Trump's lead lawyer in Russia probe resigns

[webfact]

Trump's lead lawyer in Russia probe resigns

By Karen Freifeld

 

FILE PHOTO: Lawyer John Dowd (R) is met with reporters as he exits Manhattan Federal Court in New York, NY, U.S., May 11, 2011. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's lead lawyer in the special counsel investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election, John Dowd, resigned on Thursday, the same week Trump added another Washington lawyer to his team.

 

Dowd, a tough-talking ex-Marine, joined Trump's legal team last June and took the lead during the summer after Marc Kasowitz, a longtime personal lawyer for Trump, stepped down. "I fight hard," Dowd said in an interview at the time.

 

"I am not a snowflake," he said, a disparaging term that has been used to mock liberals.

 

Since then the president has become increasingly frustrated that special counsel Robert Mueller's probe has not gone away, said a person close to Trump who asked not to be named to discuss the matter.

 

"I love the president and wish him well," Dowd, 77, told Reuters in an email on Thursday. In a telephone interview later, he declined to explain why he resigned.

 

Joseph diGenova, who was named to Trump's legal team on Monday, has been a vocal proponent on right-wing media of what he calls a “brazen plot” by senior Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials to clear Hillary Clinton of alleged criminal conduct for storing classified materials on her private email server when she was secretary of state.

 

According to diGenova, when Clinton lost the 2016 election to Trump, the officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, sought to ruin Trump with an investigation into possible collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russia.

 

Attorney Jay Sekulow, who also represents Trump, said on Monday diGenova was to join the team this week.

 

Dowd's resignation was reported earlier on Thursday by The New York Times, which cited a source who said Trump was increasingly ignoring Dowd's advice.

 

Sekulow and Dowd had been negotiating a possible interview between Trump and Mueller, people familiar with the matter have said.

 

Sources have said the firings of Comey and former national security advisor Michael Flynn were among topics of interest to Mueller's team in respect to Trump.

 

Mueller could issue a subpoena for Trump to appear before a grand jury if an interview cannot be arranged.

 

Trump has said that he looks forward to being interviewed by Mueller. On Thursday, when asked at an unrelated press briefing if he still wanted to testify before Mueller, Trump said, "Yes, I would like to."

 

In a statement, Sekulow called Dowd "a friend" and "a valuable member of our legal team," and he pledged continued cooperation with Mueller.

 

Last Saturday, Dowd called for an end to Mueller's probe, which he said had been manufactured by Comey. The Daily Beast reported that Dowd said he was speaking for Trump, but he later rowed back on that and said he was speaking for himself.

 

Asked whether Trump had urged him to make the comment, Dowd later told Reuters, "He liked it, that's all I'll say."

 

The addition of diGenova to the legal team might signal a more aggressive strategy by Trump to discredit Mueller.

 

Mueller is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denounced the investigation as a "witch hunt."

 

White House lawyer Ty Cobb, hired last summer to assist Trump with Mueller's investigation, now also appears to be on shakier ground given his strategy, which has included cooperating with Mueller.

 

In an August interview with Reuters, Cobb predicted a quick end to the Mueller probe and said he would be embarrassed if the investigation was haunting the White House in 2018.

 

On Sunday, Cobb said that Trump was not considering or discussing firing Mueller. Cobb did not immediately respond on Thursday to requests to comment.

 

Earlier in March, veteran Washington lawyer Emmet Flood met with Trump for a possible White House job to help with the Russia probe. Flood advised former President Bill Clinton in impeachment proceedings.

 

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington Writing by Karen Freifeld and Doina Chiacu; Editing by David Alexander and Bernadette Baum)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters Full story:

 

[spidermike007]

This has got to be the most chaotic, least organized, and most incompetent leader, and administration in recent history. Every day brings more chaos. Little Don cannot help but shoot himself in the foot daily. The little bit of talent that the administration had, is leaving in droves. They are fleeing the most radioactive man in America.

 

Tiny DT. The art of moving America backwards, and lowering the quality of life for the average American. 

The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

The art of losing talent in droves, and replacing them with sycophantic fools, devoid of talent or experience. Like The appointment of Lynne Patton, a wedding planner and longtime Trump family associate, to head the Housing and Urban Development's office for New York and New Jersey, and the talk show host that he just appointed as a chief economic advisor, because he talk smooth and looks good on TV. Good one Don. Now he appoints John Bolton? This man is not qualified to lead the boy scout chapter of Indianapolis. Ge should be kept as far away from foreign policy decisions as possible, with his hateful and toxic views. I give him 90 days, before he is dismissed. 

 

The art of not being able to fill vacancies, and leading a nation, without the help of key appointees. The Trump administration will usher in the second quarter of its presidential term with hundreds of vacancies still left to fill in departments throughout the administration. According to the Washington Post and Partnership for Public Service, only 241 key positions requiring Senate confirmation — out of 633 — have been confirmed as of Jan. 18, with 244 positions still without a nominee. The 633 key positions are a small portion of over 1,200 total positions requiring Senate confirmation, the Post noted. Trump’s sluggish staffing stands in stark contrast to his predecessors. According to the Post, Trump had 301 total confirmed nominees by Jan. 18, as compared with 452 confirmations by former President Barack Obama, 493 by George W. Bush and 471 by Bill Clinton at the same point in their terms. 

 

[Thakkar]

About a week ago:

 

[farcanell]

Dowd was overheard muttering “I’m not paid enough to put up with this crap!”

[zaphod reborn]

It's actually quite a rational shift of legal strategy.  Trump knows that the Cambridge Analytica - Facebook scandal will implicate almost his entire campaign and transition team:  Manafort, Kushner, Flynn and Bannon.  Nix admitted in the covert recording that he had significant contacts directly with Trump.

 

Trump is now shifting to the Dream Team defense strategy made famous in the OJ Simpson murder trial (Alan Dershowitz, who Trump recently quoted, was on the Dream Team).  When the facts are against you, shift the focus to bias in the investigative team.  While this will be a successful strategy in terms of maintaining the support of his base, it won't help him in a criminal trial or impeachment trial in the Senate.  It's easy to allege that forensic evidence was mishandled, but Mueller's case will be based on witness testimony and documents.  Objective evidence put in front of the fact-finders, without any opportunity for spoliation or tampering.  On the other hand, Trump's NDA's, bullying and pathological lying all will be in evidence to show his efforts at obstruction. 

[samran]

16 minutes ago, Thakkar said:

About a week ago:

 

Who would have thunk? Trump being called out, and then brazenly lying about it. 

 

NYT hardly failing it seems! 

[dunroaming]

Just more of the insanity.  Nothing surprising really.

[Chomper Higgot]

Rod Rosenstein is giving, what he terms, 'a major announcement regarding ciber law' during a news conference scheduled for 10:00am.

 

Of course it is possible that Trump could fire him before then.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2018 by Chomper Higgot

[Basil B]

11 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This has got to be the most chaotic, least organized, and most incompetent leader, and administration in recent history. Every day brings more chaos

This has got to be the most chaotic, least organized, and most incompetent leader, and administration in recent history. Every day brings more chaos