NEW: An investigation by @rbccjcbs and I has revealed that in 2017, the son of a $1 million Trump inauguration/RNC donor appears to have used his political access to grant a close ally of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan an audience with the president. citizensforethics.org/turkish-busine…
@rbccjcbs Wadie Habboush, whose father dropped a total of $1 million on Trump's inauguration and the RNC as a first-time donor in January 2017, was at the time the CEO of the Habboush Group, an investment and construction firm based in New York and Istanbul. 
@rbccjcbs After his father made those contributions, Habboush appeared at a lavish inaugural dinner thrown by Tom Barrack. Three weeks after that, he reportedly met with NSC officials and Steve Bannon at the White House to pitch a plan to lift sanctions on Venezuela mic.com/articles/17293…
@rbccjcbs Here's what's new: We've surfaced photos that show Habboush facilitating an interaction between President Trump and Turkish construction magnate Emrullah Turanlı at a GOP donor meeting in March 2017.
Turanlı has stated that "business partners" of his brought him to the event.
Turanlı has stated that "business partners" of his brought him to the event.
@rbccjcbs Turanlı's company, Taşyapı, has participated in at least one joint venture with the Habboush Group, making it seem likely that Habboush was one of those “business partners.” (Another one might be Habboush's father, whose contributions may have gained his son entry to the event.)
@rbccjcbs Why is it noteworthy that Turanlı met with Trump? For one thing, the businessman is known as a close ally of Turkey's president. Leaked tapes appear to implicate Turanlı in a vast corruption scheme linked to Erdoğan's administration. businessinsider.com/corruption-net…
@rbccjcbs As recently as last year, Erdoğan and Turanlı appeared together at a ceremony in which the businessman signed a contract to build a major highway in Serbia, financed in large part by a loan from the Turkish government.
@rbccjcbs So, in short: An American businessman, who has reportedly attempted backroom diplomacy in the past, used access seemingly gained through high-dollar political donations to bring a member of Erdoğan's inner circle to meet with Trump at a GOP event.
But there's one more thing...
But there's one more thing...
@rbccjcbs Taşyapı, the company owned by this Erdoğan ally? It was the original contractor for a major Turkish construction project announced in 2008—a set of buildings known as Trump Towers Istanbul.
Turanlı and Trump must have had plenty to talk about. reuters.com/article/dogan-…
Turanlı and Trump must have had plenty to talk about. reuters.com/article/dogan-…
@rbccjcbs If nothing else, all of this is a striking example of the ethics and security issues that arise when political access is freely distributed to big donors. For more details, read the full report by me and @rbccjcbs: citizensforethics.org/turkish-busine…
