Tag: Russia investigation

With Mueller Closing In, Manafort’s Allies Abandon Him

The following article by Kenneth P. Vogel, Sharon LaFraniere and Jason Horowitz was posted on the New York Times website June 7, 2018:

Paul Manafort, Pres. Trump’s former campaign chairman, awaiting trial on charges of violating financial, tax and federal lobbying disclosure laws. Credit:  Yuri Gripas, Reuters

WASHINGTON — The special counsel’s accusation this week that Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, tried to tamper with potential witnesses originated with two veteran journalists who turned on Mr. Manafort after working closely with him to prop up the former Russia-aligned president of Ukraine, interviews and documents show.

The two journalists, who helped lead a project to which prosecutors say Mr. Manafort funneled more than $2 million from overseas accounts, are the latest in a series of onetime Manafort business partners who have provided damaging evidence to Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Their cooperation with the government has increasingly isolated Mr. Manafort as he awaits trial on charges of violating financial, tax and federal lobbying disclosure laws.

Mr. Manafort’s associates say he feels betrayed by the former business partners, to whom he collectively steered millions of dollars over the years for consulting, lobbying and legal work intended to bolster the reputation of Viktor F. Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine. Mr. Manafort has told associates that he believes Mr. Mueller’s team is using the business partners to pressure him to flip on Mr. Trump in a manner similar to the one used to prosecute the energy giant Enron in the early 2000s by a Justice Department task force that included some lawyers now serving on Mr. Mueller’s team. Continue reading “With Mueller Closing In, Manafort’s Allies Abandon Him”

In newly revealed memo, Trump asserts absolute power over Russia probe

The following article by Caroline Orr was posted on the ShareBlue.com website June 2, 2018:

In a letter to special counsel Robert Mueller, Trump’s legal team argues that it’s impossible for the president to commit obstruction — and that even if he did, he could pardon himself.

In a 20-page confidential letter sent to special counsel Robert Muellerand obtained by The New York Times, Trump’s legal team argues that Trump cannot possibly commit obstruction of justice because he has absolute authority over all federal investigations. Continue reading “In newly revealed memo, Trump asserts absolute power over Russia probe”

Trump repeatedly pressured Sessions on Mueller investigation

The following article by Jonathan Swan was posted on the Axios website May 31, 2018:

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

President Trump pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reclaim control of the Russia investigation on at least four separate occasions, three times in person and once over the phone, according to sources familiar with the conversations.

Why it matters: The fact that there were multiple conversations shows that Trump’s pressure on Sessions to stop recusing himself was heavier than previously known. The sustained pressure made several officials uncomfortable, because they viewed it as improper and worry that it could be politically and legally problematic. Continue reading “Trump repeatedly pressured Sessions on Mueller investigation”

Trump bemoans ‘young and beautiful lives’ destroyed by Russia probe

The following article by Mallory Shelbourne was posted on the Hill website May 27, 2018:

President Trump on Sunday said the investigation into Russia’s election interference has “destroyed” and “devastated” lives.

“Who’s going to give back the young and beautiful lives (and others) that have been devastated and destroyed by the phony Russia Collusion Witch Hunt?” the president wrote on Twitter. Continue reading “Trump bemoans ‘young and beautiful lives’ destroyed by Russia probe”

‘Throw the bums out’ of Congress to protect Russia probe, top Democrat says

The following article by Karoun Demirjian was posted on the Washington Post website May 27 2018:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on May 27 defended the FBI from accusations it placed a “spy” in the Trump campaign. (JM Rieger/The Washington Post)

The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee on Sunday called on voters to “throw the bums out” of Congress whom he has accused of trying to help President Trump undermine the special counsel’s Russia probe.

“The only thing that makes this possible is a Congress that is complicit,” Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) said on ABC News’s “This Week,” naming several conservative leaders in the Republican Party and accusing “a weak” Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) of refusing to “stand up for the independence of the Justice Department.” Continue reading “‘Throw the bums out’ of Congress to protect Russia probe, top Democrat says”

President Trump’s fog of ‘scandals’ and outrages about the Mueller investigation

The following article by Glenn Kessler and Meg Kelly was posted on the Washington Post website May 25, 2018:

President Trump has tried to shift public attention from the Russia investigation with outlandish claims but they haven’t slowed the progress. (Meg Kelly/The Washington Post)

“Clapper has now admitted that there was Spying in my campaign. Large dollars were paid to the Spy, far beyond normal. Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history. SPYGATE – a terrible thing!”

— President Trump in a tweet, May 24, 2018

President Trump, in a continuing effort to discredit the criminal investigation into his campaign’s possible links with Russia entities, has now seized on “spygate.” This refers to the news that the FBI obtained information from an informant — Stefan Halper, an emeritus professor at the University of Cambridge — who met with at least three members of Trump’s campaign staff suspected of having links to Russia. Continue reading “President Trump’s fog of ‘scandals’ and outrages about the Mueller investigation”

Giuliani accidentally reveals the real purpose of Trump’s extraordinary Oval Office meeting

the following article by Judd Legum was posted on the ThinkProgress website May 22, 2018:

Latest appointee to Pres. Trump’s legal team, former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani Credit: Tasos Katopodis, Getty Images

“We can’t let our guy go in and be questioned without knowing this.”

On Monday, President Donald Trump summoned Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to the Oval Office and demanded to see documents related to the ongoing investigation of his own campaign.

At issue is the FBI’s use of an informant who communicated with members of the Trump campaign team. Trump has inaccurately described the man, who has been widely reported as Cambridge professor Stefan Halper — a highly regarded veteran of previous Republican administrations — as a “spy.” Continue reading “Giuliani accidentally reveals the real purpose of Trump’s extraordinary Oval Office meeting”

Trump Team’s Mueller Strategy: Limit the Investigation and Attack the Investigators

The following article by Peter Baker was posted on the New York Times website May 21, 2018:

President Trump’s new strategy appears to be aimed at turning the focus away from the conduct of the president to that of his pursuers, while laying out a series of red lines to limit the reach and duration of the Russia investigation. Credit:
Doug Mills/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Frustrated and impatient, fed up with waiting and eager to fight back, President Trump has embarked on what amounts to a two-prong strategy to contain the threat and undercut the credibility of the escalating investigations targeting him and his associates.

The blizzard of Twitter messages combined with a string of public statements by his lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, in recent days seemed aimed at turning the focus away from the conduct of the president or his team to that of their pursuers while laying out a series of red lines to limit the reach and duration of the primary inquiry. Continue reading “Trump Team’s Mueller Strategy: Limit the Investigation and Attack the Investigators”

Secret FBI source for Russia investigation met with three Trump advisers during campaign

The following article by Robert Costa, Carol D. Leonnig, Tom Hamburger and Devlin Barrett was posted on the Washington Post website May 18, 2018:

Carter Page, a former foreign-policy adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, had numerous encounters with an FBI informant in 2016. Credit: Pavel Golovkin, AP

In mid-July 2016, a retired American professor approached an adviser to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign at a symposium about the White House race held at a British university.

The professor took the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Carter Page, whom Trump had named a few months earlier as a foreign policy adviser.

But the professor was more than an academic interested in American politics — he was a longtime U.S. intelligence source. And, at some point in 2016, he began working as a secret informant for the FBI as it investigated Russia’s interference in the campaign, according to people familiar with his activities. Continue reading “Secret FBI source for Russia investigation met with three Trump advisers during campaign”

Judge Slaps Down Paul Manafort’s Challenge to Mueller Indictment: ‘Falls Squarely’ Within His Authority

The following article by Cody Fenwick was posted on the AlterNet website May 15, 2018:

The judge made it clear that the scope of special counsel Robert Mueller’s authority is wide.

U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson on Tuesday denied President Donald Trump’s one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort in his request to dismiss the charges brought against him by the special counsel.

Jackson ordered that Robert Mueller’s authority under the special counsel guidelines is wide enough to cover investigation of Manafort, given he was Trump’s campaign chairman. She cites the instructions drafted for Mueller by Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein, which instruct the special counsel to investigate “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign.” Continue reading “Judge Slaps Down Paul Manafort’s Challenge to Mueller Indictment: ‘Falls Squarely’ Within His Authority”