Tag: Robert Mueller

House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI

The following article by Kyle Cheney and John Bresnahan was posted on the Politico website December 20, 2017:

The group was born out of frustration over the Justice Department’s refusal to explain how it used a disputed dossier.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who previously had recused himself from the panel’s Russia investigation, arrives ahead of White House Senior Advisor and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s interview on Capitol Hill on July 25. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A group of House Republicans has gathered secretly for weeks in the Capitol in an effort to build a case that senior leaders of the Justice Department and FBI improperly — and perhaps criminally — mishandled the contents of a dossier that describes alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia, according to four people familiar with their plans.

A subset of the Republican members of the House intelligence committee, led by Chairman Devin Nunes of California, has been quietly working parallel to the committee’s high-profile inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. They haven’t informed Democrats about their plans, but they have consulted with the House’s general counsel. Continue reading “House Republicans quietly investigate perceived corruption at DOJ, FBI”

Trump criticizes how Mueller obtained transition emails, says no plans to fire special counsel

The following article by Anne Gearan and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post  website December 17, 2017:

President Trump spoke to reporters on Dec. 17 after special counsel Robert S. Mueller III obtained emails from President Trump’s transition team. (The Washington Post)

President Trump appeared to back the claims of a lawyer for his presidential transition team that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III improperly obtained Trump associates’ emails, saying Sunday that “a lot of lawyers thought that was pretty sad.”

Trump also said he has no plan to fire Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election, including the possibility of coordination with the Trump campaign. Mueller’s investigation has resulted in charges against two people and guilty pleas by two others, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Continue reading “Trump criticizes how Mueller obtained transition emails, says no plans to fire special counsel”

Fox News’ sister outlet just destroyed its whole Mueller smear campaign

The following article by Oliver Willis was posted on the Shareblue Media website December 14, 2017:

Fox News and congressional Republicans have been trying to smear Robert Mueller’s investigation of Donald Trump. But a new Wall Street Journal report destroys their entire case.

© Getty Images

Fox News’ smear campaign against special counsel Robert Mueller just hit a major stumbling block thanks to information unearthed by the Wall Street Journal. Ironically, the conservative Journal is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox.

The Journal reports that FBI agent Peter Strzok, who was removed from the investigation for texts that were critical of Trump, also privately insulted Chelsea Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and former Attorney General Eric Holder. Continue reading “Fox News’ sister outlet just destroyed its whole Mueller smear campaign”

Senior Justice Department official rejects Republican complaints about Russia investigation

The following article by Chris Megerian was posted on the Los Angeles Times website December 13, 2017:

Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein speaks before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. He defended special counsel Robert S. Mueller III from Republican accusations that the investigation into President Trump’s allies was tainted by partisan bias. (Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the investigation into whether President Trump’s team assisted Russian meddling in last year’s campaign, pushed back strongly Wednesday against Republican accusations that the probe is infected with partisan bias and steadfastly defended special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

“The special counsel’s investigation is not a witch hunt,” Rosenstein told a heated House Judiciary Committee hearing, specifically rejecting the phrase that President Trump has used to denounce the case. He said Mueller has managed the case “appropriately.”

Rosenstein also said he would not fire Mueller unless the former FBI director had violated Justice Department guidelines or the law. “If there were good cause, I would act,” he said. “If there were no good cause, I would not.” Continue reading “Senior Justice Department official rejects Republican complaints about Russia investigation”

Focus on Flynn, Trump timeline suggests obstruction is on Mueller’s mind

The following article by Carol E. Lee and Julia Ainsley was posted on the NBC News website December 11, 2017:

WASHINGTON — Special counsel Robert Mueller is trying to piece together what happened inside the White House over a critical 18-day period that began when senior officials were told that National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was susceptible to blackmail by Russia, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.

The questions about what happened between Jan. 26 and Flynn’s firing on Feb. 13 appear to relate to possible obstruction of justice by President Donald Trump, say two people familiar with Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s election meddling and potential collusion with the Trump campaign. Continue reading “Focus on Flynn, Trump timeline suggests obstruction is on Mueller’s mind”

Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies

The following article by Devlin Barrett and Sean Sullivan was posted on the Washington Post website December 6, 2017:

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is shown testifying before a 2013 Senate Intelligence Committee hearing when he was FBI director. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Republican activists and lawmakers are engaged in a multi-front attack on special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s probe of possible connections between associates of President Trump and Russian agents, trying to stop or curtail the investigation as it moves further into Trump’s inner circle.

For months, the president and his allies have been seizing on any whiff of possible impropriety by Mueller’s team or the FBI to argue that the Russia probe is stacked against Trump — potentially building the political support needed to dismiss the special counsel.

Several law enforcement officials said they are concerned that the constant drumbeat of conservative criticism seems designed to erode Mueller’s credibility, making it more politically palatable to remove, restrict or simply ignore his recommendations as his investigation progresses. Continue reading “Republicans hammer Mueller, FBI as Russia investigation intensifies”

Robert Mueller just penetrated the White House gates with Michael Flynn’s guilty plea

The following article by Aaron Blake was posted on the Washington Post website December 1, 2017:

Paul Manafort? He “played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time” on the Trump campaign. The charges against him? They have “nothing to do with the president.”

George Papadopoulos? Just a low-level “volunteer” for the campaign who wasn’t even worth remembering for both President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

These were credulity-straining defenses offered by the White House in the face of charges against Manafort and Papadopoulos. But they’re not going to work now that former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.

In Flynn, we have someone who not only actually served in the White House, but someone for whom Trump clearly maintained a huge affinity even after being forced to fire him. Trump has reportedly rued the day that Flynn forced himself out by misrepresenting his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak — contacts that are at the heart of his guilty plea — and even sought leniency for Flynn from then-FBI Director James B. Comey. While Trump has signaled he might go to war with Manafort, he has handled Flynn with kid gloves from Day One. The polar opposite approaches have been striking. Continue reading “Robert Mueller just penetrated the White House gates with Michael Flynn’s guilty plea”

A Split From Trump Indicates That Flynn Is Moving to Cooperate With Mueller

The following article by Michael S. Schmidt, Matt Apuzzo and Maggie Haberman was possed on the New York Times website November 23, 2017:

WASHINGTON — Lawyers for Michael T. Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, notified the president’s legal team in recent days that they could no longer discuss the special counsel’s investigation, according to four people involved in the case — an indication that Mr. Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors or negotiating a deal.

Mr. Flynn’s lawyers had been sharing information with Mr. Trump’s lawyers about the investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is examining whether anyone around Mr. Trump was involved in Russian efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Continue reading “A Split From Trump Indicates That Flynn Is Moving to Cooperate With Mueller”

Mueller investigating Kushner’s communication with foreign leaders: report

The following article by Brandon Carter was posted on the Hill website November 21, 2017:

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators are looking into White House senior adviser and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his contact with foreign leaders, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Mueller’s team is probing Kushner’s involvement in the controversy surrounding a United Nations resolution passed in December 2016 that condemned Israeli settlement construction. Continue reading “Mueller investigating Kushner’s communication with foreign leaders: report”

Mueller requested DOJ hand over documents related to Comey firing: report

The following article by Olivia Beavers was posted on the Hill website November 19, 2017:

© Getty Images

Special counsel Robert Mueller asked the Justice Department within the past month to turn over a wide array of documents as part of its ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, ABC News reported Sunday.

His team is particularly interested in materials that relate to Trump’s dismissal of former FBI Director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘s decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe earlier this year, a source who was told about the request informed ABC News. Continue reading “Mueller requested DOJ hand over documents related to Comey firing: report”