Tag: Mueller investigation

The lies that Mueller has already documented

Former FBI director Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election Credit: Andrew Harnik, AP

To date, the investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination with President Trump’s campaign has resulted in criminal charges against 33 individuals and three companies. Of those 33 individuals, six are U.S. nationals, 25 are Russian, one is Ukrainian and one is Dutch. Of the six U.S. nationals, five had some direct association with Trump’s campaign — with the addition on Thursday of Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen.

All five have admitted criminal liability in some form or another. All five — Cohen, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates, former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former campaign adviser and national security adviser Michael Flynn — have agreed to cooperate with the Mueller probe to some extent. Four are awaiting sentencing. One is currently serving time in prison.

For the most part, the charges faced by the non-Russian individuals stem from having made false statements to federal investigators or, in the case of Cohen, to Congress. In the cases of Gates and Manafort, the plea agreements include admissions of guilt on these charges because they are relatively minor compared to other charges they faced.

View the complete November 30 article by Philip Bump on The Washington Post website here.

Watergate’s John Dean Explains How Trump Planned Sessions’ Firing ‘Like a Murder’ — And Details How Mueller Could Protect the Probe

Trump’s move on Wednesday was both predictable and shocking.

John Dean, President Richard Nixon’s White House counsel who eventually turned against his boss in the Watergate scandal, has a unique perspective on investigations of presidents.

After President Donald Trump announced the firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, to be replaced by a person who had been publicly critical of the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, Dean called in to CNN to give his opinion.

Dean said the firing of Sessions was “planned like a murder. I say that given that the president was asked a question at the press conference this morning, he brushed it off, said ‘We’ll deal with it later.’ And he’s clearly been thinking about it — and ‘later’ meant he’s not necessarily going to fire Mueller, he’s going to undercut him by the people around him.”

View the complete November 7 article by Cody Fenwick on the AlterNet.org website here.

Want to Know More About: Deputy Director Rod Rosenstein?

Jonathan Karl On Rod Rosenstein’s Relationship With President Trump, “We’re Told The Two Men Spoke For 45 Minutes Aboard Air Force One. Unclear How Much They Discussed Those Reports, Or The Russia Probe, Which Rosenstein Oversees.” DAVID MUIR: “Jon, President Trump was joined on Air Force One today by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Everyone at home likely remembers Rosenstein’s fate had been uncertain after The New York Times first reported that he once allegedly wanted to secretly record the president, even reportedly discussed potentially removing him through the 25th amendment. What are you learning about the conversation today?” JONATHAN KARL: “We’re told the two men spoke for 45 minutes aboard Air Force One. Unclear how much they discussed those reports, or the Russia probe, which Rosenstein oversees. But the bottom line is this, David, after the meeting, Rosenstein was not fired, in fact, the president said he plans on making no changes. And when asked about the conversation, he said, ‘We had a really good talk. We actually get along.’” [World News Tonight, ABC, 10/8/18; VIDEO]

Cecilia Vega On Trump’s Statements Regarding Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s Credibility, “We’ve Seen A Full Arc Here From Him Saying That Christine Blasey Ford Was Credible To That Stunning Moment Overnight Where He Declared Justice Kavanaugh Innocent. That Did Not Happen. The Judge Was Not Declared Innocent.” GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: “The justice now striking the right notes now, of course, very different from his confirmation hearings. What the president wants is for everybody to remember Kavanaugh 30 days from now at the midterms.” CECILIA VEGA: “We’ve seen a full arc here from him saying that Christine Blasey Ford was credible to that stunning moment overnight where he declared Justice Kavanaugh innocent. That did not happen. The judge was not declared innocent. The president said outright yesterday this is going to help him. The fight for Kavanaugh will help republicans in the midterms this is a political line for him I do not think will go away any time over the next few weeks.” [Good Morning America, ABC, 10/8/18; VIDEO]

Want to Know More About: The Mueller Investigation

John Avalon: “The Whole Point Of The Trump Team’s Legal Strategy Has Been To Influence The Court Of Opinion, To Run Down Mueller For Months And To Presumably Have Trump Benefit From That. It Does Not Seem To Have Worked.” JOHN AVALON: “I think what’s significant about these piping hot fresh poll numbers is the whole point of the Trump team’s legal strategy has been to influence the court of opinion, to run down Mueller for months and to presumably have Trump benefit from that. It does not seem to have worked. Impressions of Robert Mueller have improved over that period of time on his handling of the Russian probe.That to me is the starkest thing. The stated strategy of the Trump team in playing the public? Not working.” [New Day, CNN, 9/12/18; Video]

John Avalon: “Impressions Of Robert Mueller Have Improved Over That Period Of Time On His Handling Of The Russian Probe. That To Me Is The Starkest Thing. The Stated Strategy Of The Trump Team In Playing The Public? Not Working.” JOHN AVALON: “I think what’s significant about these piping hot fresh poll numbers is the whole point of the Trump team’s legal strategy has been to influence the court of opinion, to run down Mueller for months and to presumably have Trump benefit from that. It does not seem to have worked. Impressions of Robert Mueller have improved over that period of time on his handling of the Russian probe.That to me is the starkest thing. The stated strategy of the Trump team in playing the public? Not working.” [New Day, CNN, 9/12/18; Video] Continue reading “Want to Know More About: The Mueller Investigation”

Manafort associate pleads guilty to illegal lobbying

The following Morgan Chalfant and Lydia Wheeler was posted on the Hill website August 31, 2018:

Courtroom sketch of Paul Manafort listening to U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III at federal court in Alexandria. Credit: Dana Verkouteren, AP

Sam Patten, a former associate of Paul Manafort, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to illegally acting as a foreign agent and is now cooperating with the government.

Patten was charged with failing to register as a foreign agent in the United States.

The charges are related to Patten’s work lobbying on behalf of a political party in Ukraine, known as the Opposition Bloc, according to the criminal information document federal prosecutors filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday.

View the complete article here.

Donald Trump’s approval rating sinks to lowest of his presidency

The following article by Joanna Walters was posted on the Guardian website August 31, 2018:

New survey shows first time the national displeasure rating has exceeded 50%, and a majority of support for Mueller’s Russia investigation

Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Indiana. Credit: Mandel Ngan, AFP, Getty Images

Donald Trump has slumped to the lowest approval rating of his presidency, with 60% disapproving of his performance as the US president, according to a new national survey.

The figure includes 53% who say they disapprove strongly of his performance in the White House, the first time the national displeasure rating has exceeded 50%, according to a new ABC/Washington Post poll published on Friday morning.

The poll also found that a majority support the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and think Trump should not fire the attorney general, Jeff Sessions.

View the complete article here.

Manafort verdict strengthens Mueller’s hand for round two

The following article by Lydia Wheeler was posted on the Hill website August 26, 2018:

It could be deja vu when Paul Manafort suits up for his second court battle next month.

Legal experts say that federal prosecutors, fresh off a victory this past week in Virginia, stand a good chance of securing a second conviction in Washington, D.C., with more evidence and more damning charges against Trump’s former campaign chairman brought by special counsel Robert Mueller‘s legal team.

Manafort is facing seven criminal charges, including conspiracy to launder money and failing to register as a foreign lobbyist in the trial slated to start Sept. 17.

View the complete article here.

New York Prosecutors Can Go After Trump Now, Even If Mueller Won’t

The following article by David Cay Johnston was posted on the DCReport.org website August 24, 2018:

Michael Cohen’s Guilty Plea Opens the Door to State Criminal Charges for Trump, His Company and His Kids

Robert F. Kenney Department of Justice Building Washington, DC Credit: Wally Gobetz via Flickr

Michael Cohen’s admission today in federal court that he committed felonies at the direction of Donald Trump exposes the president to criminal prosecution in New York State, an angle the mainstream news organizations have all missed.

State prosecution is a critical concern because Trump has the constitutional authority to pardon Cohen, or commute his sentence, for federal crimes. Trump claims he can pardon himself and continue in office.

Trump has claimed the power to fire Robert Mueller, the special prosecutor, or hobble his inquiry, and authority to take over the investigation and even run it himself.

View the complete article here.

Mueller’s ‘speaking indictments’ offer clues to strategy

The following article by Morgan Chalfant was posted on the Hill website August 24, 2018:

Special counsel Robert Mueller has made use of an unusual legal tool that has allowed him to build a narrative about Russian interference in the presidential election while quietly pressing forward with his investigation behind the scenes.

Mueller has made frequent use of “speaking indictments” — a colloquial term used by attorneys and legal experts to describe indictments that go into more detail, and provide more facts, than what is required under law.

“A speaking indictment comes from the idea that the indictment does more than that — it speaks, it tells a story,” said Jack Sharman, a former special counsel to Congress during the Whitewater investigation.

View the complete article here.

Signs grow that Mueller is zeroing in on Roger Stone

The following article by Morgan Chalfant was posted on the Hill website August 13, 2018:

Credit: Seth Wenig, AP Photo

Special counsel Robert Mueller appears to be narrowing his focus on Roger Stone in his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, prompting widespread speculation that the longtime adviser to President Trump is likely a target in the probe.

Stone has long been subject to public scrutiny as a result of his connections to WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0, the hacking persona that Mueller’s team now alleges was a front for Russian intelligence officers.

The focus on Stone has seemed to intensify in recent weeks as Mueller has sought testimony from a growing number of individuals linked to him.

View the complete article here.