Mr Zeckelman used the small gathering in a private hotel room to pressure Mr Trump for more than six minutes to use his executive power to restrict foreign steel imports to the United States from Asia, a move that will help sales. He also asked Mr. Trump, pressing him for another three minutes during dinner, to reassess highway safety rules, which he said make it difficult for trucks in the United States to move his steel pipes.
The exchange went public as other guests at the dinner included Lev Parnassus and Igor Fruman, who later worked with President Rudolf Giuliani’s personal lawyer and recorded a recording of the dinner during the first discussion of Mr Trump’s impeachment in 2020.
“Let’s say someone is half an hour away from home with his truck for long distances – he literally has to stop on the side of the road and stop,” Mr Zeckelman said at a 2018 dinner, according to the recording. “They can’t go home.”
Mr Parnassus and Mr Fruman were eventually charged with a separate electoral fraud scheme. The $ 325,000 donated to America First Action has already been transferred from the Super PAC to the Treasury Department.
The 2016 Federal Electoral Commission voted unanimously to “prioritize cases involving allegations of foreign influence” and followed in a report to Congress in 2018. The issue has become a growing concern after unlimited donations through super PACs and corporate contributions were allowed. have become legal, making it easier for foreigners to circumvent the rules and make large donations.
The Commission imposed fines of $ 940,000 in 2019 for donations to the Super PAC in support of Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, after concluding that $ 1.3 million in contributions in 2015 were made on behalf of a California company, American Pacific International Capital, were in fact provided in part by two Chinese nationals.
Ms Weintraub said she would be disappointed if America First Action returned the donations to Mr Zeckelmann’s company instead of transferring them to the Treasury, as he would receive more than he paid as a fine. That provision in the agreement was agreed by agency officials and lawyers for Mr Zeckelman, she said, adding that she had raised objections against her.
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