Article by NT Staff
Trump has always surrounded himself with disgraceful individuals. Here are a few examples. This by no means an exhaustive list and may be added to from time to time.
1. Tevfik Arif
He was the owner of the Bayrock Group. One of his associates at Bayrock was Felix Sater, a convicted felon who had ties to Russian intelligence and organized crime. Several Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs, some of whom were sanctioned by the U.S., were linked to Arif according to a 2020 Senate report. The report also suggested that Arif may have been involved in Russian money laundering schemes through his real estate ventures.
When Trump was unable to secure funding for his projects due to numerous bankruptcies and debts, he turned to his friend Arif. He funded Trump’s SoHo hotel condominium building Trump’s restaurant complex in New York City. Arif was arrested for an illegal prostitution ring: only two-eighteen-year-olds and the rest were very young, in which underage girls from Russia and Ukraine took part. This shook the Turkish financial world. His ship was raided by police and special forces.
2. Lev Parnas
Parnas, a broker and a businessman, founded a company called Fraud Guarantee, which claimed to protect investors from fraud. Parnas became an associate of Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump Jr. in 2018 and helped him in his efforts to dig up dirt on Joe Biden. Parnas and his partner Igor Fruman donated money to Republican politicians and committees, hoping to gain influence for their cannabis business.
In October 2019, Parnas and Fruman were arrested at Dulles Airport on charges of violating campaign finance laws. They were accused of using a shell company and a Russian donor to funnel $325,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC called America First Action. In March 2022, he pleaded guilty to defrauding investors in Fraud Guarantee out of more than $2 million. In June 2022, Parnas was sentenced to 20 months in prison for his crimes. He was also ordered to pay $2,322,500 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release. He apologized to his victims and expressed remorse for his actions. He said he lied.
3. Jared Kushner
Kushner is Trump’s son-in-law. Kushner’s real estate company, Kushner Companies, received a $250 million loan from George Soros. The loan was part of a larger refinancing deal that also involved Goldman Sachs and Blackstone Group. Kushner’s brother, Joshua Kushner, is the founder of Oscar Health, a health insurance company that partnered with Pfizer in 2020 to offer Medicare plans. Jared helped facilitate the deal by introducing Oscar executives to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, received a $2 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), in 2002. The PIF is chaired by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who is a close friend. He facilitated a $110 billion arms deal between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in 2017, which included tanks, helicopters, missiles, and radar systems, which fueled the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia also made a $4 billion deal with Trump for a hotel as well.
4. Roy Cohn
He mentored New York City real estate developer and future U.S. President Donald Trump during his early business career. He also mentored Jeffrey Epstein. Throughout Cohn’s career there were accusations of theft, extortion, tax evasion, bribery, blackmail, fraud, perjury, and witness tampering. While on the 1980 Reagan campaign, he befriended Roger Stone and introduced him to Donald Trump. In 1986, a five-judge panel disbarred Cohn for unethical conduct, including misappropriation of clients’ funds, lying on a bar application, and falsifying a will. Cohn once admitted to reporter James Rothstein that he was involved in a scheme to collect compromising information on politicians. During this sit-down, Cohn admitted to Rothstein that he was part of a rather elaborate sexual blackmail operation that compromised politicians with child prostitutes. Cohn taught Trump many of his tactics and strategies, such as attacking opponents, flattering allies, and never admitting wrongdoing. He also influenced Trump’s personal life, such as encouraging him to date younger women, introducing him to his second wife Marla. However, Cohn and Trump had a falling out in 1986, when Cohn was dying of AIDS. Trump distanced himself from Cohn and stopped paying his legal fees.He reportedly refused to take Cohn’s phone calls and sent a letter demanding the return of a rug he had given him.
5. George Nader
Nader was an adviser to Trump’s team on foreign policy regarding the Middle East. He helped arrange Trump’s first trip to Saudi Arabia in 2017 and attended diplomatic meetings between Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon, and officials from Saudi Arabia. Nader was described as a “lifelong pedophile”. Explicit videos depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers were discovered on his phone in January 2018. Nader pleaded guilty to bringing a 14-year-old child into the country in 2000 from the Czech Republic. He also previously pleaded guilty to child pornography charges in 1991 and convicted of sexually abusing minors in 10 different cases in the Czech Republic. Nader also met with Donald Trump Jr, Erik Prince, and Joel Zamel, an Israeli specialist in social media manipulation, in August 2016 to offer help to the Trump campaign in winning the elections. He paid Zamel nearly $2 million after Trump’s victory.
6. Erik Prince
Prince is the founder and former CEO of the security contractor Blackwater, which has been involved in several controversies and scandals, such as the killing of civilians in Iraq. He is the brother of Betsy DeVos, who served as Trump’s Secretary of Education. Trump pardoned four former security contractors—Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard—who had been convicted for their roles in the 2007 killings of Iraqi civilians. The four men were employees of Blackwater, founded by Erik Prince. He also met with Donald Trump Jr. and other associates in 2016 to offer help to the Trump campaign in winning the elections. He used his contacts and influence to solicit funds from wealthy donors, such as Susan Gore, an heiress to the Gore-Tex fortune. In 2007, Blackwater was accused of smuggling weapons into Iraq. Some of the weapons were allegedly used by Kurdish rebels.
In 2009, two Blackwater employees alleged he was involved in murder, fraud, money laundering, tax evasion. He sued them for defamation.
7. Roger Stone
Stone is a longtime friend and adviser of Trump, who encouraged him to run for president as early as the 1980s. He worked on Trump’s casino business as a lobbyist in Washington and organized events for him. Stone was a key witness in the Mueller investigation. He was convicted on all seven counts in November 2019 and sentenced to 40 months in prison in February 2020. However, Trump commuted Stone’s prison sentence in July 2020, just days before he was due to report to jail. During the trial, Stone threatened Randy Credico, a radio host and comedian, sending him multiple texts and emails urging him to either lie to Congress or avoid testifying. He also called him a “rat” and a “stoolie” and threatened to take away his dog. He posted on Instagram a photo of the judge presiding over his case, Amy Berman Jackson, with crosshairs behind her head. He also admitted that the leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, had been helping him with his social media accounts.
8. John Casablancas
Casablancas was the founder of Elite Model Management, one of the world’s leading modeling agencies, and a close friend and business partner of Trump. They both shared an interest in the modeling industry. Trump was a headline sponsor and a judge of Casablancas’s Look of the Year competition, an annual event that launched the careers of many supermodels. In 1991 and 1992, Trump hosted the competition at his Plaza hotel and attended several parties. Casablancas admitted to dating Stephanie Seymour when she was 16 and, and also had affairs with other teenage models. Casablancas once said, “I had prepared for a long meeting with Donald Trump to explain to him why this was going to be a great success.”
9. The Mob
Mob-connected shady operators who lived or worked in Trump Tower in the 80s and 90s, such as Verina Hixon, John Cody, Joseph Weichselbaum, Robert Hopkins, and David Bogatin. They were involved in various crimes, such as fraud, tax evasion, drug trafficking, gambling, and murder. Trump had personal or business ties with some of them and benefited from their activities.
10. Russian Oligarchs
Russian oligarchs and businessmen with alleged links to organized crime or money laundering, such as Felix Sater, Aras Agalarov, Dmitry Rybolovlev, Alexander Torshin, and Oleg Deripaska. They partnered with Trump or his associates in real estate deals, political campaigns, or other ventures. Some of them also had connections to the Kremlin or Russian intelligence agencies.
11. Corrupt Paying Practices
Trump has been sued at least 60 times by individuals and businesses who accuse him of failing to pay for work done at his various properties, such as contractors, employees, lawyers, and brokers. He has been cited 24 times by the Department of Labor for not paying employees minimum wage or overtime pay at his now-defunct businesses, such as the Trump Plaza in Atlantic City and Trump Mortgage LLC.He has faced more than 200 liens filed against him or his businesses by workers and contractors dating back to the 1980s, some of whom claim that he withheld payment even after they completed their work satisfactorily. He has a tendency to engage in lengthy legal battles over small dollar figures, often making settlements that require confidentiality. He also claims that he only reduces or refuses payments if he is not pleased with the quality.
12. Ali Alexander
Ali claimed that he had coordinated with Paul Gosar and Mo Brooks to put pressure on Congress to reject the electoral votes for Joe Biden. He has also said that he had communicated with Donald Trump Jr., a member of Trump’s inner circle, before the rally. Ali recently got busted for sending inappropriate messages to a 15-year-old boy. Alexander issued a statement on his Telegram channel on Friday apologizing for “any inappropriate messages sent over the years.”
13. China
He has received millions of dollars from a lease agreement involving a state-owned bank in China, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which occupies a space in Trump Tower in New York. The bank’s lease is due to expire in October 2023. He has been granted 18 trademarks by the Chinese government in two months in 2018. His daughter Ivanka Trump also received 41 Chinese trademarks from the time she was appointed a White House adviser in March 2017 to April 2019.
14. Gordon Tang
APIC was owned by Gordon Tang and Huaidan Chen, who had ties to the Chinese government and a history of legal troubles. Tang was also a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body to the CCP.
15. Guo Wengui
A Chinese billionaire named Guo Wengui, who fled China in 2014 after being accused of corruption and bribery. Guo became a vocal critic of the CCP and a supporter of Trump, who he met at his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2017. Guo donated $500,000 to a pro-Trump group called Freedom and Prosperity PAC in 2020, which was run by Steve Bannon. Bannon was also arrested on Guo’s yacht in 2020 for allegedly defrauding donors of another group called We Build the Wall.
16. Cindy Yang
A Chinese-American woman named Cindy Yang, who founded a chain of massage parlors in Florida that were linked human trafficking. Yang also ran a business that offered access to Trump and other Republican politicians for Chinese clients. Yang donated $42,000 to Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee for Trump’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee, in 2018. She also posed for photos with Trump and other GOP officials at various events.
17. Felix Sater
Felix Sater, a Russian-born businessman and former Trump associate who helped broker a deal for a Trump Tower in Moscow. He also had ties to Russian intelligence and organized crime, and was involved in a money laundering scheme with a Chinese bank.
18. Alexander Torshin
Alexander Torshin, a former Russian senator and deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia. He was sanctioned by the U.S. for his links to the Kremlin and the Russian mafia. He also had connections to the CCP and met with Chinese officials several times. He allegedly tried to use his influence to arrange a meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin in 2016, and donated $10,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC through an American intermediary.
19. Trent Lott
Trent Lott, a former Republican senator who became a lobbyist for several industries, including defense, energy, and health care. He was hired by Trump to lead his transition team and help him fill key positions in his administration. He also lobbied for foreign governments, such as Turkey and the Democratic Republic of Congo, without registering as a foreign agent.
20. David Urban
David Urban, a former aide to Sen. Arlen Specter who became a lobbyist for defense contractors, pharmaceutical companies, and other corporate clients. He was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign and helped him win Pennsylvania. He also lobbied for Saudi Arabia and Qatar, two rival countries in the Middle East, without disclosing his conflicts of interest. He has collected more than $2.3 million in lobbying fees this year. He represents AdvaMed, the leading trade association for medical device companies, which retains lobbyists who previously worked for Trump.
21. Brian Ballard
Brian Ballard, a longtime lobbyist for Trump’s businesses in Florida who became a fundraiser and bundler for his presidential campaign. He opened a Washington office after Trump’s victory and hired several former Trump officials and allies. He lobbied for foreign governments, such as Turkey, Albania, and the Maldives, as well as domestic clients, such as Amazon, Uber, and private prisons.
22. Scott Gottlieb
Trump hired Scott Gottlieb, a former Pfizer lobbyist, to run the FDA in 2017. Gottlieb was the commissioner of the FDA from May 2017 to April 2019. He resigned from his position and joined the board of directors of Pfizer in June 2019. Gottlieb was criticized for his ties to Pharma and his policies, such as speeding up the approval process and lowering the number of inspections. He lobbied for Pfizer on Twitter and censored a tweet from Dr. Brett Giroir, the acting commissioner of the FDA.
23. Keagan Resler Lenihan
Keagan Resler Lenihan, the chief of staff at the FDA and former senior counselor to the HHS secretary. She ran lobbying efforts for the pharmaceutical company McKesson as senior director of government affairs from 2011 to 2016.
24. Tom Marino
Trump’s nominee for drug czar, Tom Marino, was forced to withdraw after a report highlighted his role in forging legislation that hinders the DEA’s ability to move against drug distributors or pharmacies recklessly dispensing the opioid painkillers.
25. Joe Grogan
Joe Grogan, the head of the White House Domestic Policy Council. He was a lobbyist for Gilead Sciences, a drug company that makes an expensive hepatitis C treatment and a potential coronavirus drug. Trump hired him.
26. Alex Azar
He was the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He was the president of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major drug company, from 2012 to 2017. He oversaw the company’s operations, sales, marketing, and pricing strategies. He increased the prices of several drugs, including insulin, which rose by 345% during his tenure. In that role, he represented the interests of the pharmaceutical industry and lobbied against policies that would lower drug prices.
27. Daniel Best
Trump hired him as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Drug Pricing Reform. He worked for Pfizer for 12 years and recently served as a CVS Caremark vice president.
28. Timothy Clark
Trump hired him as the Senior Advisor to the Secretary. He was President and Founder of Clark Strategy Group, which listed PhaRMA among its clients. Also, he represented pharmaceutical companies Eisai (2014-2018) and Sanofi 2006-2014).
29. Wayne Palmer
Trump hired him as the Senior White House Advisor. He lobbied for Astrazeneca Pharmaceuticals (2008-2011) and Alliance for Healthcare Competitiveness (2014-2016).
30. Robert Wasinger
Trump hired him as senior advisor to the State. He lobbied for Inovio Pharmaceuticals for McGuireWoods Consulting in 2017
31. Stein Erik
Trump hired him as Special Advisor to the Treasury. He lobbied for Eli and Lilly and Company in 2016 and 2017
32. Pharmaceutical Meetings
Here is when Trump met with big pharma lobbyists.
33. Tax Cuts
When Trump met with these executives, his Tax Cut Act made them a fortune. Check it out down below!
34. Woody Johnson
Woody Johnson is a billionaire businessman, the owner of the New York Jets football team, and a friend of Donald Trump. He served as the US ambassador to the UK from 2017 to 2021, during Trump’s presidency. e was reportedly investigated by the State Department for making racist and sexist remarks to staff and for trying to use his position to promote Trump’s personal business interests in the UK.
35. Kenneth Copeland
Kenneth Copeland is a televangelist who was a faith adviser to Donald Trump when he was running for president in 2016. He has also claimed that God has called Trump to the presidency and that he has prophetic insights about his role in the end times. Copeland has spoken at several Trump rallies, including one in Pennsylvania on Nov. 5, 2022. He has also cut into his hand and claims that his blood is the drink of Jesus. Not even kidding.
36. Paula White-Cain
She is a televangelist and the spiritual adviser to Trump. She has been criticized for preaching the prosperity gospel, which claims that God rewards faith with wealth and health. She has also been involved in several scandals, such as divorcing her second husband, being investigated by the Senate for financial misconduct.
37. Mark Burns
He is a pastor and a co-founder of the Trump Evangelical Advisory Board. He has been exposed for lying about his biography, claiming to have served in the Army Reserve, graduated from North Greenville University, and being a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He has also been accused of plagiarism, tax evasion, and inciting violence against Trump’s opponents.
38. Pfizer
Negotiated with Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla to secure 100 million doses of the vaccine for the US, with an option to buy another 500 million. Trump lashed out at the FDA and Pfizer for announcing the vaccine’s efficacy after the 2020 election, accusing them of being part of the “medical deep state” that tried to sabotage his chances of winning. He praised Pfizer for developing the vaccine without any money from the US government, as part of his Operation Warp Speed initiative.
Trump also claimed he was the Father of the Vaccine.
39. William McGinley
William McGinley, former deputy assistant to President Trump, lobbied for Combat Medical Systems, which received $408 million to produce ventilators.
40. Dan Brouilette
He appointed Dan Brouillette, a former energy lobbyist, as his energy secretary in 2019. Brouillette is now the president and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a lobbying group for electric utilities.
41. Andrew Wheeler
He nominated Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2019. Wheeler has been accused of rolling back environmental regulations and favoring the interests of the fossil fuel industry.
42. Corey Lewandowski and Barry Bennett
For his 2020 reelection bid, he hired campaign managers Corey Lewandowski and Barry Bennett. Lewandowski and Bennett run a lobbying firm called Avenue Strategies, which has clients such as Oracle, T-Mobile, and the government of Qatar. Lewandowski reportedly grabbed a reporter and bruised her arm. Lewandowski has been alleged to have had affairs outside his marriage.
43. Dave Tamasi
He consulted with Dave Tamasi, a lobbyist for the Republican National Convention 2020, which was originally planned to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina, but was moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and then scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.Tamasi is also a partner at Chartwell Strategy Group, a lobbying and consulting firm that has clients such as Pfizer, Boeing, and Comcast.
44. Yossi Cohen
Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, has a close relationship with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who reportedly helped broker the normalization deals between Israel and several Arab countries in 2020
45. Mossad
Trump’s former associate and mentor, Roy Cohn, was a lawyer for several Mossad-linked figures, such as Adnan Khashoggi, Robert Maxwell, and Meyer Lansky.
46. Adnan Khashoggi
Trump’s former yacht, Trump Princess, was purchased from Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi arms dealer and Mossad asset who was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal.
47. Bradley Bailey
He hired Bradley Bailey, a former lobbyist for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), as his assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the Department of the Treasury.
48. Billionaires
He has received donations from several billionaires who have been accused of corruption, tax evasion, or fraud, such as Sheldon Adelson, Steve Wynn, Robert Mercer, and Bernard Marcus.
49. Eliyahu Weinstein
Trump pardoned Eliyahu Weinstein, who is now convicted of bilking 150 people out of their investments inside of another Ponzi scheme.
50. Rod Blagojevich
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he had commuted the prison sentence of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office in 2009 on corruption charges, and pardoned former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik. A federal spokesman said Tuesday night that Blagojevich had been released and was no longer in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Blagojevich, 63, was sentenced in 2011 to 14 years in federal prison on corruption charges related to his solicitation of bribes in an attempt to “sell” the Senate seat Barack Obama left open after he was elected president.