Trump Rants On Mueller Testifying Before Congress: "No Redos"

Donald Trump ranted on Sunday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should not testify before Congress, arguing that Democrats are "looking for a redo" after the investigation failed to establish that his campaign conspired with Russia.

....to testify. Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion? There was no crime, except on the other side (incredibly not covered in the Report), and NO OBSTRUCTION. Bob Mueller should not testify. No redos for the Dems!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 5, 2019

Trump has previously said that he would not stop Mueller from testifying and that he will leave it up to Attorney General Bill Barr to decide.

Barr has said the Justice Department has no issue with Mueller testifying.

The House Judiciary Committee is in negotiations with Mueller's team and is hoping to bring him in to testify on May 15.

Note: The Mueller investigation will not cost $35,000,000 thanks to the millions of dollars seized from former Trump campaign manager, now-convicted felon, Paul Manafort.

News Round-Up: April 24, 2019

David Hernandez

Some news item you might have missed:

• Out singer/songwriter and American Idol alum David Hernandez found my favorite place in Puerto Vallarta - Mantamar Beach Club. If you look behind him in the lower right hand corner, you can see the cabanas hot hubby Michael and I always spend our days in :)

• File this under 'Birds of a feather...' One of the co-founders of Students For Trump has been arrested for pretending to be a Manhattan lawyer and taking thousands from would-be clients.

• Five states - California, New Mexico, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington - have announced they will refuse to impose Donald Trump's trans military ban and therefore not remove trans people from their National Guards.

• Donald Trump says his administration is "fighting all the subpoenas" claiming the Democrats are hoping to "luck out" by going after him. If you're innocent, why hide anything?

"We're fighting all the subpoenas," Pres. Trump says, saying Democrats are trying to "luck out" in 2020 by "constantly going after me on nonsense." https://t.co/WFGygHVmLA pic.twitter.com/IbOTtySbaz

— ABC News (@ABC) April 24, 2019

• Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was told not to bring up any concerns about  Russian forms of interference in the 2020 election in front of Donald Trump because he "equated any public discussion of malign Russian election activity with questions about the legitimacy of his victory."

• Fox's Empire will feature the first black gay wedding on network television; and it may be Jussie Smollett's last episode.

• Today is True Colors Day - launched by Cyndi Lauper's True Colors United organization in an effort to raise public awareness about LGBTQ youth homelessness, and to provide supporters with simple ways to make a difference.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. While many factors contribute to LGBTQ youth homelessness, identity-based family rejection is the most commonly cited reason.

The cast of FX's Pose sat down to make this video for True Colors Day about how we can change our culture to one of love and acceptance.

Mueller Report Released - "Total Exoneration" Would Not Be Accurate

Donald Trump

Lots of news this morning about the release of the report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Here's just a few take-aways from the report.

First up, Mueller made clear in his report that he lacked confidence to clear Donald Trump of obstruction of justice but suggested Congress could take action on at least 10 instances where the president sought to interfere with the probe.

CNN is posting excerpts from the Mueller report.

“With respect to whether the President can be found to have obstructed justice by exercising his powers under Article II of the Constitution, we concluded that Congress has the authority to prohibit a President’s corrupt use of his authority in order to protect the integrity of the administration of justice.”

“The Russian contacts consisted of business connections, offers of assistance to the campaign, invitations for candidate Trump and Putin to meet in person, invitations for campaign officials and representatives of the Russian government to meet, and policy positions seeking improved US-Russian relations.”

“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, however, we are unable to reach that judgment. The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that prevent us from conclusively determining that no criminal conduct occurred. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

Additionally, the Washington Post reports on Trump's reaction when he was told the Special Counsel had been appointed:

In May 2017, then Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Trump that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein had just appointed Mueller as special counsel.

Trump slumped back in his chair, according to notes from Jody Hunt, Sessions’s chief of staff. “Oh my God, this is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m f—ed,” Trump said. Trump further laid into Sessions for his recusal, saying Sessions had let him down.

“Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency,” Trump said, according to Hunt’s notes. “It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.” The next morning, Trump tweeted, “This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!”

Plus, as Reuters reports Mueller did find that Russian operatives organized political rallies in support of Trump and opposing Hillary Clinton's candidacy:

Special counsel Robert Mueller in his highly-anticipated report said his team identified “dozens” of U.S. political rallies organized on social media by the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Russian troll farm that was later indicted for attempting to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

According to Mueller’s report, which was released on Thursday, the IRA organized political rallies in the U.S. using social media starting in 2015 and continued to coordinate rallies after the 2016 election.

The IRA, a Russian troll farm with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian intelligence agencies, organized pro-Trump and anti-Clinton rallies on U.S. soil for years, including events in New York, Florida and Pennsylvania. The Trump campaign put a post on Facebook about one of the IRA-organized rallies in Miami, Fla. in 2016, Mueller noted.

SNL: Mueller, Barr & Trump 'Interpret' Special Counsel Report

Robert De Niro, Alec Baldwin, Aidy Bryant

Robert De Niro returned to SNL in his recurring role as special Counsel Robert Mueller for the show's cold open last night.

In the skit, Mueller - along with Attorney General William Barr (Aidy Bryant) and Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) - played out their separate roles in the release of the report from the Special Counsel.

From the New York Times:

Each performer offered an introduction at the start of the sketch. De Niro said, “Dear Attorney General Barr, officials from the Justice Department and esteemed members of Congress.”

Bryant said, “Hey, guys, William Barr here. You might want to sit down for this one.”

And Baldwin said, “Guess what? Guess what? Guess what? Daddy is about to freak.”

De Niro: “I am submitting these 380 pages.”

Bryant: “I am writing almost four pages.”

Baldwin: “I am reading zero pages, but Sean Hannity has read it and he was so excited that he texted me an eggplant.”

De Niro: “On the charge of obstruction of justice, we have not drawn a definitive conclusion.”

Bryant: “But I have, and my conclusion is: Trump’s clean as a whistle.”

Baldwin: “Free at last, free at last.”

Watch below.

Poll: Majority Of Americans Do NOT Feel Trump Exonerated By Mueller Report

Donald Trump

A new CNN poll conducted by SSRS (March 25-26) found a majority of Americans do not believe Donald Trump and his campaign associates have been exonerated of collusion by the Special Counsel's report per Attorney General William Barr.

When asked the question "Do You Think The Report Exonerates Trump of Collusion?," 56% say no while 43% answered yes.

Broken down by political affiliation, Republicans believe their guy (77% vs. 23%) and Democrats do not (80% vs. 19%).

But when it comes to all-important Independent voters, a majority (56% vs. 41%) do not feel Trump has been exonerated.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller Submits His Report To Attorney General

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

After nearly two years, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his report on the Trump campaign and any collusion/coordination with Russia, according to NBC News.

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday wrapped up his nearly two-year investigation into Donald Trump and Russia and sent his report to Attorney General Barr.

No details of Mueller's findings have been released, and it is not clear how soon the public will see them.

The transmission of the report to Barr concludes an investigation that has resulted in the indictments of 34 people, infuriated the president and thrown the administration into turmoil.

The long-awaited development comes almost two years after Mueller was appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to investigate "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump" and "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation."

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters he wants the public to see the report.

"Let it come out, let people see it," Trump said. "That's up to the attorney general. We have a very good attorney general, he's a highly respected man. And we'll see what happens. But it's sort of interesting that a man out of the blue just writes a report."

"But I want to see the report," he said. "And you know who I want to see it? The tens of millions of people that love the fact that we have the greatest economy we've ever had."

House Votes Unanimously In Favor Of Releasing Mueller Report To The Public

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

With Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation possibly coming to a close soon, the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (420-0) for a non-binding resolution calling for Mueller's final report to be provided to Congress and the public.

According to NBC News, the final decision regarding the release of the report will fall to Attorney General William Barr.

Don't count on the Republican-controlled Senate to take up the resolution anytime soon.

Judge Finds Former Trump Campaign Chair Lied To Investigators

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort

Big trouble for former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

From The Washington Post:

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to prosecutors with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III about matters close to the heart of their investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, a federal judge ruled Wednesday.

The judge’s finding that Manafort, 69, breached his cooperation deal with prosecutors by lying after his guilty plea could add years to his prison sentence and came after a set of sealed court hearings.

Manafort had denied intentionally lying after his plea deal, but U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District found he lied in three of five areas alleged by prosecutors. She said she would factor in his deception on other topics at sentencing March 13.

The special counsel’s office “has established by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant intentionally made multiple false statements to the FBI, [Mueller’s office] and the grand jury concerning matters that were material to the investigation,” Jackson wrote.

This means any leniency for Manafort is out the window as Judge Jackson will take these lies into account when considering sentencing.

CNN's Jeffrey Toobin said last night 70-year-old Manafort could expect to get 10 years in prison.

Trump Calls House Chairman Investigating Him A 'Political Hack'

Donald Trump complained again today about so-called 'presidential harassment' when he was asked about the House Intelligence Committee moving forward with investigations into his finances and possible Russian ties.

The 'presidential harassment' thing reminds me of the character in Mean Girls who keeps trying to get her invented catch-phrase to become popular. It's not going to work.

Calling the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), a 'political hack,' Trump added, “It’s just presidential harassment and it’s unfortunate and it really does hurt our country."

Trump calls congressional oversight "presidential harassment."

This AM, Jerry Nadler said: "To say that we can't do that is to say that we shouldn't do our constitutional duty. It's to assert an executive preeminence that one would think he might want to be a dictator."
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/OEx4vtFkLl

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 6, 2019

Schiff announced Wednesday his committee would undertake a broad investigation “beyond Russia” into whether President Donald Trump’s financial interests are driving his actions.

The committee voted today to fulfill another priority of Schiff’s: releasing the transcripts of all witnesses before the House investigation to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

The full, un-redacted transcripts will give Mueller the chance to 'compare notes' with his own interviews of Trump allies. Should he find discrepancies, Trump's friends could be in big trouble. Lying to Congress is a felony.

For his part, Schiff issued his own statement saying, "I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President. Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue. We’re going to do our job and won’t be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks."

I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President. Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue.

We’re going to do our job and won’t be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 6, 2019

YESTERDAY: Trump called for “unity.”

TODAY: Trump reverted back to his normal self and called Adam Schiff “a political hack trying to build a name for himself.”

MORAL OF THE STORY: Never believe anything that a con man says when he is desperately trying to cover up his crimes.

— Ryan Knight 🇺🇸 (@ProudResister) February 6, 2019

Schiff is not the one funded by Russia. Trump is about to be put in check. pic.twitter.com/hN3CXEhEwX

— Todd Lytle (@ToddLytle) February 6, 2019

Trump Adviser, Roger Stone, Arrested On 7 Counts

Roger Stone

Roger Stone, a longtime close adviser to Donald Trump, was arrested shortly after 6am this morning at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on multiple charges stemming from the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

From The New York Times:

In an indictment unsealed on Friday, the special counsel disclosed evidence that a top campaign official in 2016 dispatched Roger J. Stone, a longtime adviser to President Trump, to get information from WikiLeaks about the thousands of hacked Democratic emails. The effort began well after it was widely reported that Russian intelligence operatives were behind the theft, which was part of Moscow’s broad campaign to sabotage the 2016 president election.

The indictment makes no mention of whether Mr. Trump played a role in the coordination, though Mr. Mueller did leave a curious clue about how high in the campaign the effort reached.: A senior campaign official “was directed” by an unnamed person to contact Mr. Stone about additional WikiLeaks releases that might damage the Clinton campaign, according to the court document.

Mr. Stone was charged with seven counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding, making false statements and witness tampering.

You can read the full indictment here.

A reporter from CNN, David Shortell, had been staking out Stone's house due to recent activity by the Special Counsel investigation.

According to neighbors, CNN has had a truck out in front of Stone's house Thursday-Saturday since the midterm elections.

And last week, the investigation was negotiating an appearance by Jerome Corsi's stepson. His legal team was told to pick a day for grand jury testimony "just not Friday."

Donald Trump took to Twitter angry that CNN was there to capture the early morning arrest. The Trumpster alleged the Special Counsel's office had tipped off the media so they could embarrass Stone.

CNN’s ability to capture the arrest of Roger Stone was the result of determined reporting and interpreting clues revealed in the course of events. That’s called journalism. #FactsFirst https://t.co/71zu7RylxX

— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) January 25, 2019

As Stone left his indictment hearing, he struck a Nixon-like pose. Reminding the American people of a disgraced president who lied would seem to be an 'interesting' strategy.

pic.twitter.com/OnXCDlcyIK

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) January 25, 2019

As he comes down the steps for his post-indictment hearing news conference, Roger Stone, who was a Nixon campaign aide, strikes the Nixon double V pose. pic.twitter.com/5sWXvthvLs

— NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) January 25, 2019

Roger Stone tries to speak over chants of “Lock him up!” pic.twitter.com/Kxdo7KnDuO

— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) January 25, 2019

Rudy Giuliani: I Never Said There Was No Collusion Between Trump Campaign And Russia

I think this is what we call "moving the goalposts."

In a stunning reversal, Donald Trump's legal eagle Rudy Giuliani told CNN's Chris Cuomo last night that he never said there was "no collusion" between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian agents.

From The Washington Post:

President Trump’s legal spokesman Rudolph W. Giuliani on Wednesday night appeared to grant the possibility that members of Trump’s campaign did, in fact, collude with the Russians during the 2016 presidential election campaign.

And in the process, he contradicted dozens of previous denials that both the Trump team (and Trump himself) have offered.

“I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign,” Giuliani told CNN’s Chris Cuomo, before getting cut off.

“Yes, you have,” Cuomo said.

Giuliani shot back: “I have not. I said ‘the president of the United States.’”

Now, perhaps Giuliani never said the exact words "no one from the Trump campaign ever communicated with Russian interlopers," but that has been the clear message from Donald Trump regarding his team and the alleged Russian interference during the 2016 presidential race.

"No collusion" has been the Trumpster's mantra over and over again.

This is first time anyone connected to Trump has opened the door to the idea that someone associated with Trump colluded with Russian forces without his knowledge.

The Washington Post breaks down the many evolving positions like this:

1. November 2016: No communications, period

2. February 2017: There were no communications, “to the best of our knowledge”

3. March 2017: There were communications, but no planned meetings with Russians

4. July 8, 2017: There was a planned meeting at Trump Tower, but it was “primarily” about adoption and not the campaign

5. July 9, 2017: The meeting was planned to discuss the campaign, but the information exchanged wasn't “meaningful”

6. December 2017: Collusion isn't even a crime

7. May 16, 2018: Even if meaningful information were obtained, it wasn't used

8. May 19, 2018: There was a *second* planned meeting about foreign help in the election, but nothing came of it either

9. July 16, 2018: Trump couldn't collude, because Trump didn't even know Putin

10. July 30, 2018: Collusion isn't a crime, and Trump wasn't physically at the Trump Tower meeting

11. January 16, 2019: Trump didn’t collude, but no guarantees on others in the campaign

It's like quicksand - the more Team Trump fights, the worse off they are.

The collusion evolution, by Rudy Giuliani:

- There was no collusion.

- Even if there was collusion, it‘s not a crime.

- Truth isn’t truth.

- It happened a long time ago.

- I never said there was no collusion.

- I said no collusion...with the President of the United States.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) January 17, 2019

Can't help but wonder what shoe may be about to drop in the Mueller investigation if Rudy Giuliani is on cable news saying things like, "I never said there was no collusion between the campaign."

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) January 17, 2019

Trump: "I Never Worked For Russia"

Donald Trump

Donald Trump finally gave reporters a clear 'no' today when asked about the allegations that he's been trying to conceal his communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I never worked for Russia," Trump told reporters. "It's a disgrace that you even asked that question because it's a whole big fat hoax. It's just a hoax."

"I never worked for Russia," President Trump says in response to a NYT report that the FBI opened a probe.

"Not only did I never work for Russia, I think it's a disgrace that you even asked that question because it's a whole big, fat hoax," he adds https://t.co/IkdXiga7TC pic.twitter.com/SWhviYxlKZ

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) January 14, 2019

Trump also said he doesn't know anything about what happened to the notes taken by an interpreter when he met with Putin last summer in Finland.

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters today that she believes Donald Trump seized his translator's notes after a 2017 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin because the West Wing had been "suffering from a great number of leaks" at the time.

She also admits, however, that she hasn't discussed the issue with Trump.

@WhiteHouse doesnt seem to be denying that @realdonaldtrump confiscated interpreters notes from Putin conversation. @KellyannePolls says she hasnt talked with POTUS directly about it, but suggests part of the reason may have been #leaks of information around the time of the G-20.

— joe johns (@joejohnscnn) January 14, 2019

Poll: 62% Of Americans Don't Believe Trump Has Been Honest About Russian Interference

Donald Trump

A new poll by NBC/Wall Street Journal taken after the midterm elections shows a majority of Americans think Donald Trump hasn't been truthful regarding the ongoing investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

• Almost two-thirds (62% of those polled) say Trump has not been honest regarding Russian interference in the last presidential election.

• 33% believe the economy will get worse in the next 12 months versus 28% who believe it will continue to improve.

• Only 38% of those polled would vote to re-elect Trump president.

• Only 33% say Trump 'got the message' that voters want a change of direction via the midterm elections; 22% say he got the message but won't make any changes in his approach to the presidency.

• 56% say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Check out more from the recent survey here.

Axios: "We Now Know..."

Donald Trump

In light of this week's sentencing recommendations from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, plus new details from former FBI Director James Comey at congressional hearings, Axios comes up with this list of "what we know" regarding the ongoing investigation:

We now know several Russian officials reached out to a half dozen Republicans very close to Trump and his campaign, including his eldest son, his closest adviser, his lawyer, and his campaign manager. We now know they took the meetings, often enthusiastically, during and after the campaign.

We now know Russia offered in those chats campaign assistance — “synergy,” they called it. We know now of no one around Trump who alerted the FBI of this effort to subvert our elections.

We now know that 12 Russian intelligence officers were indicted for hacking the DNC and systematically releasing material for the purpose of hurting the Clinton campaign via WikiLeaks.

We know that Trump associates Roger Stone and Jerome Corsi attempted — successfully, in some instances — to get in touch with WikiLeaks and that they are under investigation for whether they had advance knowledge about the email dumps.

We now know Donald Trump, Jr and others took a meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. We now know Don, Jr., when approached with the promise of dirt, wrote: “If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.”

We now know Trump was negotiating a Trump property in Moscow during the presidential campaign — and hid this from the public and lied about it. We now know Mueller believes, based on his court filing, the “Moscow Project was a lucrative business opportunity that sought, and likely required, the assistance of the Russian government.”

We now know every arm of the US intelligence community concluded Russia sought to systematically influence the election outcome. We now know this was an unanimous conclusion, save one dissent: Trump.

We now know Trump officials continued talking with the Russians during the post-election transition. We now know Jared Kushner and Jeff Sessions failed to initially disclose any contacts with Russians on their government forms.

We now know Jared Kushner suggested a secret backchannel with the Russians, which had it happened, would have been free of US eavesdropping.

We now know Trump soured on FBI director James Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and White House counsel Don McGahn in part over their handling of the probe.

We now know Paul Manafort, who ran the Trump campaign in the summer of 2016, lied about his Russia contacts, was indicted, and is going to jail.

We now know Flynn lied about his Russian contacts, was fired and pleaded guilty, after agreeing to become a key witness in the investigation.

We now know Cohen lied about his Russian contacts, was indicted, and then flipped to become a key witness against Trump.

Axios' final note - Robert Mueller knows a lot more than just the above.

James Comey Drops Challenge To Congressional Subpoena In Exchange For Full-Transcript Release

Former FBI Director James Comey

NBC News reports that former FBI Director James Comey has dropped his legal challenge to a Republican congressional subpoena and will agree to closed-door deposition.

However, lawmakers agreed to release a full transcript of his testimony within 24 hours, and he will be free to make all or part of it available to the public.

Comey had been subpoenaed by House Republicans to discuss Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server (again) as well as Russian interference in the 2016 election behind closed doors. Comey opposed the private setting in an effort to make sure the American people would be able to know exactly what was discussed.

Comey’s attorneys argued in their challenge to the subpoena that Republicans had “abused their powers with selective leaks" in the past.

Grateful for a fair hearing from judge. Hard to protect my rights without being in contempt, which I don’t believe in. So will sit in the dark, but Republicans agree I’m free to talk when done and transcript released in 24 hours. This is the closest I can get to public testimony.

— James Comey (@Comey) December 2, 2018

Trump Warns Soon-To-Be Democratic Controlled House On Possible Investigations

Donald Trump

Donald Trump, after seeming a bit more open to 'playing nice' in an interview with right-leaning Sinclair Broadcast Group yesterday, was back to the same old Grump Trump this morning.

On Twitter, Trump sent a warning shot to Democrats about possible White House investigations by the soon-to-be Democratic-controlled House as well as renewed his attacks on the Mueller investigation.

To any of the pundits or talking heads that do not give us proper credit for this great Midterm Election, just remember two words - FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018

If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018

According to NBC News, Voters Nationwide Disapprove of the so-called Mueller Investigation (46%) more than they Approve (41%). You mean they are finally beginning to understand what a disgusting Witch Hunt, led by 17 Angry Democrats, is all about!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 7, 2018

Report: White House Counsel Has Been Cooperating "Extensively" With Robert Mueller Investigation

Donald Trump

According to a new report from The New York Times, White House counsel Don McGahn has been cooperating with the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as well as Donald Trump's possible obstruction of justice in firing former FBI Director James Comey.

From The New York Times:

The White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, has cooperated extensively in the special counsel investigation, sharing detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Trump obstructed justice, including some that investigators would not have learned of otherwise, according to a dozen current and former White House officials and others briefed on the matter.

In at least three voluntary interviews with investigators that totaled 30 hours over the past nine months, Mr. McGahn described the president’s fury toward the Russia investigation and the ways in which he urged Mr. McGahn to respond to it. He provided the investigators examining whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice a clear view of the president’s most intimate moments with his lawyer.

Among them were Mr. Trump’s comments and actions during the firing of the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, and Mr. Trump’s obsession with putting a loyalist in charge of the inquiry, including his repeated urging of Attorney General Jeff Sessions to claim oversight of it. Mr. McGahn was also centrally involved in Mr. Trump’s attempts to fire the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, which investigators might not have discovered without him.

The NY Times goes on to say that McGahn "viewed his role as protector of the presidency, not of Mr. Trump."

McGahn's full cooperation was apparently motivated by suspicions "that the president had decided to let Mr. McGahn take the fall for decisions that could be construed as obstruction of justice, like the Comey firing, by telling the special counsel that he was only following shoddy legal advice from Mr. McGahn."

The Trumpster slapped back at the "failing" NY Times saying it was all a lot of nonsense because Trump "allowed him and all others to testify."

Cue the Twitter rant:

The failing @nytimes wrote a Fake piece today implying that because White House Councel Don McGahn was giving hours of testimony to the Special Councel, he must be a John Dean type “RAT.” But I allowed him and all others to testify - I didn’t have to. I have nothing to hide......

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018

....and have demanded transparency so that this Rigged and Disgusting Witch Hunt can come to a close. So many lives have been ruined over nothing - McCarthyism at its WORST! Yet Mueller & his gang of Dems refuse to look at the real crimes on the other side - Media is even worse!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018

No Collusion and No Obstruction, except by Crooked Hillary and the Democrats. All of the resignations and corruption, yet heavily conflicted Bob Mueller refuses to even look in that direction. What about the Brennan, Comey, McCabe, Strzok lies to Congress, or Crooked’s Emails!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018

The Failing New York Times wrote a story that made it seem like the White House Councel had TURNED on the President, when in fact it is just the opposite - & the two Fake reporters knew this. This is why the Fake News Media has become the Enemy of the People. So bad for America!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018

Some members of the media are very Angry at the Fake Story in the New York Times. They actually called to complain and apologize - a big step forward. From the day I announced, the Times has been Fake News, and with their disgusting new Board Member, it will only get worse!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018

Study the late Joseph McCarthy, because we are now in period with Mueller and his gang that make Joseph McCarthy look like a baby! Rigged Witch Hunt!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2018

Report: Trump Was Briefed On Russian Interference Weeks Before Taking Office

Donald Trump

On January 6, 2017, two weeks before taking an oath to defend the United States of America, Donald Trip was briefed by James Clapper, director of national intelligence; John O. Brennan, the C.I.A. director; and Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency and the commander of United States Cyber Command.

Trump was informed, in detail, of the vast amount of evidence that showed Russia had interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

From The New York Times:

The evidence included texts and emails from Russian military officers and information gleaned from a top-secret source close to Mr. Putin, who had described to the C.I.A. how the Kremlin decided to execute its campaign of hacking and disinformation.

Mr. Trump sounded grudgingly convinced, according to several people who attended the intelligence briefing. But ever since, Mr. Trump has tried to cloud the very clear findings that he received on Jan. 6, 2017, which his own intelligence leaders have unanimously endorsed.

The shifting narrative underscores the degree to which Mr. Trump regularly picks and chooses intelligence to suit his political purposes. That has never been more clear than this week.

Also present at the meeting was the-FBI director James Comey. It was after that briefing that Comey privately shared with Trump the now-infamous Steele Dossier.

In other words, Trump has known since before he entered the White House that Putin ordered the disruption.

And he pushed out every top official at that meeting to protect himself.

One day after being shown all of the damning evidence, Trump went on the offense attempting to obfuscate the issue.

The moment @Lawrence reads the breaking news from the NYT to @maddow who immediately understands that if #TrumpKnew about the extent of Putin's role in #RussianHacking on 1/6/17, he's been actively engaged in a coverup ever since. pic.twitter.com/YmlVHflzZZ

— Richard Hine (@richardhine) July 19, 2018

Congress Responds To Trump's Woeful Putin Press Conference

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

After Donald Trump's embarrassing performance at a press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin today in Helsinki, some Congressional leaders are speaking out.

Some are more forceful than others.

We have this feckless drivel from Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan via press release:

“There is no question that Russia interfered in our election and continues attempts to undermine democracy here and around the world. That is not just the finding of the American intelligence community but also the House Committee on Intelligence. The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally. There is no moral equivalence between the United States and Russia, which remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals. The United States must be focused on holding Russia accountable and putting an end to its vile attacks on democracy.”

There's this from Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R) who basically sidesteps the issue of Trump:

“The Senate Intelligence Committee has reviewed the 2017 IC (intelligence community) assessment and found no reason to doubt its conclusion that President Putin ordered an influence campaign aimed at the 2016 U.S. elections with the goal of undermining faith in our democratic process. Russia has conducted a coordinated cyberattack on state election systems, and hacked critical infrastructure. They have used social media to sow chaos and discord in our society.

“They have beaten and harassed U.S. diplomats and violated anti-proliferation treaties. Any statement by Vladimir Putin contrary to these facts is a lie and should be recognized as one by the President.

“Vladimir Putin is not our friend and never has been. Nor does he want to be our friend. His regime’s actions prove it. We must make clear that the United States will not tolerate hostile Russian activities against us or our allies.”

On the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York (D) offered this:

“What could possibly cause President Trump to put the interests of Russia over those of the United States? Millions of Americans will continue to wonder if the only possible explanation for this dangerous behavior is the possibility that President Putin holds damaging information over President Trump. For the president of the United States to side with President Putin against American law enforcement, American defense officials, and American intelligence agencies is thoughtless, dangerous, and weak. The president is putting himself over our country.”

12 Russian Intelligence Agents Indicted For Hacking DNC & Clinton Campaign

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein announced today that 12 Russian intelligence officers have been indicted on new charges stemming from the ongoing investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

From The Washington Post:

The 12 were members of a Russian military intelligence agency known as the GRU and are accused of engaging in a sustained effort to hack the computer networks of Democratic organizations and the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein detailed the new charges at a midday news conference. Mueller, as has been his practice, did not attend the announcement. Court records show that a grand jury Mueller has been using returned an indictment Friday morning.

The announcement comes days before President Trump is due to meet with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin in Finland. Rosenstein said he briefed Trump earlier this week on the charges.

The 11-count indictment spells out in granular detail a carefully planned and executed attack on the information security of Democrats, implanting hundreds of malware files on Democrats’ computer systems, stealing information, and then laundering the pilfered material through fake personas and others to try to influence voters’ opinions.

According to the indictments, the hacked emails were released under the names DCLeaks and Guccifer 2.0

Responding to the news, Hillary Clinton's campaign chair John Podesta told ABC News, "Donald Trump likes to describe this as a witch hunt. Well, we just found some witches."

For months, Donald Trump has called the idea of Russian interference in the 2016 a "made-up story."

The White House issued a statement following the announced indictments which notably does not condemn Russia for interfering in our election:

"As Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said today:

• "There is no allegation in this indictment that Americans knew that they were corresponding with Russians.

• There is no allegation in this indictment that any American citizen committed a crime.

• There is no allegation that the conspiracy changed the vote count or affected any election result."

Today's charges include no allegations of knowing involvement by anyone on the campaign and no allegation that the alleged hacking affected the election result. This is consistent with what we have been saying all along."

Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, took to Twitter in an attempt to mislead the American public once again.

He tweeted, "The indictments Rod Rosenstein announced are good news for all Americans. The Russians are nailed. No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent."

That is not what the Deputy Attorney General said today. Rosenstein stated that no Americans were being indicted today. Please note the very specific use of the phrase "in this indictment" over and over in Rosenstein's announcement. He didn't say all Americans are innocent.

You can watch Rosenstein's announcement below.

John Podesta responds to new indictments of 12 Russian nationals for alleged effort to hack DNC, Hillary Clinton's campaign:

"Donald Trump likes to describe this as a witch hunt—well, we just found some witches." https://t.co/BHK5sr6LRC pic.twitter.com/iM4foV6bou

— ABC News (@ABC) July 13, 2018

With new indictments of 12 Russian military officers over 2016 election hacking and infiltration efforts, a flashback to our 2017 Lie of the Year: @realdonaldTrump saying Russian election interference is a "made-up story." https://t.co/QpeD9Tx5ry pic.twitter.com/I4wL5OyTDx

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) July 13, 2018

NEW: White House responds to Russian hacking indictments. pic.twitter.com/rtj16iq7yR

— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) July 13, 2018

The indictments Rod Rosenstein announced are good news for all Americans. The Russians are nailed. No Americans are involved. Time for Mueller to end this pursuit of the President and say President Trump is completely innocent.

— Mayor Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) July 13, 2018