Tag: Russiagate

Despite Concerns About Blackmail, Flynn Heard C.I.A. Secrets

The following article by Matt Apuzzo, Matthew Rosenberg and Adam Goldman was posted on the New York Times website June 20, 2017:

Mike Pompeo, center, the C.I.A. director, at the Capitol to brief members of the House Intelligence Committee last month. Credit Al Drago/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Senior officials across the government became convinced in January that the incoming national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, had become vulnerable to Russian blackmail.

At the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — agencies responsible for keeping American secrets safe from foreign spies — career officials agreed that Mr. Flynn represented an urgent problem.

Yet nearly every day for three weeks, the new C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, sat in the Oval Office and briefed President Trump on the nation’s most sensitive intelligence — with Mr. Flynn listening. Mr. Pompeo has not said whether C.I.A. officials left him in the dark about their views of Mr. Flynn, but one administration official said Mr. Pompeo did not share any concerns about Mr. Flynn with the president. Continue reading “Despite Concerns About Blackmail, Flynn Heard C.I.A. Secrets”

Trump is struggling to stay calm on Russia, one morning call at a time

The following article by Ashley Parker and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website June 23, 2017:

President Trump has a new morning ritual. Around 6:30 a.m. on many days — before all the network news shows have come on the air — he gets on the phone with a member of his outside legal team to chew over all things Russia.

The calls — detailed by three senior White House officials — are part strategy consultation and part presidential venting session, during which Trump’s lawyers and public-relations gurus take turns reviewing the latest headlines with him. They also devise their plan for battling his avowed enemies: the special counsel leading the Russia investigation; the “fake news” media chronicling it; and, in some instances, the president’s own Justice Department overseeing the probe. Continue reading “Trump is struggling to stay calm on Russia, one morning call at a time”

At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine

The following article by Rosalind S. Helderman, Tom Hamburger and Rachel Weiner was posted on the Washington Post website June 19, 2017:

Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, walks the floor at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland on July 21, 2016. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

In August, as tension mounted over Russia’s role in the U.S. presidential race, Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, sat down to dinner with a business associate from Ukraine who once served in the Russian army.

Konstantin Kilimnik, who learned English at a military school that some experts consider a training ground for Russian spies, had helped run the Ukraine office for Manafort’s international political consulting practice for 10 years.

At the Grand Havana Room, one of New York City’s most exclusive cigar bars, the longtime acquaintances “talked about bills unpaid by our clients, about [the] overall situation in Ukraine . . . and about the current news,” including the presidential campaign, according to a statement provided by Kilimnik, offering his most detailed account of his interactions with the former Trump adviser. Continue reading “At height of Russia tensions, Trump campaign chairman Manafort met with business associate from Ukraine”

Prospect of Trump firing Mueller keeps becoming more untenable

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve was posted on the Washington Post website June 16, 2017:

THE BIG IDEA: If Donald Trump thought he could intimidate Bob Mueller, he thought wrong.

Robert S. Mueller III in 2012. Credit J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

A person who spoke with Trump on Tuesday told the New York Times that the president was pleased by the intentional ambiguity of his position on firing Robert S. Mueller as special counsel, “and thinks the possibility of being fired will focus the veteran prosecutor on delivering what the president desires most: a blanket public exoneration.”

If the president truly believes this, he fundamentally misunderstands what motivates the former FBI director – who has stood up to previous administrations and never swayed under political pressure. Continue reading “Prospect of Trump firing Mueller keeps becoming more untenable”

Trump lashes out at Russia probe; Pence hires a lawyer

The following article by John Wagner and Ashley Parker was posted on the Washing Post website June 15, 2017:

President Trump has repeatedly lashed out with insults to defend himself as the Russia investigation unfolds. His latest attacks on Twitter appear to confirm he’s being investigated for obstruction of justice. (Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

A heightened sense of unease gripped the White House on Thursday, as President Trump lashed out at reports that he’s under scrutiny over whether he obstructed justice, aides repeatedly deflected questions about the probe and Vice President Pence acknowledged hiring a private lawyer to handle fallout from investigations into Russian election meddling.

Pence’s decision to hire Richard Cullen, a Richmond-based lawyer who previously served as a U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, came less than a month after Trump hired his own private lawyer. Continue reading “Trump lashes out at Russia probe; Pence hires a lawyer”

Mueller Seeks to Talk to Intelligence Officials, Hinting at Inquiry of Trump

The following article by Michael S. Schmidt and Matt Apuzzo was posted on the New York Times website June 14, 2017:

Robert S. Mueller III in 2012. Credit J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel examining Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, has requested interviews with three high-ranking current or former intelligence officials, the latest indication that he will investigate whether President Trump obstructed justice, a person briefed on the investigation said on Wednesday.

Mr. Mueller wants to question Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency; and Richard Ledgett, the former N.S.A. deputy director.

None of the men were involved with Mr. Trump’s campaign. But recent news reports have raised questions about whether Mr. Trump requested their help in trying to get James B. Comey, then the F.B.I. director, to end an investigation into the president’s former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn. Last week, Mr. Coats and Admiral Rogers declined to answer questions before Congress about the matter. Continue reading “Mueller Seeks to Talk to Intelligence Officials, Hinting at Inquiry of Trump”

Senate overwhelmingly votes to curtail Trump’s power to ease Russia sanctions

NOTE:  There are concerns that the U.S. House won’t address this bill. If this is a concern, please contact Rep. Erik Paulsen.

The following article by Karoun Demirjian and Anne Gearan was posted on the Washington Post website June 14, 2017:

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow Congress to block any efforts by the president to scale back sanctions against Russia, and to strengthen those sanctions in retaliation for Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 election and its actions in Syria.

The vote of 97 to 2 is a sharp rebuke to President Trump’s posture on Russia and his resistance to the intelligence community’s assessment that the country was behind efforts to influence the election he won. Continue reading “Senate overwhelmingly votes to curtail Trump’s power to ease Russia sanctions”

Trump’s son seems to confirm Comey’s account of the president’s comments on the Flynn investigation

The following article by Jenna Johnson was posted on the Washington Post website June 11, 2017:

Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of the Trump Organization, announces that the company is launching a new hotel chain June 5 in New York. (Kathy Willens/AP)

Soon after former FBI director James B. Comey testified that President Trump told him that he “hoped” the FBI would drop its investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the president’s personal lawyer flatly denied that accusation and said Trump “never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone.”

But Donald Trump Jr. — the president’s eldest son — seemed to confirm Comey’s version of events in a Saturday interview on Fox News as he tried to emphasize the fact that his father did not directly order Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Continue reading “Trump’s son seems to confirm Comey’s account of the president’s comments on the Flynn investigation”

Trump friend floats possibility of firing special counsel in Russian probe

The following article by John Wagner was posted on the Washington Post website June 13, 2017:

President Trump is calling it a “witch hunt,” lawmakers are applauding it and the Justice Department says it’s in the “public interest,” but what can the newly appointed special prosecutor really do and can he still be fired? Here are four things to know. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

A friend of Donald Trump on Monday raised the politically explosive possibility that the president could take action to fire Robert S. Mueller III, the recently appointed special counsel tasked with looking into Russian meddling in last year’s election and potential collusion with the Trump campaign.

“I think he’s considering perhaps terminating the special counsel,” Christopher Ruddy said during an appearance on PBS’s “NewsHour.”  “I think he’s weighing that option.” Continue reading “Trump friend floats possibility of firing special counsel in Russian probe”

cs D.C. and Maryland sue President Trump, alleging breach of constitutional oath

The following article by Aaron C. Davis was posted on the Washington Post website June 12, 2017:

Attorneys general for D.C. and Maryland filed a lawsuit against President Trump on June 12, alleging that he violated anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution by retaining ownership of his company as president. (Video: Amber Ferguson,Jenny Starrs/Photo: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

Attorneys general for the District of Columbia and the state of Maryland sued President Trump on Monday, alleging that he has violated anti-corruption clauses in the Constitution by accepting millions in payments and benefits from foreign governments since moving into the White House.

The lawsuit, the first of its kind brought by government entities, centers on the fact that Trump chose to retain ownership of his company when he became president. Trump said in January that he was shifting his business assets into a trust managed by his sons to eliminate potential conflicts of interests. Continue reading “cs D.C. and Maryland sue President Trump, alleging breach of constitutional oath”