Carolyn Maloney’s Ball, Taylor Swift’s Ticket Sale, Ye’s Run

Today we look at pop culture icons Taylor Swift, Ye, the Met Gala and Donald Trump.

Rep. Maloney Facing Ethics Investigation Over Met Gala Attendance

“Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) is facing an ethics review over allegations she violated House rules by seeking out a ticket to attend the Met Gala, the star-studded fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art where tickets run for tens of thousands of dollars, the House Committee on Ethics said Monday,” reports Carlie Porterfield.

The Office of Congressional Ethics voted unanimously in June to refer the case to the House committee for further review, saying there was “substantial reason” to believe she solicited or accepted gifts that are not allowed. According to the office’s report, Maloney allegedly made a phone call to a former president of the Met in March 2016 to request a ticket to the upcoming gala after organizers decided not to invite her, which the report says would constitute an improper solicitation (House members may only accept unsolicited offers of free attendance).

Investigators said Maloney may have also tried to solicit an invitation in 2020, pointing to a series of emails between her and a staffer asking if she was invited and how to contact the Met.

Maloney’s office denied the claims in a statement to Forbes, saying Maloney is “confident” the House Ethics Committee will dismiss the matter, adding that she is “disappointed by the unproven and disputed allegations.”

The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion – Arrivals Maloney’s 2021 outfit was inspired by the Equal Rights Amendment.

Getty Images

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Watch: Kanye West Says He’s Running For President In 2024

Your correspondent joined Brittany Lewis in Forbes Newsroom to discuss Kanye West’s 2024 presidential announcement, Live Nation’s PAC amid the Taylor Swift ticket debacle and the ethics review involving outgoing Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

How Donald Trump And His Longtime CFO, Allen Weisselberg, Used Swanky Apartments To Give Their Kids A Head Start In Life

“The Trump Organization is currently on trial in a New York court, charged with ten criminal counts, including conspiracy and fraud stemming from an off-the-books payment scheme. The star witness in the proceedings is Trump’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, who already pleaded guilty to personal charges accusing him of the same crimes. In exchange for the promise of receiving a prison sentence of five months, he agreed to testify in the trial against his longtime employer, taking the stand last week,” reports Dan Alexander:

Weisselberg may have even served an example for Donald Trump, who transferred properties to his children in much the same way that Weisselberg shifted an apartment to one of his kids.

The series of deals started in 2000, when Trump’s moneyman purchased an apartment on the south end of Central Park from Donald Trump for roughly $150,000, apparently about half as much as the place was worth at the time. It remains unclear whether Weisselberg reported the discounted deal as part of his compensation package. His lawyer Nicholas Gravante declined to comment.

Records show that Weisselberg kept the apartment—at least for three years. In 2003, he sold the unit to his son, Jack, who was 25 years old at the time, for a little less than $150,000. Jack Weisselberg borrowed $140,000 from JPMorgan Chase and apparently made a down payment of $8,000 to complete the purchase. It wasn’t much of a risk—the value of the property had increased to an estimated $425,000 by the time Jack bought it. Jack Weisselberg did not respond to a series of questions, including whether he paid any gift taxes related to the 2003 sale. In 2006, the younger Weisselberg offloaded the apartment—this time at market rate—for $570,000, giving him an estimated windfall of $430,000.

Trump then followed suit, adding some sweetener in deals with his own kids.

Allen Weisselberg stands behind the Trump family, in between Donald Trump and his son Don Jr. on January 11, 2017, shortly before the elder Trump moved into the White House.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Continuing Irresolutions

Updates on Checks & Imbalances’ previous reporting

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust and Consumer Rights “will hold a hearing on Ticketmaster and the lack of competition in ticketing markets, after Ticketmaster canceled the general sale of Taylor Swift tour tickets last week amid ‘historically unprecedented’ demand for them, garnering ire from fans and politicians alike,” reports Marisa Dellatto.

Sen. John Ossoff (D-Ga.) is one of the panel’s ten members. In the last election cycle, his campaign and PAC received $45,000 in contributions from employees of Ticketmaster’s parent company, Live Nation. That was the biggest haul of any lawmaker.

*****

Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) latest work fell off the New York Times best-seller list for the week ending Nov. 12. “Justice Corrupted” spent two weeks on the list, debuting at No. 9 before dropping two spots the following week. Both weeks the Times indicated that some book sellers reported receiving bulk orders.

There’s reason to believe Cruz might have been behind a bulk purchase. In the three months after the publication of his last book, “One Vote Away,” his campaign paid retailer Books-A-Million $153,000. Campaign finance reports covering the dates of the latest bulk purchases have yet to be filed.

Watch: Mark Penn Joins ‘Forbes Newsroom’ To Discuss Marketing, Politics, Social Media, And More

Tracking Trump

“Former President Donald Trump’s tax returns will be turned over to the House Ways and Means Committee, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, thwarting Trump’s years-long efforts to shield his tax returns and raising the possibility they could become public as he launches his 2024 presidential campaign,” reports Alison Durkee.

“Trump Family’s Newest Partners: Middle Eastern Governments” (The New York Times)
“Manhattan Prosecutors Move to Jump-Start Criminal Inquiry Into Trump” (The New York Times)
“Trump lawyer backtracks after suggesting he will testify in New York trial to defend his business empire” (Insider)
“Trump’s Jan. 6 supporters feted at his Mar-a-Lago campaign launch” (Politico)
“Ivanka Trump Tried to Dodge Her Court-Appointed Financial Monitor” (The Daily Beast)
“Investment Giant Fortress to Help Fund Kushner Takeover Bid of Rival Property Owner Veris” (The Wall Street Journal)
“A Year After Opening, Donald Trump’s Wine and Whiskey Bar Appears to Be Deserted” (Whiskey Raiders)

Editor’s Picks

“Ethics Watchdog Group Seeks Probes Into Oversight of Officials’ Stock-Trading Conflicts” (The Wall Street Journal)
“Senate Judiciary counsel moves to Meta” (LegiStorm)
“How Republicans Split WinRed Donations” (Decision Desk HQ)
“Interest groups have already spent more on 2022’s private travel than in any election year since 2004” (LegiStorm)
“Tennessee State Senator Pleads Guilty to Campaign Finance Scheme””(Department of Justice)