark money groups, “helped finance the transaction between the firm, Creative Response Concepts Inc., and Conway — worth between $1 million and $5 million, according to experts citing the timing of the transactions filed through the same attorney and bank. At the time, CRC was also bringing in millions of dollars from dark money groups to promote Leo’s picks.
“If Leo helped facilitate the transaction, it could violate ethics laws designed to prevent executive branch employees from obtaining benefits from people with whom they interact in their official capacities,” Bruce Freed, president of the nonpartisan Center for Political Accountability, told Politico.
Federal ethics laws prohibit executive branch employees from using their positions for private personal gain and from accepting gifts.
Read the full report at Politico.
