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===Trump campaign–Russian meeting===
===Trump campaign–Russian meeting===
{{main|Trump campaign–Russian meeting}}
{{main|Trump campaign–Russian meeting}}
On June 9, 2016, a meeting was held in [[Trump Tower]] in [[New York City]] between three senior members of the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|presidential campaign]] of [[Donald Trump]]{{snd}}Kushner, Manafort, and [[Donald Trump Jr.]]{{snd}}and at least five other people, including Russian lawyer [[Natalia Veselnitskaya]].<ref name=npr071117>{{cite web |title=Donald Trump Jr.'s Emails About Meeting With Russian Lawyer, Annotated |url=http://www.npr.org/2017/07/11/536670194/donald-trump-jr-s-emails-about-meeting-with-russian-lawyer-annotated |website=[[NPR]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref> British publicist [[Rob Goldstone]] had suggested the meeting to Trump Jr., and it was arranged in a series of emails later made public.
Mueller is looking into the meeting on June 9, 2016 in [[Trump Tower]] in [[New York City]] between three senior members of the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|presidential campaign]] of [[Donald Trump]]{{snd}}Kushner, Manafort, and [[Donald Trump Jr.]]{{snd}}and at least five other people, including Russian lawyer [[Natalia Veselnitskaya]], [[Rinat Akhmetshin]], a lobbyist and former Soviet army officer who met senior Trump campaign aides, [[Ike Kaveladze]], British publicist [[Rob Goldstone]] and translator Anatoli Samochornov.<ref name=Prokupecz>{{cite news |first1=Shimon |last1=Prokupecz |first2=Evan |last2=Perez |first3=Pamela |last3=Brown |title=Source: Justice Dept. probe will look at Trump Jr.'s disclosed emails, meeting |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/11/politics/donald-trump-jr-emails-special-counsel/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref><ref name=npr071117>{{cite web |title=Donald Trump Jr.'s Emails About Meeting With Russian Lawyer, Annotated |url=http://www.npr.org/2017/07/11/536670194/donald-trump-jr-s-emails-about-meeting-with-russian-lawyer-annotated |website=[[NPR]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref> Goldstone had suggested the meeting to Trump Jr., and it was arranged in a series of emails later made public. Trump Jr. initially told the press that the meeting was held to discuss adoptions of Russian children by Americans. He added that he agreed to the meeting with the understanding that he would receive information damaging to [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref name=Apuzzo>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/politics/trump-russia-comey.html?_r=0 | title=Trump Told Russians That Firing 'Nut Job' Comey Eased Pressure From Investigation | newspaper=The New York Times | date=May 19, 2017 | last=Apuzzo | first=Matt |authorlink=Matt Apuzzo | accessdate=May 19, 2017}}</ref> Goldstone had stated in his email that the Russian government was involved as part of its support for the Trump campaign.<ref name="I love it">{{cite news |first1=Jo |last1=Becker |first2=Adam |last2=Goldman |first3=Matt |last3=Apuzzo |title=Russian Dirt on Clinton? 'I Love It,' Donald Trump Jr. Said |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/us/politics/trump-russia-email-clinton.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref> Mueller's team is investigating the emails and the meeting,<ref name=Prokupecz>{{cite news |first1=Shimon |last1=Prokupecz |first2=Evan |last2=Perez |first3=Pamela |last3=Brown |title=Source: Justice Dept. probe will look at Trump Jr.'s disclosed emails, meeting |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/11/politics/donald-trump-jr-emails-special-counsel/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref> and whether President Trump later tried to hide the meeting's purpose.<ref name="nbc-mueller-meeting">{{cite news|last1=Ainsley|first1=Julia|last2=Winter|first2=Tom|title=Mueller team asking if Trump tried to hide purpose of 2016 meeting|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mueller-team-asking-if-trump-tried-hide-purpose-trump-tower-n796746|accessdate=29 August 2017|work=NBC News|date=28 August 2017|language=en}}</ref>


The inquiry was confirmed by Kaveladze's attorney, who said Mueller's investigators are seeking information from his client.<ref name=8th-person>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Pamela |title=8th person at Trump Tower meeting identified |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/18/politics/eighth-man-trump-tower-meeting-russia/index.html |work=CNN |date=July 18, 2017 |accessdate=July 18, 2017}}</ref> On July 21, 2017, Mueller asked the White House to preserve all documents related to the Russian meeting in June 2016.<ref name="Bash21">{{cite news|last1=Bash|first1=Dana|title=Exclusive: Mueller asks WH staff to preserve all documents relating to June 2016 meeting|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/21/politics/robert-mueller-russia-investigation-trump-tower-meeting/index.html|accessdate=21 July 2017|issue=July 21, 2017|newspaper=CNN}}</ref>
Trump Jr. initially told the press that the meeting was held to discuss adoptions of Russian children by Americans. He added that he agreed to the meeting with the understanding that he would receive information damaging to [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref name=Apuzzo>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/politics/trump-russia-comey.html?_r=0 | title=Trump Told Russians That Firing 'Nut Job' Comey Eased Pressure From Investigation | newspaper=The New York Times | date=May 19, 2017 | last=Apuzzo | first=Matt |authorlink=Matt Apuzzo | accessdate=May 19, 2017}}</ref> Goldstone had stated in his email that the Russian government was involved as part of its support for the Trump campaign.<ref name="I love it">{{cite news |first1=Jo |last1=Becker |first2=Adam |last2=Goldman |first3=Matt |last3=Apuzzo |title=Russian Dirt on Clinton? 'I Love It,' Donald Trump Jr. Said |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/us/politics/trump-russia-email-clinton.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref> Mueller's team is investigating the emails and the meeting,<ref name=Prokupecz>{{cite news |first1=Shimon |last1=Prokupecz |first2=Evan |last2=Perez |first3=Pamela |last3=Brown |title=Source: Justice Dept. probe will look at Trump Jr.'s disclosed emails, meeting |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/11/politics/donald-trump-jr-emails-special-counsel/index.html |work=[[CNN]] |date=July 11, 2017 |accessdate=July 12, 2017}}</ref> and whether President Trump later tried to hide the meeting's purpose.<ref name="nbc-mueller-meeting">{{cite news|last1=Ainsley|first1=Julia|last2=Winter|first2=Tom|title=Mueller team asking if Trump tried to hide purpose of 2016 meeting|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/mueller-team-asking-if-trump-tried-hide-purpose-trump-tower-n796746|accessdate=29 August 2017|work=NBC News|date=28 August 2017|language=en}}</ref>


The ''Financial Times'' reports that [[Rinat Akhmetshin]], the lobbyist and former Soviet army officer who met senior Trump campaign aides, has given sworn testimony to Mueller's grand jury.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/eb36aed6-8d87-11e7-a352-e46f43c5825d|title=Subscribe to read|website=Financial Times|access-date=2017-08-31}}</ref>
By August 3, 2017, Mueller had impaneled a [[Grand juries in the United States|grand jury]] in the District of Columbia that issued subpoenas concerning the meeting.<ref>{{cite web | last1 = Freifeld | first1 = Karen | last2 = Walcott | first2 = John | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1AJ1SW | title = Grand jury issues subpoenas in connection with Trump Jr., Russian lawyer meeting: sources | date = August 3, 2017 | publisher = [[Reuters]] | accessdate = August 4, 2017}}</ref> August 31, the ''Financial Times'' reported that Akhmetshin has given sworn testimony to Mueller's grand jury.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/eb36aed6-8d87-11e7-a352-e46f43c5825d|title=Subscribe to read|website=Financial Times|access-date=2017-08-31}}</ref>


===Obstruction of justice ===
===Obstruction of justice ===

Revision as of 07:24, 23 September 2017

Order appointing Special Counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections

The 2017 Special Counsel investigation is an investigation in the United States led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel, exploring any coordination between Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government as part of the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, and related matters that arise in the course of this investigation. Mueller has assembled a team of attorneys to conduct the investigation.

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Seal of the President of the United States

Origin and powers

On May 17, 2017, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller, a former Director of the FBI, to serve as special counsel for the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). In this capacity, Mueller oversees the investigation into "any links and/or coordination between Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump, and any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation".[1] As special counsel, Mueller has the power to issue subpoenas,[2] hire staff members, request funding, and prosecute federal crimes in connection with the election interference.[3]

The appointment followed a series of events which included President Donald Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey and Comey's allegation that Trump asked him to drop the FBI investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.[4]

Rosenstein, in his role as Acting Attorney General due to the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has authority over the use of DOJ resources by Mueller and the investigation. In an interview with the Associated Press, Rosenstein said he would recuse himself from supervision of Mueller if he himself were to become a subject in the investigation due to his role in the dismissal of Comey.[5] If Rosenstein were to recuse himself, his duties in this matter would be assumed by the Justice Department's third-in-command, Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand.[6]

Grand juries

On August 3, 2017, Mueller impaneled a grand jury in Washington, DC, as part of his investigation. The grand jury has the power to subpoena documents, require witnesses to testify under oath, and indict suspects on criminal charges if enough evidence is found.

The Washington grand jury is separate from an earlier Virginia grand jury investigating Michael Flynn; the Flynn case has been absorbed into Mueller's overall investigation.[7]

Grand jury testimony

The grand jury has issued subpoenas to those involved in the Trump campaign–Russian meeting held on June 9, 2016 at Trump Tower, which was also the location of Trump's presidential campaign headquarters.[8]

  • Russian-born lobbyist and former Soviet Army officer, Rinat Akhmetshin, testified under oath for several hours on August 11, 2017, as a participant in the Donald Trump Jr meeting.[9][10]
  • Jason Maloni, spokesman for Paul Manafort, testified under oath for two and one-half hours.[11] Maloni was employed by Manafort following the five months he served as Chairman of Trump's campaign for president in 2016, to answer questions about Manafort's involvement in Trump's campaign.

The grand jury subpoenaed witness testimony from the executives of six PR firms, who worked with Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on lobbying efforts in Ukraine.[12]

Legal teams

Mueller and investigation team

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

Upon his appointment as Special Counsel, Mueller resigned his position at the Washington office of law firm WilmerHale, along with two colleagues, Aaron Zebley and James L. Quarles III.[13][14] On May 23, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice ethics experts announced they had declared Mueller ethically able to function as special counsel.[15]

Politico predicted that the "ideal team" would likely have six to eight prosecutors, along with administrative assistants and experts in areas such as money laundering or interpreting tax returns.[16] By August 1, 2017, Mueller, who has an active role in managing the inquiry,[17] hired 16 lawyers,[18] and had a total staff of over three dozen, including investigators and other non-attorneys.[19]

Members of the team include:[16][20][21][22][23][24][25]

  • Zainab Ahmad: assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, specializing in terrorism cases[24]
  • Greg Andres: former deputy assistant attorney general, managed foreign bribery division[25]
  • Rush Atkinson: trial attorney in the DOJ fraud section[24]
  • Peter Carr: team spokesman, a veteran DOJ spokesperson[26]
  • Michael Dreeben: Deputy Solicitor General, who oversees the Justice Department's criminal appellate docket; an expert in criminal law[27][22][24]
  • Kyle Freeny: attorney for the money laundering unit at the Department of Justice[28]
  • Andrew D. Goldstein: former leader of the public corruption unit, Southern District of New York[29][24]
  • Adam Jed: Attorney in the DOJ Civil Division, appellate section[30]
  • Robert Mueller: team leader; Special counsel for the United States Department of Justice
  • Lisa C. Page: DOJ trial attorney in the FBI's Criminal Division Organized Crime Section; formerly an attorney in the office of the FBI general counsel[23]
  • Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar: Assistant with the Solicitor General's office; fluent in Russian; former law clerk to Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan[31][24]
  • James L. Quarles III: former assistant special prosecutor on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force[24]
  • Jeannie Rhee: Partner at WilmerHale, specializing in white-collar crime; a former attorney in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel and Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia[24]
  • (Removed) Peter Strzok: a veteran counterintelligence investigator. His removal from the team was reported on August 16, 2017[32]
  • Brandon Van Grack: Justice Department national security division prosecutor[24]
  • Andrew Weissmann: Chief of the DOJ Criminal Division's Fraud Section[16][24]
  • Aaron Zebley: former chief of staff to Mueller at the FBI[24]
  • Aaron Zelinsky: an attorney on detail from the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Maryland[33][34]

Mueller has also added unidentified agents of the Criminal Investigations unit of the IRS to his team. "This unit—known as CI—is one of the federal government’s most tight-knit, specialized, and secretive investigative entities. Its 2,500 agents focus exclusively on financial crime, including tax evasion and money laundering. A former colleague of Mueller’s said he always liked working with IRS’ special agents, especially when he was a U.S. Attorney."[35] A former director of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division stated that it has over a 90% conviction rate in cases presented in court since it was formed in 1919.[citation needed]

Trump's defense team

Members of the team include or have included:[36]

Topics of investigations

Russian election interference

Main article: Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections

The primary responsibility of the special counsel is "to investigate Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election". U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded "with high confidence" that the Russian government interfered in the election by hacking into the computer servers of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the personal Google email account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta and forwarded their contents to WikiLeaks,[41][42][43] as well as by disseminating fake news promoted on social media[44] and by penetrating, or trying to penetrate, the election systems and databases of multiple U.S. states.[45] In July 2016 the FBI began looking into these issues, as well as the question of whether members of the Trump campaign might have coordinated or cooperated with Russia's activities.[46] Those investigations became part of the special counsel's portfolio.[47]

Russia's influence on US voters through social media is a primary focus of the Mueller investigation.[48] The special counsel has used a search warrant to obtain detailed information about Russian ad purchases on Facebook. According to a former federal prosecutor, the warrant means that a judge was convinced that foreigners had illegally contributed to influencing a US election via Facebook ads.[49]

Mueller is investigating ties between the Trump campaign, and Republican activist Peter W. Smith. Smith stated that he tried to obtain Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, and that he was acting on behalf of Michael Flynn and other Trump campaign members. Trump campaign officials have denied that Smith was working with them.[50]

Links between Trump associates and Russian officials

Main article: Links between Trump associates and Russian officials

As early as spring 2015, US intelligence agencies started overhearing conversations in which Russian government officials, some within the Kremlin, discussed associates of Donald Trump.[51][52] In one such conversation, Russian officials said they had cultivated a strong relationship with Michael Flynn and believed they could use him to influence Donald Trump and his team.[53]

Multiple Trump associates, including Flynn, Paul Manafort, and other members of the Trump campaign, had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials during 2016.[54] In particular, Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak met with several Trump campaign members and administration nominees. National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was forced to resign on February 13, 2017, after it was revealed that on December 29, 2016, the day that Obama announced sanctions against Russia, Flynn had discussed the sanctions with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak. Flynn had earlier acknowledged speaking to Kislyak but denied discussing the sanctions.[55][56] Also in December 2016, Flynn and presidential advisor Jared Kushner met with Kislyak hoping to set up a direct, secure line of communication with Russian officials that American intelligence agencies would be unaware of.[57][58] Kushner also met with Sergei Gorkov, the head of the Russian state-owned bank Vnesheconombank.[59] Flynn and Kushner failed to report these meetings on their security clearance forms.[60][59]

FBI agents, working with the special counsel, raided Manafort's home in July 2017. The no-notice raid used a federal search warrant, authorizing agents to look for tax documents and foreign banking records. A wide range of documents and other items were seized. Before the raid, Manafort had voluntarily provided some documents to congressional investigators, including the notes he took during the Veselnitskaya meeting.[61][62]

The Trump team issued multiple denials of any contacts between Trump associates and Russia, but many of those denials turned out to be false.[63][64]

Trump campaign–Russian meeting

Main article: Trump campaign–Russian meeting

Mueller is looking into the meeting on June 9, 2016 in Trump Tower in New York City between three senior members of the presidential campaign of Donald Trump – Kushner, Manafort, and Donald Trump Jr. – and at least five other people, including Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Rinat Akhmetshin, a lobbyist and former Soviet army officer who met senior Trump campaign aides, Ike Kaveladze, British publicist Rob Goldstone and translator Anatoli Samochornov.[65][66] Goldstone had suggested the meeting to Trump Jr., and it was arranged in a series of emails later made public. Trump Jr. initially told the press that the meeting was held to discuss adoptions of Russian children by Americans. He added that he agreed to the meeting with the understanding that he would receive information damaging to Hillary Clinton.[67] Goldstone had stated in his email that the Russian government was involved as part of its support for the Trump campaign.[68] Mueller's team is investigating the emails and the meeting,[65] and whether President Trump later tried to hide the meeting's purpose.[69]

The inquiry was confirmed by Kaveladze's attorney, who said Mueller's investigators are seeking information from his client.[70] On July 21, 2017, Mueller asked the White House to preserve all documents related to the Russian meeting in June 2016.[71]

By August 3, 2017, Mueller had impaneled a grand jury in the District of Columbia that issued subpoenas concerning the meeting.[72] August 31, the Financial Times reported that Akhmetshin has given sworn testimony to Mueller's grand jury.[73]

Obstruction of justice

Main article: Dismissal of James Comey

Early in Trump's presidency, senior White House officials reportedly asked intelligence officials if they could intervene with the FBI to stop the investigation into Michael Flynn.[74] In March Trump reportedly discussed the FBI's Russia investigation with Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, and asked if they could intervene with Comey to limit or stop it.[75] When he was asked at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing about the report, Coats said he would not discuss conversations he had with the president but "I have never felt pressured to intervene in the Russia investigation in any way."[76]

In February 2017 it was reported that White House officials had asked the FBI to issue a statement that there had been no contact between Trump associates and Russian intelligence sources during the 2016 campaign. The FBI did not make the requested statement, and observers noted that the request violated established procedures about contact between the White House and the FBI regarding pending investigations.[77] After Comey revealed in March that the FBI was investigating the possibility of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Trump phoned Coats and Director of National Security Admiral Michael S. Rogers and asked them to publicly state there was no evidence of collusion between his campaign and the Russians.[74][78][79] Both Coats and Rogers believed that the request was inappropriate, though not illegal, and did not make the requested statement. The two exchanged notes about the incident, and Rogers made a contemporary memo to document the request.[78][79]

In May 2017 a February memo by James Comey was made public about an Oval Office conversation with Trump on February 14, 2017, in which Trump is described as attempting to persuade Comey to drop the FBI investigation into Flynn.[80][81] The memo notes that Trump said, "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go." Comey made no commitments to Trump on the subject.[82] In testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8, Comey gave a detailed report on the February 14 conversation, including Trump's suggestion that he should "let go" the Flynn investigation. Comey said he "took it as a direction… I took it as, this is what he wants me to do." He added that it was "a very disturbing thing, very concerning", and that he discussed the incident with other FBI leaders.[83] Comey created similar memos about every phone call and meeting he had with the president.[84]

The FBI launched an investigation of Donald Trump for obstruction of justice a few days after the May 9 firing of Comey.[85] The special prosecutor's office took over the obstruction of justice investigation and has reportedly interviewed Director of National Intelligence Coats, Director of the National Security Agency Rogers, and Deputy Director of the NSA Richard Ledgett.[85][86][87] ABC News reported in June that the special counsel was gathering preliminary information about possible obstruction of justice, but a full-scale investigation had not been launched.[88] On June 16, Trump tweeted: "I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt."[89] However, Trump's lawyer Jay Sekulow said Trump's tweet was referring to the June 14 Washington Post report that he was under investigation for obstruction of justice,[85] and that Trump has not actually been notified of any investigation.[90][91]

Financial investigations

The special counsel investigation has expanded to include Trump and his associates' financial ties to Russia. The FBI is reviewing the financial records of President Trump, the Trump Organization, Trump's family members, and his campaign staff, including Trump's real estate activities, which had been under federal scrutiny before the campaign. According to CNN, financial crimes may be easier for investigators to prove than any crimes stemming directly from collusion with Russia.[19] Campaign staff whose finances are under investigation include Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Carter Page, and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.[92]

Transactions under investigation include Russian purchases of Trump apartments, a SoHo development with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, transactions with the Bank of Cyprus, real estate financing organized by Jared Kushner, and Trump's sale of a mansion to Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev.[93] The special counsel team has contacted Deutsche Bank, which is the main banking institution doing business with The Trump Organization.[94]

Mueller is investigating possible money laundering by Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Manafort's financial activities are also being investigated by the Senate and House intelligence committees, the New York Attorney General, and the Manhattan District Attorney.[95] Mueller's team has sent grand jury subpoenas to banks for financial records involving Manafort, his companies, and his business partner Rick Gates.[96]

The special counsel will be able to access Trump's tax returns, which has "especially disturbed" Trump according to the Washington Post. Trump's refusal to release his tax returns, as presidential candidates normally do, has been politically controversial since his presidential campaign.[97]

Flynn activities

As part of the investigation, Special Counsel Mueller assumed control of a Virginia-based grand jury criminal probe into the relationship between Flynn and Turkish businessman Kamil Ekim Alptekin.[98] Flynn Intel Group, an intelligence consultancy, was paid $530,000 by Alptekin’s company Inovo BV to produce a documentary and conduct research on Fethullah Gülen, an exiled Turkish cleric who lives in the United States.[98] The special prosecutor is investigating whether the money came from the Turkish government, and whether Flynn kicked funds back to a middleman to conceal the payment's original source. Investigators are also looking at Flynn's finances more generally, including possible payments from Russian companies and from the Japanese government. White House documents on Flynn have been requested as evidence.[99] The lead person within Mueller's team for this investigation is Brandon Van Grack.[100]

Flynn's son, Michael G. Flynn, is also a subject of the special counsel investigation. Michael G. Flynn worked closely with his father's lobbying company, the Flynn Intel Group, and accompanied his father on his 2015 visit to Moscow.[101]

Reactions

Mueller's appointment to oversee the investigation immediately garnered widespread support from Democrats and even some from Republicans in Congress.[102][103] Senator Charles Schumer (D–NY) said, "Former Director Mueller is exactly the right kind of individual for this job. I now have significantly greater confidence that the investigation will follow the facts wherever they lead." Senator Dianne Feinstein (D–CA) stated, "Bob was a fine U.S. attorney, a great FBI director and there’s no better person who could be asked to perform this function." She added, "He is respected, he is talented and he has the knowledge and ability to do the right thing." Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R–UT) tweeted that "Mueller is a great selection. Impeccable credentials. Should be widely accepted."[102] Much Republican support in Congress was lukewarm: Rep. Peter T. King (R–NY) said "It’s fine. I just don’t think there is any need for it."[104]

Former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara wrote of the team that "Bob Mueller is recruiting the smartest and most seasoned professionals who have a long track record of independence and excellence".[21] Former special prosecutor Kenneth Starr, who had investigated Bill Clinton during the Clinton Administration, said that the team was "a great, great team of complete professionals".[18]

Later some conservatives, including political commentators Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (who had initially praised Mueller for "integrity and honesty"), stated that Mueller should be dismissed and the investigation closed.[105][106][107] Christopher Ruddy, the founder of the extreme Right-leaning Newsmax, and a friend of Trump, stated that the president has considered firing Mueller.[108]

On June 23, 2017, Trump stated that members of Mueller's team were "all Hillary Clinton supporters, some of them worked for Hillary Clinton." PolitiFact rated Trump's claim "Mostly False", noting that only three had made campaign contributions to Hillary Clinton and one had defended the Clinton Foundation in court. One member of the team had made contributions to Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz and Republican Senator George Allen.[109][24] In an interview with The New York Times published on July 19, 2017, Trump stated that he would have not appointed Sessions as Attorney General had he known that he was going to recuse himself from the investigation. Furthermore, Trump confirmed that he would view it as a violation if the special counsel investigated his and his family's finances, unrelated to Russia.[110]

On June 25, 2017, it was reported that a pro-Trump group had launched an ad called "Witch Hunt," featuring conservative Tomi Lahren, which attacked Mueller and the investigation.[111]

On July 21, 2017, the Washington Post reported that Trump asked his advisors about his power to pardon those under investigation. Trump and his legal team discussed the possibility of Trump pardoning aides, family members, and himself. No president has ever pardoned themselves, so there is no case law on whether it would be legal. Trump attorneys also reportedly created a list of Mueller's potential conflicts of interest. Trump lawyer John Dowd said the story was "nonsense".[97]

On August 3, 2017, at a campaign-style rally in West Virginia, Trump continued to deny any Russian involvement in his campaign or win: "The Russia story is a total fabrication. It's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of American politics, that's all it is." This occurred on the same day as the announcement that another grand jury had been impaneled.[112]

On August 12, 2017, the New York Times published an interview of Republican Senator Richard Burr, the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, in which he said he was hopeful that the investigation would be complete by the end of the year.[113]

On August 24, 2017, Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) added a rider to the proposed fiscal 2018 spending bill package that would end funding for the Special Counsel investigation "or for the investigation under that order of matters occurring before June 2015" (the month Trump announced he was running for president) 180 days after passage of the bill.[114] Rep. DeSantis said that the May 17, 2017 DOJ order "didn't identify a crime to be investigated and practically invites a fishing expedition."[115]

Polling

A May 2017 Politico/Morning Consult poll showed that 81% of U.S. voters were for the special prosecutor's investigation.[116] A June 2017 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll asked U.S. adults whether the special counsel's investigation could be fair and impartial: 26% were "extremely confident" or "very confident"; 36% were "moderately confident" and 36% were "not very confident" or "not at all confident."[117]

See also

References

  1. ^ Rosenstein, Rod (May 17, 2017). "Rod Rosenstein's Letter Appointing Mueller Special Counsel". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2017. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  2. ^ Kevin Johnson, Justice Department taps former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel for Russia investigation, USA Today (May 17, 2017).
  3. ^ Tanfani, Joseph (May 17, 2017). "Former FBI Director Robert Mueller named special prosecutor for Russia investigation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  4. ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R. (May 17, 2017). "Robert Mueller, Former F.B.I. Director, Named Special Counsel for Russia Investigation". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  5. ^ Gurman, Sadie; Tucker, Eric; Horwitz, Jeff (June 3, 2017). "Special counsel Mueller's investigation seems to be growing". AP News. Retrieved June 4, 2017. I've talked with Director Mueller about this," Rosenstein said. "He's going to make the appropriate decisions, and if anything that I did winds up being relevant to his investigation then, as Director Mueller and I discussed, if there's a need from me to recuse, I will.
  6. ^ Maizland, Lindsay (June 16, 2017). "Meet Rachel Brand, who may soon oversee the Trump-Russia investigation". Vox. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  7. ^ Wilber, Del Quentin; Tau, Byron (3 August 2017). "Special Counsel Robert Mueller Impanels Washington Grand Jury in Russia Probe". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
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