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Adam Klasfeld | Print and Online Journalism
Among the most influential journalists of his beat, Adam provides the “best legal writing inside the courtroom” (MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell) and insights that are “always so smart and on the money” (MSNBC’s Katie Phang). For more than a decade, he’s covered the top stories and court cases from state, federal and military courts across the United States, including former President Donald Trump’s criminal and civil cases, the Jan. 6 docket, the Jeffrey Epstein saga, the Chelsea Manning court-martial and more.
The Epstein Docket
One of the most visible reporters covering the Jeffrey Epstein saga, Adam narrated trial coverage of his ex-girlfriend turned accomplice in the Starz documentary "Who Is Ghislaine Maxwell?" He reported on every wrinkle of the Epstein and Maxwell prosecutions for Courthouse News and Law&Crime, appearing as a guest on international news networks to share his insights.
That coverage continued through Epstein survivors' numerous lawsuits, including those against Prince Andrew, JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank, for allegedly engaging in or enabling the abuse.
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Jeffrey Epstein-related lawsuit against JPMorgan unsealed, revealing ‘Snow White’ messages with former top exec (Law&Crime)
International Money Laundering
The biggest money laundering scheme to Iran ever charged in U.S. history played out in a federal courthouse in New York and involved a gold trader named Reza Zarrab, known as the "Turkish Gatsby." Helping break through a media blackout inside Turkey, Adam's live coverage of a case highlighted the conspiracy's ties to Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — and the Trump administration. (Rudy Giuliani and ex-attorney general Michael Mukasey briefly represented Zarrab and lobbied Washington for his release.) Partnering with the international investigative journalism collective OCCRP, his journalism penetrated criminal enterprises and exposed strange geopolitical bedfellows across continents.
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Behind Trump's Turkish 'bromance': Lev Parnas, oligarchs and a lucrative lobbying deal (NBC News)
Turkish Tycoon, Trump Fundraiser and Ex-CIA Chief Involved in 2018 Attempt to Free U.S. Pastor Held in Turkey (OCCRP)
In the Age of Trump, Judge Reflects on D’Souza and the ‘New Rudy’ (Courthouse News)
Trump's First Impeachment: Ukraine
Over the course of President Donald Trump's impeachment, Adam's investigations and questions to lawmakers made waves on Capitol Hill. Mapping dozens of political donations by two central figures in the scandal — Rudy Giuliani’s associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — his coverage explained how prosecutors believe the duo illicitly funneled money through joint fundraising committees and super-PACs. His grilling of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy about his ties to Parnas and Fruman caught the attention of both the New York Times and Washington Post, which cited his exchange in separate stories.
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Indicted Giuliani Ally Has Money-Tied Republicans Seeking Cover
The Mueller Investigation
Over the course of then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigation, Adam became a go-to source for breaking news about the prosecution of President Donald Trump's personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen. CTV News invited me to discuss Cohen's three year sentence, and the Washington Post, Politico, The Daily Beast, and other outlets cited my live-coverage of the proceedings. After the Mueller report's release, MSNBC invited him on Lawrence O'Donnell's "The Last Word" to analyze the mystery criminal referrals it contained live on the air, and then brought me back on weeks later for an update on a federal court fight over congressional subpoenas of Trump's Deutsche Bank records.
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