Source:knoe.com

Trump Might Intervene in Russia Investigation

//

A Senate Panel is going to protect special counsel Robert Mueller, and President Donald Trump said that he could intervene in the Russia investigation conducted by the justice department. Trump told the Fox and Friends morning TV programme: “They have a witch hunt against the president of the United States going on. I’ve taken the position – and I don’t have to take this position, and maybe I’ll change – that I will not be involved with the justice department. I will wait until this is over. It’s a total – it’s all lies, and it’s a horrible thing that’s going on.”

Mr. Mueller is trying to prove whether Russia has indeed meddled in the 2016 presidential election, lifting Trump into power and this was one of the president’s strongest hints that he would prevent Mueller from carrying on with his job. Both Republicans and Democrats consider firing Mr. Mueller a dangerous move which would mark the beginning of a constitutional crisis. In a 14-7 bipartisan vote on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, they proved that they want to protect Mueller from being fired with no proper cause.

As confirmed by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, this action will be symbolic, and it won’t get a vote on the Senate floor because it opposes the constitution. Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that he understood Trump and the pressure he has been under just for the speculation that the Russians rigged the US election. Sessions said: “The president is concerned. He’s dealing with France and North Korea and Syria and taxes and regulations and border and crime every day. I wish – this thing needs to conclude. I understand his frustrations, and I understand the American people’s frustrations.”

In a phone interview on the Fox News program, Mr. Trump spoke of former FBI director James Comey, whom he fired and explained why: “He leaked classified information in order to try and get a special counsel. He is guilty of crimes and if we had a justice department that was doing their job instead of spending $8 million trying to find…” He was interrupted by a Fox host who said: “It’s your justice department!” and Trump responded: “You’re right. I’m very disappointed in my justice department.”

Source:news.sky.com

Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont harshly criticized Trump’s comments. Leahy wrote on Twitter: “Mr. President, it’s not YOUR Justice Department. It’s the AMERICAN PEOPLE’S Justice Department. And you’ve already improperly interfered with it more than any president since Nixon. Your rant this morning undermines the rule of law.”

The answer Trump gave to the question whether he would sit down with Mueller and his team was the following: “If you take a look, they’re so conflicted. The people that are doing the investigation – you have 13 people that are Democrats. You have Hillary Clinton people, you have people who have worked on Hillary Clinton’s foundation. I love the FBI, the FBI loves me. But the top people in the FBI, headed by Comey, were crooked.”

According to the memos that were handed to House lawmakers last week, Donald Trump praised the former FBI man for honorable conduct in the 2016 presidential campaign and solicited his loyalty. Furthermore, POTUS demanded his former national security adviser Michael Flynn to take over the investigation. The memos are Comey’s documentation of the conversations he had with Trump. When the memos got released, Trump wrote on Twitter: They “show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION.”

Comey and Trump have been going back and forth days before the release of former lawman’s book A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership. He accused Comey of improperly leaking information, whereas assessed the book as “third-rate” while he pointed out that Flynn’s life was destroyed whereas “Shady James Comey” would continue to make heaps of money. On the other hand, Comey negates leaking any classified info, and he called Trump morally unfit for office.

Source: thenational.ae


As one of the founders of foreignpolicyi.org Knjaz Milos tries to bring all the latest news regarding politics. He loves history and is passionate about writing.
contact: carsoidoffice[at]gmail.com