While US President Donald Trump is currently undergoing several congressional investigations, including an impeachment inquiry, a new development involving a struggling musician, and electronic music producer and DJ Moby has started to unravel. According to a New York Times piece, the musician named Val Broeksmit, who is the son of former Deutsche Bank executive Bill Broeksmit, has sent over documents to congress that may be integral to the ongoing congressional investigation between the bank and president Trump.
Moby met the younger Broeksmit at a dinner party in Los Angeles, and upon hearing his story, introduced him to Representative Adam B. Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff is leading the investigation into Deutsche Bank who held more more than US$360 million in outstanding loans to Trump during the months prior to his 2016 election.
Deutsche Bank, which is Trump’s largest creditor, also had links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide earlier this year after he was arrested for sex trafficking minors. Epstein had close ties with many powerful figures across the globe, with close ties with former US president Bill Clinton, along with Trump.
Broeksmit who also serves as the frontman of the rock band Bikini Robot Army has been working with journalist David Enrich for several years uncovering several documents related to Deutsche bank’s dealings. This relationship helped Enrich publish several stories, including an article for the Wall Street Journal which uncovered a report from the New York Federal Reserve, which showed that the bank had a “litany” of financial reporting problems.
While Broeksmit had access to information regarding the bank, Enrich also explains that he was skeptical of his motives and demeanor. Broeksmit is a recovering drug addict, and had spent a lot of time trying to get the accounts of his whistle blowing turned into a Hollywood picture.
In addition, Broeksmit had seeked payment for the information regarding Deutsche Bank several times, and even tried to extract money from the House Intelligence Committee, by urging them to hire him as a consultant, however this request was denied. Schiff eventually subpoenaed Broeksmit for the information
As Enrich explained:
“His drug use has sent him reeling between manias and stupors. He has a maddening habit of leaping to outrageous conclusions and then bending facts to fit far-fetched theories. He fantasizes about seeing his story told by Hollywood, and I sometimes wonder whether he’s manipulating me to achieve that ambition. He can be impatient, erratic and abusive.”
While Enrich expressed distrust of Broeksmit he did explain that his information had been corroborated.
“Why do I put up with this?” Enrich began. “Because his trove of corporate emails, financial materials, boardroom presentations and legal reports is credible — even if he is not. (In this article, every detail not directly attributed to Mr. Broeksmit has been corroborated by documents, recordings or an independent source.)”
Photo Credit: Pamela Lin