CNN broke it: Washington (CNN) — A federal grand jury in Washington on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter. The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday, … Read More
Fox News Trying Hard To Smear Mueller
The Fox News Headline reads: Mueller facing new Republican pressure to resign in Russia probe Wow. Who is pressuring him to do this? And on what basis? So here’s the story: Special Counsel Robert Mueller is facing a fresh round of calls from conservative critics for his resignation from the Russia collusion probe, amid revelations that have called into question … Read More
Not A Hoax
That’s an odd assertion for Trump to make. Sure, he can make the argument that there was no collusion, but to say that Russia never bought ads on Facebook? How would TRUMP know that’s not true? Mueller isn’t saying it… Facebook itself is: Under growing pressure from Congress and the public to reveal more about the spread of covert Russian … Read More
Mueller Finally Eyeing Trump It Seems
Finally. This is the news I was waiting for. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has asked the White House for records pertaining to some of Donald Trump’s “most scrutinized actions” as president, including his firing of former FBI director James Comey and his Oval Office confab with Russian operatives in which he bragged that axing Comey had “taken off” the pressure … Read More
Mueller Investigation Focuses on Manafort
There are so many prongs to Mueller’s investigation of the Trump Administration, that it is hard to keep up sometimes. There are many branches and many players., Fortunately, a new website, investigaterussia.org, is a good one-stop place for the latest news, timelines, and “players” bios. So bookmark that. With all the natural disasters going on, there has been some Trump investigation … Read More
So…. What’s Mueller Doing And Where Are We On Russia Collusion
Renato Mariotti, a former prosecutor, puts it together at Politico: What is Robert Mueller up to? Although the scope of the special counsel’s investigation is vast, public reporting of his activities indicate the direction his investigation is taking and gives us a good sense of the types of charges that could result. But most of the breathless speculation about what … Read More
Although He’s Been Quiet On Twitter, Trump Still Rants About Mueller
Axios: Behind the scenes in the West Wing, President Trump continues to rant and brood about former FBI Director Jim Comey and the Russia investigation that got him fired. Trump tells aides and visitors that the probe now being run by special counsel Bob Mueller is a witch hunt, and that Comey was a leaker. So White House Press Secretary … Read More
Meanwhile, At Fox….
Hurricane Harvey fallout is still with us, as the death toll climbs to 37. Mueller seems to be bearing down on Trump, and is coordinating with New York Attorney General Schneiderman’s office. Mueller is running a tight ship, but we learn about subpoenae and testimony already given. A lot of focus on Manafort. So what was going on at Fox News … Read More
As Houston Struggles, The Trump-Russia Collusion Story Deepens
Houston, the 4th largest city in the United States, is essentially paralyzed. Residents had to be rescued by helicopters and boats as streets turned into raging rivers and made evacuation all but impossible. Rain is expected for a few more days. But the rescue efforts seem to be running along without Katrina-like snafus. Seriously, the rain amount is insane for … Read More
Trump’s Vacation Doesn’t Stop The Tweets (and Leaks)
Nine tweets so far today from Trump — several attacking the “failing” New York Times for an article about 2020 Republicans contenders against Trump, a few trying to reassure everyone that he is actually “working” on his vacation, and this… … which seems to unintentionally confirm that there was… collusion? Ah well. Why did Trump go after Blumenthal? Probably this: … Read More
Breaking: Mueller Empanels DC Grand Jury
In a piece by Del Quentin Wilber and Byron Tau of the Wall Street Journal, just published: Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, a sign that his inquiry is growing in intensity and entering a new phase, according to two people familiar with the matter. The grand jury, which began … Read More
Document Dump: Protecting Mueller
This bill — from Sens. Lindsey Graham, Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse and Richard Blumenthal — us actually one of two bipartisan bills designed to protect the special counsel from removal by the President or Attorney General. The other bill — by Sens. Thom Tillis and Chris Coons (both on the Senate Judiciary Committee) — does essentially the same thing: it says … Read More
The “Fake News” Is Coming From Inside The (White) House
I have avoided writing about the Seth Rich conspiracy theory being propped up by Fox. It was just too disgusting. But now it has political, rather than journalistic, implications. Seth Rich was murdered in Washington, D.C. in July 2016 in what police describe as a botched robbery attempt. But the conspiracy-lovin’ right-wing manipulation machine, sensing intrigue — he was MURDERED! — used … Read More
Trump Really DOES Want To Get Rid Of Sessions
Trump was VERY busy this morning on his Twitter machine. It’s hard to deny that Trump does not want his AG Jeff Sessions to stay on when he disses him when you look at the second and third from the bottom tweets. Trump raised similar questions over the weekend days after telling reporters in an interview that he had second … Read More
Kushner Releases Statement Of Testmony
Main takeaways: Kushner says he had four contacts with Russians last year. The first was a handshake with then-Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before a Trump speech in April. The second was the highly controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June. The third was a meeting with Kislyak during the transition. And the fourth was with Russian … Read More