Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration is under investigation by by federal prosecutors in New York for possible financial abuses of the eye-popping $107 million raised by the committee, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
According to the Journal, the probe — which is still in its early stages — is looking into whether the committee took donations from individuals seeking access into the new administration.
The investigation started after federal agents seized materials from Trump’s former longtime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison, the paper said.
TheWrap has not corroborated the Journal’s report.
In April, FBI agents raided Cohen’s office and hotel room looking for evidence in connection with a payment Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said she had an sex with Trump in 2006.
During that raid, FBI agents found a recorded conversation between Cohen and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania Trump, who was hired as an event planner for the inauguration, the Journal reported.
In the recording, the Journal notes, Wolkoff raised concerns about how the committee was spending money.
Trump’s inaugural committee raised a record $107 for the inaugural festivities, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission last April. That’s nearly twice as much as former President Barack Obama’s $55 million for his first inauguration, even though Trump’s inauguration was considered a smaller event with less star power.
The committee identified vendors accounting for $61 million of the $103 million it spent, according to the Journal.
Among the wealthy donors who gave a $1 million or more were casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, AT&T and Boeing. But according to the Journal there are no indications that those donors are under investigation.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.