Tag: Russia investigation

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”

Judiciary Dem Issues Dire Warning: GOP Is Plotting To Let Trump Fire Mueller

The following article by Eric Boehlert was posted on the Shareblue.com website December 13, 2017:

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Republicans who used to be for law and order lashed out at the DOJ and FBI and portrayed them as out of control agencies bent on destroying Trump.

It’s not just the loud mouths on Fox News who are peddling wild conspiracies as they lash out at supposedly dark forces on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team attacking the Trump White House.

An increasing number of Republicans are making it plain that any attempt by Trump to fire Mueller would be fine with them. Continue reading “Judiciary Dem Issues Dire Warning: GOP Is Plotting To Let Trump Fire Mueller”

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”

Senators clash over direction of Russia, Clinton probes

The following article by Jordain Carney was posted on the Hill website December 10, 2017:

President Donald Trump, flanked by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell faces the prospect of the first government shutdown when one party controlled all levers of government. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Partisan tensions are mounting on the Senate Judiciary Committee, with both parties accusing the other of stonewalling.

The panel’s investigation into the 2016 election appears to have hit the skids, with members increasingly fighting over the direction of the probe.

Republicans want to dig back into Obama-era scandals, including the FBI’s handling of its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.

But Democrats say the committee should be focused on potential collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia, as well as the circumstances of former FBI Director James Comey’s firing. Continue reading “Senators clash over direction of Russia, Clinton probes”

As Russia probes progress, one name is missing: Bannon’s

The following article by Darren Samuelsohn was posted on the Politico website December 11, 2017:

People close to the probe say the former campaign and White House strategist will be a key witness for prosecutors and Hill investigators.

Steve Bannon’s name has surfaced a handful of times in the special counsel and congressional investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As special Russia counsel Robert Mueller wraps up interviews with senior current and former White House staff, one name has been conspicuously absent from public chatter surrounding the probe: Steve Bannon.

President Donald Trump’s former White House chief strategist and campaign chief executive played critical roles in episodes that have become central to Mueller’s probe as well as to multiple Hill investigations.

Bannon was a key bystander when Trump decided to fire national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty earlier this month to lying to federal investigators about his contacts with foreign officials. He was among those Trump consulted before firing FBI Director James Comey, whose dismissal prompted Mueller’s appointment — a decision Bannon subsequently described to “60 Minutes” as the biggest mistake “in modern political history.” Continue reading “As Russia probes progress, one name is missing: Bannon’s”

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”

For Trump adviser at center of Russia probe, a rapid rise and dramatic fall in his ancestral land

The following article by Griff Witte was posted on the Washington Post website December 10, 2017:

Greece’s defence minister Panos Kammenos (3rd from left) and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin review an honor guard during an arrival ceremony at the Athens Airport. (Alexei Druzhinin/TASS)

ATHENS — A brass band played, fighter jets streaked the clear blue sky and a red carpet adorned the airport tarmac on the day in May 2016 when Vladimir Putin came to Athens for a visit.

“Mr. President, welcome to Greece,” the Greek defense minister, Panos Kammenos, said in Russian as he smiled broadly and greeted a stone-faced Putin at the base of the stairs from the plane.

Kammenos, a pro-Russian Greek nationalist who bragged often of his insider Moscow connections, would receive a second key visitor that day, but with considerably less fanfare.

Not yet 30 years old, George Papadopoulos had been unknown in Greece — and everywhere else — only two months before. Continue reading “For Trump adviser at center of Russia probe, a rapid rise and dramatic fall in his ancestral land”

Post-ABC poll: Most Americans approve of Trump-Russia probe, and nearly half think Trump committed a crime

The following article by Emily Guskin and Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website November 2, 2017:

More than twice as many Americans approve as disapprove of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of possible coordination between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian government, a new Washington Post-ABC News pollfinds, indicating that the conservative effort to discredit the probe has fallen flat as the case has progressed toward its first public charges.

A 58 percent majority say they approve of Mueller’s handling of the investigation, while 28 percent say they disapprove, the Post-ABC poll finds. People’s views depend in large part on their political leanings, but overall, Americans are generally inclined to trust Mueller and the case he has made so far.

Meanwhile, fewer than 4 in 10 Americans say they believe Trump is cooperating with Mueller’s investigation, while about half believe he is not. Continue reading “Post-ABC poll: Most Americans approve of Trump-Russia probe, and nearly half think Trump committed a crime”