Trump lashes out over probe into possible obstruction of justice

[webfact]

Trump lashes out over probe into possible obstruction of justice

By Julia Edwards Ainsley

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the shootings in Alexandria, Virginia, from the White House in Washington, U.S., June 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out on Thursday after a report that he was under investigation for possible obstruction of justice and he dismissed as "phony" the idea his campaign colluded with any Russian effort to sway the 2016 U.S. election.

 

"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice," Trump wrote on Twitter, later repeating his accusation that the probe is a "witch hunt."

 

Eight hours later, after a busy day meeting with governors and witnessing the formal investiture of his pick for the Supreme Court, Trump returned to the topic again in a pair of tweets suggesting that Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent in the election, should be under investigation instead of him.

 

The Washington Post, citing unidentified officials, reported on Wednesday that special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the Republican president for possible obstruction of justice.

 

A source familiar with the Mueller investigation confirmed the report, saying an examination of possible obstruction of justice charges was "unavoidable" given testimony by former FBI Director James Comey, although the issue may not become the main focus of the probe.

 

Comey, who was fired on May 9, told a Senate panel last week he believed Trump dismissed him to undermine the FBI's Russia probe. He also told the Senate Intelligence Committee in his June 8 testimony that he believed Trump had directed him to drop a related agency investigation into the president's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

 

Regardless of the outcome, the spectre of Mueller examining the possibility of obstruction of justice appeared to be a new blow to Trump, whose first five months in office have been clouded by the federal and congressional probes into the Russia issue.

 

Although he was strongly critical of some of Comey's testimony, the president said last week that the former FBI chief had vindicated him when he said that while he was at the agency, Trump was not the subject of the FBI's Russia probe.

 

The special counsel is following two major lines of investigation, said one U.S. official familiar with the rough outlines of Mueller's probe who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

The first is into whether anyone on Trump's campaign, or associated with it, with him or with any of his businesses, may have had any illegal dealings with Russian officials or others with ties to the Kremlin, said the official.

 

The second, the official continued, is into whether, if any potential offences were committed, Trump or others attempted to cover them up or obstruct the investigation into them.

 

Examining such possible charges will allow investigators to interview key administration figures including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and possibly Trump himself, said the source familiar with the Mueller investigation.

 

While a sitting president is unlikely to face criminal prosecution, obstruction of justice could form the basis for impeachment. Any such step would face a steep hurdle as it would require approval by the U.S. House of Representatives, which is controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans.

 

'IT'S NOT A WITCH HUNT'

 

Moscow has denied U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that it interfered in last year's U.S. presidential election campaign to try to tilt the vote in Trump's favour.

 

The White House has denied any collusion, and Trump has repeatedly complained about the probe, saying Democrats cannot accept his election win.

 

Mueller was named by Rosenstein on May 17 to lead the Russia investigation as a special counsel, a position created to conduct investigations when a normal Justice Department probe would present a conflict of interest.

 

According to the Washington Post, Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, Mike Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency, and Richard Ledgett, the former deputy director at the NSA, agreed to be interviewed by Mueller's investigators as early as this week. It cited five people briefed on the requests by Mueller's team who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

The emergence of the obstruction of justice inquiry may make it harder for Trump to have Mueller removed. On Monday, a Trump friend said the president was considering dismissing Mueller although the White House said later he had no plans to do so.

 

Republican Senator John Thune defended Mueller's integrity and said he needs to be able to continue to do his job and get to the bottom of the issues.

 

"It's not a witch hunt," Thune told MSNBC in an interview on Thursday. "It is in everybody's best interests if we let him do his job."

 

PUTIN REITERATES DENIAL

 

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Comey had presented no evidence to prove that Moscow meddled in the U.S. election, adding that Washington had tried to influence Russian elections "year after year".

 

Putin also echoed Trump's criticism of Comey, saying it was "very strange" for a former FBI chief to leak details of his conversations with the U.S. president to the media through a friend.

 

The obstruction of justice investigation into Trump began days after Comey was fired, according to people familiar with the matter, the Washington Post said.

 

The administration initially gave differing reasons for his dismissal, including that he had lost the confidence of the FBI. Trump later contradicted his own staff, saying on May 11 he had the Russia issue in mind when he fired Comey.

 

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's legal team, denounced the Post report, saying on Wednesday: "The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal." It was not clear why he attributed the report to an FBI leak. The Post report did not name the FBI as its source.

 

A spokesman for Mueller's team declined to comment on Wednesday.

 

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Eric Beech and Jonathan Landay and John Walcott; Writing by Susan Heavey, Arshad Mohammed and Howard Goller; Editing by Frances Kerry and James Dalgleish)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-16

[darksidedog]

54 minutes ago, webfact said:

"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice," Trump wrote on Twitter,

It will show how stupid he is deep down if he is correct. If you can manage to get yourself done for obstruction of justice, on a matter that you really just didn't need to get involved with, you are definitely not smart. If you have nothing to worry about, shutting up and letting the investigation run its course would have been the wise move.

[Rob13]

5 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

If you can manage to get yourself done for obstruction of justice, on a matter that you really just didn't need to get involved with, you are definitely not smart

That's the irony of it all. It's possible that up to  the point of firing Comey he wasn't involved in anything illegal, and all he was trying to do was put an end to something that was making him look bad. Either way it shows he doesn't have what it takes to be in the WH. 

Edited June 16, 2017 by Rob13

[tomwct]

I imagine Muehler will be forced to resign because of his close relationship to Comey!  The good news is Putin has offered Comey an invitation to move to Russia! Go President Trump! Making America Great Again one day at a time!

[tonray]

8 minutes ago, tomwct said:

I imagine Muehler will be forced to resign because of his close relationship to Comey!  The good news is Putin has offered Comey

an invitation to move to Russia! Go President Trump! Making America Great Again one day at a time!

One day at a time ? Can you tell us which day he intends to start ?

[FritsSikkink]

19 minutes ago, tomwct said:

I imagine Muehler will be forced to resign because of his close relationship to Comey!  The good news is Putin has offered Comey

an invitation to move to Russia! Go President Trump! Making America Great Again one day at a time!

Are you an alias for Donald or are you getting paid to say this or .......

[soalbundy]

innocent of wrong doing, so why is he scared of an investigation ? Take his little hands and glue them together, would stop him tweeting.

[selftaopath]

45 can "dish it out" but cries like an infant if/when ANYTHING is directed toward him. Just look at the "crap" he's thrown at other people he's really a covfefe. But then all bullies are.

[Rob13]

1 hour ago, tomwct said:

I imagine Muehler will be forced to resign because of his close relationship to Comey!  

 

Too late. If he wanted to fire Mueller he needed to do it  before he was under investigation.

[darksidedog]

14 minutes ago, Rob13 said:

 

Too late. If he wanted to fire Mueller he needed to do it  before he was under investigation.

If you put his overall performance so far in perspective of "The Apprentice", he should be firing himself.

[Emster23]

Donald needs to be sent to a time out room until he can learn to control himself and tantrums, how ever many years that may take

[funandsuninbangkok]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

It will show how stupid he is deep down if he is correct. If you can manage to get yourself done for obstruction of justice, on a matter that you really just didn't need to get involved with, you are definitely not smart. If you have nothing to worry about, shutting up and letting the investigation run its course would have been the wise move.

Trump is correct. How can there be obstruction if there is not underlying case?

 

whole thing is a farce. A political coop attempt. Now Dems have resorted to shooting at Republicans while they play softball. Yet not a peep of sorrow from leadership. 

 

It's gone too far the the Dems will pay(in the next election cause that's how we win - not by law suits, bullets, fake news)

[mikebike]

20 minutes ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

Trump is correct. How can there be obstruction if there is not underlying case?

Stop and think for a moment. Obstruction of justice... obstruction of an investigation... An investigation does not have a predetermined outcome. Whatever the outcome of an investigation you certainly can obstruct it. The two things are mutually exclusive.

[boomerangutang]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

innocent of wrong doing, so why is he scared of an investigation ? Take his little hands and glue them together, would stop him tweeting.

If you did that, he would train his forked tongue to press the letters of his tweeting apparatus.

 

1 hour ago, Rob13 said:

Too late. If he wanted to fire Mueller he needed to do it  before he was under investigation.

                          Not necessarily.  Trump has done a lot of firing.  He's left a long trail of damaged careers in his wake.  He relishes doing it, and he does it callously.  Like those old b&w movies, where the James Cagney character shouts at the underling (in front of all the other workers for maximum humiliation); "You're fired!  Get outta here."  

 

                  Perhaps that's part of what Trump is referring to when he claims he'll 'make America great again.'    He'll inspire bosses all over the US to rudely fire their workers.  If they really copy Trump, they will first heap praise on their victim (in front of a lot of onlookers), then, without warning, he will fire them from afar, while barely giving them 5 minutes to clean out their desks.

 

                           BTW, Comey would never seek assylum in Russia.  Those who would are Trump, Kushner, Flynn, Page, Manafort, and Ivanka (bosom buddies w. Putin's daughter).   They all have multiple ties with Russians.   Indeed, Trump has said that Putin is a much better leader than Obama ever was.   Russia lauds very rich people who disdain laws.   Trump and his buddies would fit in perfectly. 

[jerojero]

Donald needs to be sent to a time out room until he can learn to control himself and tantrums, how ever many years that may take

Hasn't learned self control in 70 years, so it ain't gonna happen now!

[tomacht8]

Interesting. No word about recordings.

No tapes then.

That was all just staged?

Figment of imagination?

Only hot air?

 

And this type is president.

Unfortunately he lacks the necessary seriosity and responsibility for that high office.

[boomerangutang]

4 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

Interesting. No word about recordings.

No tapes then. That was all just staged? Figment of imagination? Only hot air? 

And this type is president. Unfortunately he lacks the necessary seriosity and responsibility for that high office.

That's a good point.   The mafia-wannabe prez tried to muffle Comey with the 'maybe there are tapes' threat.  Like everything else Trump says/does, it backfired like a bull fart in Trump's face.   He's such a dunce.  He's not even good at trying to be a tough guy.  

[Traveler19491]

1 hour ago, soalbundy said:

innocent of wrong doing, so why is he scared of an investigation ? Take his little hands and glue them together, would stop him tweeting.

His nose has grown long enough from his perpetual lying that he'd just use that.

[ballpoint]

1 hour ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

Trump is correct. How can there be obstruction if there is not underlying case?

 

whole thing is a farce. A political coop attempt. Now Dems have resorted to shooting at Republicans while they play softball. Yet not a peep of sorrow from leadership. 

 

It's gone too far the the Dems will pay(in the next election cause that's how we win - not by law suits, bullets, fake news)

"... A political coop attempt..."

 

And the chickens are Comeying home to roost.

[FritsSikkink]

40 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Stop and think for a moment. Obstruction of justice... obstruction of an investigation... An investigation does not have a predetermined outcome. Whatever the outcome of an investigation you certainly can obstruct it. The two things are mutually exclusive.

"Stop and think for a moment." that is not fair, way too difficult.

[tomacht8]

As it looks is trump dependent on putins' benevolent.

 

Imagine putin sacrificing a few figures and says yes a few evil russians have manipulated the elections.

 

Then Trump is toast.

 

America is great again and russia can now decide who is president.

 

[JHolmesJr]

2 hours ago, soalbundy said:

innocent of wrong doing, so why is he scared of an investigation ? Take his little hands and glue them together, would stop him tweeting.

#tweetwithfeet

[JHolmesJr]

12 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

As it looks is trump dependent on putins' benevolent.

 

Imagine putin sacrificing a few figures and says yes a few evil russians have manipulated the elections.

 

Then Trump is toast.

 

America is great again and russia can now decide who is president.

 

Imagine how scared mr trump would be if you were putin…..shudders.

[Traveler19491]

1 hour ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

"A political coop attempt..."

1

What is this "coop" you speak of? If you are implying that Trump belongs in a chicken coop, I would have to say you are being way too generous. Now, here in Thailand, we had a military c-o-u-p a few years back, but those opposed to the then Prime Minister didn't put her in a "coop", although I suspect there were those who may have wanted to.

 

1 hour ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

Trump is correct. How can there be obstruction if there is not underlying case?

"There is none so blind as he who will not see". Here's how it works...when the President goes on TV and states to a national audience in a voluntary interview that he fired the Director of the FBI "because of the Russia investigation", then later turns to Russian diplomats in the Oval Office and says that firing the Director of the FBI "took a lot of pressure off"...well, those capable of using their mental faculties in an inquiring manner might come to the reasonable conclusion that the President wanted the investigation ended and fired the Director of the FBI to accomplish that end. Ergo, there may well be an "underlying case", which is what the Special Counsel is now looking into.

 

You trumpies all seem to be laboring under the mistaken impression that even before an investigation begins there must be concrete evidence of wrongdoing. You would be mistaken. That is what investigations are all about...determining if there is ample evidence to bring charges (or in this case, impeachment proceedings). There is seldom ever concrete evidence at the outset of any investigation. There are suspicions sufficient to warrant investigating the actions of those being investigated.

 

So, whine all you want. No, there is currently no "smoking gun". However, it took the Watergate investigators two years to find the "smoking gun" that nailed Nixon. Mueller hasn't even finished hiring his staff. But, once he's in place and starts working, I suspect that there will be a lot of attorneys making very large sums of money representing the "almighty" orange one and tons of people around him.

 

On a side note, it might be a good time to invest in popcorn companies.

[tomacht8]

5 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

Imagine how scared mr trump would be if you were putin…..shudders.

555

I am a neutral observer.

In comparison to trump putin is nevertheless a lot smarter.

[selftaopath]

2 hours ago, Emster23 said:

Donald needs to be sent to a time out room until he can learn to control himself and tantrums, how ever many years that may take

Is that a "padded" room? He certainly seems to qualify for one.

[JCauto]

5 hours ago, tomwct said:

I imagine Muehler will be forced to resign because of his close relationship to Comey!  The good news is Putin has offered Comey an invitation to move to Russia! Go President Trump! Making America Great Again one day at a time!

 

Resigning means that person accepts that they have done something wrong and then acts accordingly. This is very unlikely as we're talking about a career law enforcement officer who has basically spent his entire life enforcing the rules under both Republicans and Democrats without problem in very trying circumstances. That's why he was selected, because he has integrity and the respect and trust of both sides. Oh, sorry, I better explain. Integrity means the "quality of being honest and having strong moral principles." Just thought I'd clarify as it's probably a concept with which you're unfamiliar. 

Two questions:

 

1. Could you please give us a date/era/administration that you keep referring to when America was "Great"? This will help us Libtards out when we hear the slogan which frankly confuses us because it's never been made clear as to when/what you're referring to.

2. I presume that you are a Conservative? How do you feel about the Russians having such a strong relationship with the President and having his son try to set up a secret back channel of communications with them? How do you feel about his Campaign Advisor being an Advisor to the Pro-Russian side of the Ukraine? How do you feel about the many ties between the Russian Mafia and the President and his family? How do you feel about the President's refusal to back Article 5 of the NATO agreement at the same time that Russia is meddling in American, French and British elections and is building up military forces on the borders of the Baltic States and Ukraine?  Ol' Dutch is spinning in his grave at such a speed that he alone could power half of the USA if you attached a turbine to it. Oh, sorry, bad idea, better to wait for him to metamorphose into hydrocarbons and burn him...

 

But yes, it's always a good thing when Presidents are being investigated for Obstruction of Justice and being influenced by your traditional enemy. Great again!

[JCauto]

3 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

whole thing is a farce. A political coop attempt. Now Dems have resorted to shooting at Republicans while they play softball. Yet not a peep of sorrow from leadership. 

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/06/14/pelosi-on-shooting-on-days-like-today-there-are-no-democrats-or-republicans-only-americans-united/

Oh, look at that, a complete lie fabricated by a Trumpette (Note where this article is from, Breitbart. Care to challenge the source?). How surprising...

 

[ilostmypassword]

  3 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

whole thing is a farce. A political coop attempt. Now Dems have resorted to shooting at Republicans while they play softball. Yet not a peep of sorrow from leadership. 

11 minutes ago, JCauto said:

http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/06/14/pelosi-on-shooting-on-days-like-today-there-are-no-democrats-or-republicans-only-americans-united/

Oh, look at that, a complete lie fabricated by a Trumpette (Note where this article is from, Breitbart. Care to challenge the source?). How surprising...

 

I suspect to funandsuninbangkok Breitbart is just another conspirator member of the MSM

[DM07]

4 hours ago, funandsuninbangkok said:

Trump is correct. How can there be obstruction if there is not underlying case?

 

whole thing is a farce. A political coop attempt. Now Dems have resorted to shooting at Republicans while they play softball. Yet not a peep of sorrow from leadership. 

 

It's gone too far the the Dems will pay(in the next election cause that's how we win - not by law suits, bullets, fake news)