Mueller: "If We Had Confidence That The President Had NOT Committed A Crime We Would Have Said So"

Special Counsel Robert Mueller

For the first time since the conclusion of the Special Counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice by Donald Trump, Robert Mueller spoke at the Department of Justice about his team's report.

Mueller reiterated his office’s conclusion was that there was “insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy” against the Trump campaign in relation to Russian efforts to interfere with the election.

He also made clear that Trump was not cleared of obstruction of justice by the Special Counsel.

“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not committed a crime, we would have said so. We did not, however, make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime,” Mueller said about the conclusion of the Russia investigation.

He added that he did not charge Trump with obstruction of justice because Department of Justice policy prohibits charging a sitting president with a federal crime. “Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider,” said Mueller.

The key line that will be played over and over.

Robert Mueller: "As set forth in the report, after that investigation, if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so."
Via ABC pic.twitter.com/7rSlmtbDtb

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 29, 2019

Shorter Mueller:

1. I wasn't allowed to charge the President with a crime.

2. I believe he committed crimes, or I would say otherwise.

3. Congress does have the authority to charge him with a crime.

— David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) May 29, 2019

"The constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing." —Robert Mueller

Make no mistake: Mueller's report is an impeachment referral to Congress. pic.twitter.com/jWQjrnxC4U

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) May 29, 2019

Robert Mueller made it clear: No exoneration.

— Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) May 29, 2019

Robert Mueller Recap:

Russia attacked our election but there was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Trump obstructed, but I couldn’t do anything about it because of an antiquated DOJ policy. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Barr is not a bad guy. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I’m not testifying to Congress. 🤦🏼‍♂️

— Ryan Knight is #AllInForWarren (@ProudResister) May 29, 2019

“The Constitution provides means to hold a president accountable outside of the criminal justice system.”

— Robert Mueller, metaphorically winking at Congress.

— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) May 29, 2019

Robert Mueller could not be more clear that he believes Congress needs to step up now, explicitly saying that charging a sitting President with a crime requires a process other than the criminal justice system allows.

There is no other reason for his statement today.

— David Jolly (@DavidJollyFL) May 29, 2019

GOP Congressman Says Attorney General "Deliberately Misrepresented" Mueller Report

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan

Rep. Justin Amash surprised some folks earlier the month when he became the first Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.

Today, Amash issued a lengthy 25-tweet statement outlining how he views Attorney General William Barr "misrepresented key aspects" of the Special Counsel's report.

Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented key aspects of Mueller’s report and decisions in the investigation, which has helped further the president’s false narrative about the investigation.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 28, 2019

After receiving Mueller’s report, Barr wrote and released a letter on March 24 describing Barr’s own decision not to indict the president for obstruction of justice. That letter selectively quotes and summarizes points in Mueller’s report in misleading ways.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 28, 2019

Mueller’s report says he chose not to decide whether Trump broke the law because there’s an official DoJ opinion that indicting a sitting president is unconstitutional, and because of concerns about impacting the president’s ability to govern and pre-empting possible impeachment.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 28, 2019

Barr’s letter doesn’t mention those issues when explaining why Mueller chose not to make a prosecutorial decision. He instead selectively quotes Mueller in a way that makes it sound—falsely—as if Mueller’s decision stemmed from legal/factual issues specific to Trump’s actions.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 28, 2019

But, in fact, Mueller finds considerable evidence that several of Trump’s actions detailed in the report meet the elements of obstruction, and Mueller’s constitutional and prudential issues with indicting a sitting president would preclude indictment regardless of what he found.

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 28, 2019

Amash goes on to cite Donald Trump Jr.'s Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer and the inability of Robert Mueller to secure a proper interview with Donald Trump as concerning issues in the Special Counsel's report that Barr seems to have obfuscated.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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.

Why Doesn't Trump Want Report That "Totally Exonerates" Him To Be Released?

Donald Trump

Now, if you had a report that "totally exonerated" you of any wrongdoing, wouldn't you want the world to see that?

Donald Trump tweeted this morning questioning why Congressional Democrats should be allowed to see the report filed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

"Why should Radical Left Democrats in Congress have a right to retry and examine the $35,000,000 (two years in the making) No Collusion Mueller Report, when the crime committed was by Crooked Hillary, the DNC and Dirty Cops? Attorney General Barr will make the decision!"

Why should Radical Left Democrats in Congress have a right to retry and examine the $35,000,000 (two years in the making) No Collusion Mueller Report, when the crime committed was by Crooked Hillary, the DNC and Dirty Cops? Attorney General Barr will make the decision!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2019

Trump previously told the press that he wanted the report released to the public.

Now, why had he changed his mind? #ThingsThatMakeYouGoHmm

@realDonaldTrump:
First of all, Freedom of Information Act.

Secondly, it's not just the "Radical Left Democrats in Congress" that want to examine the report, it's America.

Lastly...we as taxpayers paid for the Mueller Report & now we'd like to read what we payed for.#TrumpLies https://t.co/Wx4Oj81Uum

— momlovesfaith (@momlovesfaith) April 13, 2019

Not retrying, just seeing it. What’s the use of having an investigation without reading the findings? Besides, it’s not just the “radical left democrats” who want to see the report. It’s all Americans, #dividerInChief #protesterInChief

— Diane Rabinowitz (@samadhiP) April 13, 2019

Attorney General Will Release Mueller Report "Within A Week"

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on budget matters, Attorney General William P. Barr said he will be releasing a redacted version of the Mueller report within a week.

From the New York Times:

Attorney General William P. Barr said he will deliver the Mueller report to Congress and the public within a week, reiterating his earlier promise to release it by mid-April.

Testifying before lawmakers, Mr. Barr said he would be transparent about redactions in the report. But he demurred when asked whether he has briefed the White House on it.

"My original timetable of being able to release this by mid-April stands," says Attorney General Barr, referring to the Mueller report.

"By within a week, I will be in a position to release the report to the public."

Live updates: https://t.co/V3rK3Fhtfy pic.twitter.com/9wSNVhHx7O

— CNN (@CNN) April 9, 2019

Bill Barr reveals that Mueller team DID NOT have a role in drafting his letter to Hill outlining the top-line conclusions of Mueller report. Mueller team was offered a chance to review it but declined

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 9, 2019

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.

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

Special Counsel Again Requests To Interview Trump On Obstruction Of Justice

Donald Trump

According to ABC News, Special Counsel Robert Mueller has requested to interview Donald Trump regarding issues pertaining to obstruction of justice.

ABC News reports:

According to sources, the president learned within the last day that the special counsel will limit the scope of questioning and would like to ask questions both orally and written for the President to respond to.

According to sources familiar with the President’s reaction Wednesday morning, that was the genesis for his early morning tweet storm. Negotiations over a potential presidential interview have gone on for months, through several different iterations of the Trump legal team.

You'll note Trump now says Manafort "worked for me for a very short time."

When he won the election, he hailed Manafort's great work.

Here's the Twitter rant referenced in the ABC News report.

“FBI Agent Peter Strzok (on the Mueller team) should have recused himself on day one. He was out to STOP THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP. He needed an insurance policy. Those are illegal, improper goals, trying to influence the Election. He should never, ever been allowed to........

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

.....remain in the FBI while he himself was being investigated. This is a real issue. It won’t go into a Mueller Report because Mueller is going to protect these guys. Mueller has an interest in creating the illusion of objectivity around his investigation.” ALAN DERSHOWITZ....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders. He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn’t government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion - a Hoax!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

Russian Collusion with the Trump Campaign, one of the most successful in history, is a TOTAL HOAX. The Democrats paid for the phony and discredited Dossier which was, along with Comey, McCabe, Strzok and his lover, the lovely Lisa Page, used to begin the Witch Hunt. Disgraceful!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

Looking back on history, who was treated worse, Alfonse Capone, legendary mob boss, killer and “Public Enemy Number One,” or Paul Manafort, political operative & Reagan/Dole darling, now serving solitary confinement - although convicted of nothing? Where is the Russian Collusion?

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

“We already have a smoking gun about a campaign getting dirt on their opponent, it was Hillary Clinton. How is it OK for Hillary Clinton to proactively seek dirt from the Russians but the Trump campaign met at the Russians request and that is bad?” Marc Thiessen, Washington Post

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018

Federal Judge Denies Paul Manafort's Request To Dismiss Charges Against Him

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort

CNN reports that a federal judge has denied former Donald Trump campaign chairman's request to invalidate the criminal case again him brought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Manafort's legal team argued that the Special Counsel's orders were too broad and that Mueller had overstepped his legal authority.

But federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that Mueller's investigation and his prosecution of Manafort are legal.

Manafort maintains his innocence to charges related to his work as a lobbyist for Ukrainian politicians.

This is a judge Trump will not be quoting at rallies: “The Special Counsel would have been remiss to ignore such an obvious potential link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government” - Federal Judge Berman dismissing Manafort’s motion to dismiss.

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) May 15, 2018

JUST IN: Judge in D.C. denies Manafort motion to dismiss charges. Says "the indictment falls squarely within that portion of the authority granted to the Special Counsel," and it was "logical and appropriate" for investigators looking at coordination to focus on him.

— Matt Zapotosky (@mattzap) May 15, 2018

"Who had connections to the Russian government? Who attended meetings on behalf of the campaign? Given...his prominence within the campaign and his ties to Ukrainian officials supported by and operating out of Russia ... Manafort was an obvious person of interest” for Mueller.

— Katelyn Polantz (@kpolantz) May 15, 2018

Special Counsel Confirms Trump Is A Subject Of Investigation

Donald Trump's attorneys were informed last month that Trump is, indeed, a subject of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, but does not at this time consider The Donald a "criminal target."

From The Washington Post:

In private negotiations in early March about a possible presidential interview, Mueller described Trump as a subject of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Prosecutors view someone as a subject when that person has engaged in conduct that is under investigation but there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges.

The special counsel also told Trump’s lawyers that he is preparing a report about the president’s actions while in office and potential obstruction of justice, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations.

Mueller reiterated the need to interview Trump — both to understand whether he had any corrupt intent to thwart the Russia investigation and to complete this portion of his probe, the people said.

Apparently, the Trumpster took this as "good news" that he had been vindicated.

Not quite.

As many legal experts have now pointed out, folks can go from "subject" to "target" quickly depending on new information gleaned from incoming evidence.

“If someone walked into my office and said I was the subject of a multi-year criminal investigation led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, I’d wet my pants,” Phil Mudd, former CIA Counterterrorism official, says to @donlemon

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 4, 2018

Trump was relieved to find he was only a "subject" and not a "target" of Mueller's criminal investigation. This is the classic behavior of a criminal mind.

— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) April 4, 2018

If you're confused about the significance of whether Trump is a 'target' or 'subject' of Mueller's investigation, I've got you covered https://t.co/8ITFHbkZiG pic.twitter.com/ZFl6HqQgXR

— T'Challah 🍝 (@AdamSerwer) April 4, 2018

First Person Sentenced In Connection To Special Counsel's Probe

Alex van der Zwaan

From CNN:

A Dutch lawyer tied to former Trump deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates who admitted to lying to special counsel Robert Mueller's team was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days in prison and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine.

Alex van der Zwaan is the first person to be sentenced in Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
He pleaded guilty to lying to Mueller's team in February and faced up to six months in prison.

Earlier Tuesday, Van der Zwaan's attorneys begged for no jail time for their client, who mostly sat with pursed lips, slouched at the defense table.

He did say a few sentences of contrition that he read from a paper.

"What I did was wrong," he uttered. He also apologized.

Van der Zwaan covered up his discussions with Gates and a business associate based in Ukraine in September 2016, while the Trump campaign operation was in full swing. He also admitted to lying to investigators about his failure to turn over email communications to the special counsel's office and to his law firm as it cooperated with Mueller on its investigation of Gates' and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's foreign lobbying.

NBC News is reporting that Robert Mueller does not need Dutch Lawyer Alex van der Zwaan to cooperate as its believed van der Zwaan has nothing to tell the Special Counsel.

As Pete Williams of NBC News says, "This was a punitive sentence to send the message that you can't lie to the special counsel."

AG Jeff Sessions Questioned Regarding Russian Investigation

Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions became the first cabinet member of Donald Trump's administration to be questioned by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team looking into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Additionally, former FBI director, James Comey, has been interviewed by the special counsel's team.

From The New York Times:

The interview with Mr. Comey focused on a series of memos he wrote about his interactions with Mr. Trump that unnerved Mr. Comey. In one memo, Mr. Comey said that Mr. Trump had asked him to end the F.B.I.’s investigation into the former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn.

After the president’s request was disclosed, the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, appointed Mr. Mueller as the special counsel to lead the Russia investigation and examine whether the president obstructed justice.

The attorney general announced in March that he had recused himself from all matters related to the 2016 election, including the Russia inquiry. The disclosure came after it was revealed that Mr. Sessions had not told Congress that he met twice with the Russian ambassador to the United States at the time, Sergey I. Kislyak, during the campaign.

We knew Mueller was investigating potential conspiracy between @realDonaldTrump officials & Russia. Dept of Justice spokesperson in this story on Attorney General Jeff Sessions now confirms Mueller is, in fact, also investigating potential Obstruction of Justice by @POTUS. https://t.co/kxNz1atXQW

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 23, 2018

CNN: First Charges Approved By Grand Jury In Special Counsel Robert Mueller Investigation

Donald Trump

And so, it begins.

The first charges have been approved by a federal grand jury in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

From CNN:

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, the sources said. It is unclear what the charges are.

A spokesman for the special counsel's office declined to comment.

Mueller was appointed in May to lead the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Under the regulations governing special counsel investigations, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has oversight over the Russia investigation, would have been made aware of any charges before they were taken before the grand jury for approval, according to people familiar with the matter.

Just speculation, but three particular Donald Trump former associates - campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and campaign adviser Carter Page - are widely viewed as potential targets of the investigation.

Just this morning, Donald Trump tweeted, "It is now commonly agreed, after many months of COSTLY looking, that there was NO collusion between Russia and Trump."

A little quick on the Twitter finger there, Donny?

It is now commonly agreed, after many months of COSTLY looking, that there was NO collusion between Russia and Trump. Was collusion with HC!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 27, 2017

Washington Post: Special Counsel Mueller Looking At Possible Obstruction Of Justice By Trump

Robert Mueller

I'm guessing this is why Daniel Coats, current director of national intelligence, and Adm. Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, refused to answer so many questions last week when speaking to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The Washington Post dropped a bombshell tonight reporting that the special counsel looking into Russian interference in last year's election, Robert Mueller, is now looking into possible obstruction of justice by President Trump.

The special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election is interviewing senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes an examination of whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice, officials said.

The move by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III to investigate Trump’s own conduct marks a major turning point in the nearly year-old FBI investigation, which until recently focused on Russian meddling during the presidential campaign and on whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Investigators have also been looking for any evidence of possible financial crimes among Trump associates, officials said.

Trump had received private assurances from former FBI Director James B. Comey starting in January that he was not personally under investigation. Officials say that changed shortly after Comey’s firing.

The WaPo piece goes on to detail an encounter between Coats and Trump, as well as phone calls between Trump, Coats and Rogers.

Coats was attending a briefing at the White House together with officials from several other government agencies. When the briefing ended, as The Post previously reported, Trump asked everyone to leave the room except for Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Coats told associates that Trump had asked him if he could intervene with Comey to get the bureau to back off its focus on former national security adviser Michael Flynn in its Russia probe, according to officials. Coats later told lawmakers that he never felt pressured to intervene.

A day or two after the March 22 meeting, Trump telephoned Coats and Rogers to separately ask them to issue public statements denying the existence of any evidence of coordination between his campaign and the Russian government.

Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the president’s requests, officials said.

And there's documentation: recently departed National Security Agency Deputy Richard Ledgett penned an internal NSA memo documenting the president’s phone call with his boss, Adm. Mike Rogers, according to officials.

Newt Gingrich Flip Flops On Russian Investigation Special Counsel

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich went all "flip/flop" on the special counsel appointed to look into the Russian interference in the 2016 election this past Sunday.

Gingrich told Chris Wallace of Fox News that since former FBI Director James Comey admitted that he shared his personal memos with the world regarding conversations with President Trump in hopes that a special counsel would be appointed, the special counsel should be dismissed.

Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair. Look who he is hiring.check fec reports. Time to rethink.

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) June 12, 2017

Gingrich also says that the special counsel, Robert Mueller, is one of James Comey's best friends, and that also is grounds for dismissal.

Except - James Comey didn't pick the special counsel, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller to the position. And, at the time, Gingrich was all thumbs up.

Let's take a trip on the way-back machine less than one month ago:

Robert Mueller is superb choice to be special counsel. His reputation is impeccable for honesty and integrity. Media should now calm down

— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) May 18, 2017

Watch Gingrich below on Fox News:

.@newtgingrich: "Comey himself, by his own testimony, tainted this particular process." pic.twitter.com/3KF320R0Go

— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 11, 2017

Trump: Special Counsel Investigating Russian Interference In Election "Hurts The Country"

President Trump

Yesterday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced he had appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel, taking over the investigation into Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 election.

The White House issued this statement last night on the president's behalf:

"As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity. I look forward to this matter concluding quickly. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country."

Very adult sounding, no?

Well, in a lunch meeting with network news anchors and reporters today, President Trump struck a very different tone saying the special counsel investigation "hurts the country!"

Via CNBC:

"I believe it hurts our country terribly, because it shows we're a divided, mixed-up, not-unified country," Trump said. "And we have very important things to be doing right now, whether it's trade deals, whether it's military, whether it's stopping nuclear — all of the things that we discussed today. And I think this shows a very divided country."

"It also happens to be a pure excuse for the Democrats having lost an election that they should have easily won because of the Electoral College being slanted so much in their way. That's all this is. I think it shows division, and it shows that we're not together as a country. And I think it's a very, very negative thing. And hopefully, this can go quickly, because we have to show unity if we're going to do great things with respect to the rest of the world."