Lobbyist Tony Podesta under federal investigation

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tony Podesta and the Podesta Group are now the subjects of a federal investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, NBC News reports citing three sources with knowledge of the matter.

Podesta, which guarantees Azerbaijani government’s access to some of the most powerful people in Washington, has been receiving approximately $50,000 per month from the Azerbaijani Embassy, for its service.

Following Aliyev’s Washington trip, the Azeri Embassy rushed to sign another contract with the Podesta Group offering extra $70,000 for “additional services,” Justice Department records revealed then.

The probe of Podesta and his Democratic-leaning lobbying firm grew out of Mueller's inquiry into the finances of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, according to the sources. As special counsel, Mueller has been tasked with investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Manafort had organized a public relations campaign for a non-profit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine (ECMU). Podesta's company was one of many firms that worked on the campaign, which promoted Ukraine's image in the West.

The sources said the investigation into Podesta and his company began as more of a fact-finding mission about the ECMU and Manafort's role in the campaign, but has now morphed into a criminal inquiry into whether the firm violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA.