Tag: Trump Russia investigation

Barr appoints special counsel in Russia probe investigation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr has given extra protection to the prosecutor he appointed to investigate the origins of the Trump-Russia probe, granting him authority to complete the work without being easily fired.

Barr told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he had appointed U.S. Attorney John Durham as a special counsel in October under the same federal regulations that governed special counsel Robert Mueller in the original Russia probe. He said Durham’s investigation has been narrowing to focus more on the conduct of FBI agents who worked on the Russia investigation, known by the code name of Crossfire Hurricane.

Under the regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. Continue reading.

Special counsel has thousands of Trump transition emails: report

The following article by Max Greenwood was posted on the Hill website December 16, 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)

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators is in possession of tens of thousands of emails from the Trump transition team, Axios reported Saturday.

Those emails include messages belonging to President Trump‘s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, as well as other members of the transition team’s political leadership and the foreign policy team, according to Axios.

Mueller’s prosecutors reportedly used the emails to question witnesses, and are also looking to the messages to confirm information and follow new leads. Continue reading “Special counsel has thousands of Trump transition emails: report”

Trump Doesn’t Rule Out Pardon for Michael Flynn

The following article by John T. Bennett was posted on the Roll Call website December 15, 2017:

‘There is absolutely no collusion,’ president contends

Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, at podium, and then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attend a campaign event in 2016. On Friday, the president did not rule out a pardon for his former national security adviser. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

President Donald Trump on Friday did not rule out pardoning former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and again contended “there was no collusion” between his campaign and Russia.

“There is absolutely no collusion,” the president said as he left the White House for an address at a graduation ceremony at the FBI Academy. “That has been proven.”

However, the Justice Department’s special counsel has yet to complete an investigation on just that point; the same is the case for the House and Senate Intelligence committees, which are continuing to examine that very matter — despite Trump’s assertion it is a closed matter. Continue reading “Trump Doesn’t Rule Out Pardon for Michael Flynn”