Tag: Trump obstruction of justice

George Conway Suggests New Donald Trump Tweet May Break The Law

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway and her husband George Conway Credit:  Pablo Martinez, Monsivals, AP Photo

Kellyanne Conway’s husband was criticizing the president for his fawning praise of Roger Stone.

President Donald Trump tweeted praise of his longtime adviser Roger Stone on Monday, after Stone had declared that he would never testify against the president.

The rest of the internet ― and especially George Conway ― groaned.

Over the weekend, Stone said on ABC’s “This Week” that there was “no circumstance” under which he would testify in the special counsel’s ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, “because I’d have to bear false witness” against Trump.

Trump admits he was thinking about the Russia investigation when he appointed controversial acting AG

When asked his thoughts on the attorney general situation, Trump brought up Robert Mueller’s investigation totally unprompted.

When President Donald Trump firedAttorney General Jeff Sessions a day after the midterm elections and replaced him with former U.S. attorney and DOJ chief of staff Matthew Whitaker, there was an unspoken but obvious reason for his decision. It was telegraphed by Whitaker’s long history of opposing special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia, calling it a “witch hunt” and warning that any probe into the Trump family finances was a “red line.”

So it was remarkable when Trump, in a Thursday interview with the right-wing Daily Caller, came out and said it directly.

“Could you tell us where your thinking is currently on the attorney general position?” asked Daily Caller reporters Saagar Enjeti and Benny Johnson.

View the complete November 15 article by Matthew Chapman on the AlterNet.org website here.

Sessions out at Justice Department

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned as the top Justice Department official at President Trump’s request, a development that is likely to spark a firestorm of criticism following the midterm elections.

The decision punctuates months of criticism by President Trump of his top law enforcement officer over his recusal from the ongoing Russia investigation. And it confirms widespread speculation that Trump would move to fire Sessions sometime after the midterms.

Sessions agreed to resign at Trump’s request, according to a copy of his resignation letter obtained by The Hill.

View the complete November 7 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

‘Two easy wins now in doubt’: Trump renews attack on Sessions

The following article by Josh Dawsey was posted on the Washington Post website September 3, 2018:

Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais, Associated Press

President Trump attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Justice Department on Monday in connection with the indictments of two GOP congressmen on corruption charges, saying they could hurt the Republican Party in the midterm elections.

“Two long running, Obama era, investigations of two very popular Republican Congressmen were brought to a well publicized charge, just ahead of the Mid-Terms, by the Jeff Sessions Justice Department,” he said on Twitter. “Two easy wins now in doubt because there is not enough time.”

“Good job Jeff……” he added, in a sarcastic comment. Calling the agency the “Jeff Sessions Justice Department” is the president’s ultimate insult, Trump advisers say.

View the complete article here.

Trump revokes John Brennan’s security clearance

The following article was posted on the Axios website August 15, 2018:

Credit: William B. Plowman, NBC, NBC NewsWire via Getty Images

President Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan due to “erratic conduct and behavior,” according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders at today’s press briefing.

Why it matters: Sanders said that Trump was using his “constitutional authority” as president to revoke Brennan’s clearance — something that has never been done before, according to Lawfare. Trump is also “evaluating action” regarding the current and former clearances of several other former intelligence and law enforcement officials like James Comey, James Clapper, Michael Hayden, Sally Yates, Susan Rice, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page, and Bruce Ohr.

The timing: The decision comes one day after Brennan responded to Trump’s infamous tweet calling former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman a “dog” with a tweet of his own: “It’s astounding how often you fail to live up to minimum standards of decency, civility, & probity. Seems like you will never understand what it means to be president, nor what it takes to be a good, decent, & honest person. So disheartening, so dangerous for our Nation.”

View the complete article here.

As Trump threatens to get more involved at Justice Department, its alums push back

The following article by Matt Zapotosky was posted on the Washington Post website April 26, 2018:

Former deputy attorney general Sally Yates, fired by Trump for refusing to defend his first travel ban, said the president’s attacks on the Justice Dept. are “beyond unprecedented,” and voters should take them into account in deciding whether he should be reelected in 2020. Credit: Steven Senne/AP

As President Trump threatens to reshape the Justice Department’s leadership and demolish its tradition of independence from politics, department alums are fighting back with increasing vigor — signing petitions, holding public events and taking direct aim at a man they fear will do lasting damage.

On Thursday, Trump suggested in a television interview he might increase his involvement with the Justice Department, which is exploring the conduct of his personal lawyer and overseeing the special counsel investigation into whether his election campaign coordinated with Russia. Continue reading “As Trump threatens to get more involved at Justice Department, its alums push back”

Trump says he would speak to Mueller under oath in Russia investigation

The following article by Josh Dawsey, David Nakamura and Devlin Barrett was posted on the Washington Post website January 24, 2018:

President Trump said on Jan. 24 that he is “looking forward” to being questioned by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. (Video: David Nakamura/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

President Trump said Wednesday he is “looking forward” to testifying under oath to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III as part of the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election while also mounting a preemptive defense of potential obstruction accusations.

“I would love to do it, and I would like to do it as soon as possible,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I would do it under oath, absolutely.” Continue reading “Trump says he would speak to Mueller under oath in Russia investigation”

Trump’s lawyer: the president can’t obstruct justice. 13 legal experts: yes, he can.

The following article by Sean Illing was posted on the Vox website January 5, 2018:

“Dowd’s argument is the last refuge of a scoundrel, and it would lead us down a path to despotism.”

The Trump administration has reportedly seen an unprecedented rate of first-year staff departures. (Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

A bombshell New York Times report suggests that President Donald Trump ordered the White House counsel to try to prevent Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

The report is the latest indication that the president might have obstructed justice in Mueller’s ongoing probe.

Last month, however, President Trump’s lawyer, John Dowd, argued that the president cannot be guilty of obstruction of justice because he’s the president. The “president cannot obstruct justice because he is the chief law enforcement officer [under the Constitution’s Article II] and has every right to express his view of any case,” Dowd told Axios’s Mike Allen. Continue reading “Trump’s lawyer: the president can’t obstruct justice. 13 legal experts: yes, he can.”

Trump Pressed Top Republicans to End Senate Russia Inquiry

The following article by Maggie Haberman and Alexander Burns was posted on the New York Times website November 30, 2017:

Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, is chairman of the Intelligence Committee, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Credit Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump over the summer repeatedly urged senior Senate Republicans, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to end the panel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, according to a half dozen lawmakers and aides. Mr. Trump’s requests were a highly unusual intervention from a president into a legislative inquiry involving his family and close aides.

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, the intelligence committee chairman, said in an interview this week that Mr. Trump told him that he was eager to see an investigation that has overshadowed much of the first year of his presidency come to an end. Continue reading “Trump Pressed Top Republicans to End Senate Russia Inquiry”