US prosecutors investigate Ukrainians who attended Trump's inauguration
Those under investigation are all prominent businessmen and politicians in Ukraine with pro-Russian views.
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US President Donald Trump at his inauguration ceremony on January 21, 2017. Photo:New York Times. |
At least 10 influential Ukrainian politicians and businessmen traveled to Washington to attend the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in 2016. Some even spent tens of thousands of dollars on tickets to special, exclusive events organized by the Trump Presidential Inaugural Committee, according toNew York Times.
Evidence of Ukrainians’ presence at the inauguration nearly two years ago has drawn the attention of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. The Ukrainian businessmen and politicians are believed to have come to Washington to attend the inauguration to promote negotiations related to Russian interests, including the lifting of sanctions on Moscow.
Federal prosecutors have questioned witnesses about how the Ukrainians gained access to inauguration events and what they discussed, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Last month, prosecutors asked witnesses to provide information about illegal lobbying involving Ukraine. Whether foreigners from Ukraine or other countries used front donors to contribute money to the inaugural committee is also under scrutiny.
The lawyer representing Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman who is accused of receiving millions of dollars to lobby for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine, accidentally revealed on January 8 that Manafort had discussed a Ukraine-Russia peace plan with a business partner believed to have ties to Russian intelligence.
In Ukraine, a lawmaker with close ties to President Petro Poroshenko accused opposition politicians of spending up to $200,000 on tickets to Trump’s inauguration. Serhiy Kivalov, a pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker who posted photos of President Trump dancing at the inauguration night party, refused to answer questions about how he got the tickets. Borislav Bereza, a Ukrainian lawmaker who posted photos of himself at Trump’s ball, said he got free tickets from someone “with connections in Illinois.”
