US President Donald Trump shakes Ike Perlmutter, CEO of Marvel Entertainment, hand before signing an executive order at the US Department of Veterans Affairs April 27, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images
House Democrats on Monday accused three Donald Trump associates — including billionaire Marvel Entertainment Chairman Ike Perlmutter — of breaking the law as they used their connection to the former president’s private golf club to shape veterans’ policies for their own benefit.
Perlmutter, attorney Marc Sherman and doctor Bruce Moskowitz — known as the “Mar-a-Lago Trio” — refused to comply with a federal transparency law while secretly influencing the Department of Veterans Affairs during the Trump administration, two Democratic committee chairs said in a press release.
Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, were aware of those efforts, the Democrats alleged, citing newly released documents that include emails from Ivanka’s personal account.
“Bolstered” by their links to Mar-a-Lago, the three men “violated the law and sought to exert improper influence over government officials to further their own personal interests,” said Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano, D-Calif., in a press release.
“The documents we are releasing today shed light on the secret role the Trio played in developing VA initiatives and programs, including a ‘hugely profitable’ plan to monetize veterans’ medical records,” Maloney and Takano said.
They accused the trio of violating transparency rules established by the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
A spokesman for the Department of Justice did not immediately respond when asked if the agency would investigate the Democrats’ allegations. A spokesman for Marvel Entertainment did not immediately respond.
Steve Bannon (L), senior counselor to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, walks with physician Dr. Bruce Moskowitz (R) as they arrive to attend a meeting between Trump and health care leaders at the Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. December 28, 2016.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
ProPublica in August 2018 published an investigation accusing Perlmutter, Sherman and Moskowitz of pushing VA officials toward certain policies with no accountability or oversight and that remained hidden to all but a few agency insiders.
Takano in 2019 announced an investigation and asked then-VA Secretary Robert Wilkie for materials related to the three men.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
