Trump accused of offering cash to late senator on behalf of New England Patriots to stop investigation of team's 'Spygate' scandal

• Late US Senator Arlen Specter launched a probe into the Patriots' 'Spygate' scandal in 2008.
• Specter was reportedly offered campaign cash to stop his investigation.
• Specter's son said Donald Trump is the one who offered the campaign cash.

Donald Trump was accused of trying to influence a 2008 investigation into the New England Patriots' 'Spygate' scandal, according to an ESPN report by Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham.

According to the report, two people close to Republican senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who died in 2012, said Trump offered campaign cash to stop investigating the Patriots' accusation of videotaping opponents' defensive coaching signals.

The NFL ultimately concluded that the Patriots were guilty of taping New York Jets' defensive signals from a prohibited location during a Sept. 9, 2007 game. The league fined Patriots head coach Bill Belichick $500,000, the Patriots $200,000, and took away a 2008 first-round draft pick.

Specter, a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, took issue because the tapes were destroyed and suspected the Patriots used similar surveillance tactics in their Super Bowl XXXIX victory over the Eagles in 2005. Specter launched his investigation into the matter, but it eventually fizzled out.

But shortly after Specter launched his investigation, Trump, who was a mutual friend of Specter and Patriots' owner Robert Kraft, reportedly 'dangled campaign cash' in front of Specter in exchange for him to stop the investigation, according to Specter's son Shanin via ESPN.

"My father told me that Trump was acting as a messenger for Kraft," Shanin Specter said according to ESPN. "But I'm equally sure the reference to money in Palm Beach was campaign contributions, not cash. The offer was Kraft assistance with campaign contributions ... My father said it was Kraft's offer, not someone else's."

"He told me about the call in the wake of the conversation and his anger about it. ... My father was upset when [such overtures] would happen because he felt as if it were tantamount to a bribe solicitation, though the case law on this subject says it isn't. ... He would tell me these things when they occurred. We were very close."

Trump had already contributed a total of $11,300 to Specter's campaign committees since 1983 and even hosted campaign luncheons for him at Trump Tower.

Kraft, who claims to be a lifelong Democrat, has had a friendship with Trump that dates back several years, as Trump was an emotionally supportive presence for Kraft after his wife Myra died in 2011.

Trump also had suspected friendships with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who wrote Trump a heartfelt letter during his initial presidential campaign in 2016. Former quarterback Tom Brady was seen boasting a "Make America Great Again" hat in his Patriots' locker that same year.

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, denied the allegations in the ESPN report.

"This is completely false. We have no idea what you're talking about," Miller told Van Natta and Wickersham.

Kraft also denied allegations to ESPN through a spokesman.

"Mr. Kraft is not aware of any involvement of Trump on this topic, and he did not have any other engagement with Specter or his staff."

Insider has reached out to the Patriots for comment but have not received a response at the time of publication.