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Mueller Weighs Putting Off Trump Obstruction Decision

March 12, 2018, 4:00 AM EDT

Delay would let him wrap up less explosive parts of inquiry
Obstruction decision might undercut probe, one way or another

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice is said to be close to completion, but he may set it aside while he finishes other key parts of his probe, such as possible collusion and the hacking of Democrats, according to current and former U.S. officials.

That’s because Mueller may calculate that if he tries to bring charges in the obstruction case -- the part that may hit closest to Trump personally -- witnesses may become less cooperative in other parts of the probe, or the president may move to shut it down altogether.

The revelation is a peek into Muller’s calculations as he proceeds with his many-headed probe, while pressure builds from the president’s advisers and other Republicans to show progress or wrap it up.

The obstruction portion of the probe could likely be completed after several key outstanding interviews, including with the president and his son, Donald Trump Jr. The president’s lawyers have been negotiating with Mueller’s team over such an encounter since late last year. But even if Trump testifies in the coming weeks, Mueller may make a strategic calculation to keep his findings on obstruction secret, according to the current and former U.S. officials, who discussed the strategy on condition of anonymity.

Any clear outcome of the obstruction inquiry could be used against Mueller: Filing charges against Trump or his family could prompt the president to take action to fire him. Publicly clearing Trump of obstruction charges -- as the president’s lawyers have requested -- could be used by his allies to build pressure for the broader investigation to be shut down.

Other key matters under investigation by Mueller’s team, with its 17 career prosecutors, include whether Trump or any of his associates helped Russia meddle in the 2016 campaign. Mueller is also expected to indict some of those responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee before the election and publicly leaking stolen material in an effort to hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The timing for whether -- and when -- to interview Trump or his family members is one of the most sensitive decisions Mueller faces at this stage of his investigation. The special counsel’s office declined to comment for this story.

Trump, who has branded the probe a “witch hunt,” is growing increasingly frustrated as Mueller’s work continues, and the president’s lawyers have signaled that they expect the investigation to wrap up quickly.

Expansive, Aggressive
Recent reports provide a glimpse into how expansive and aggressive Mueller’s investigation is. The New York Times and Washington Post, for example, suggest Mueller’s team recently began probing efforts by the United Arab Emirates to influence the Trump team, including a meeting the Gulf kingdom apparently helped organize in the Seychelles where an informal Trump adviser also met with a Russian banker.

The Post also reported that Mueller has been asking about several Russia-related incidents involving longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, including his role in trying to help the Trump Organization build a tower in Moscow in 2015.

When it comes to the obstruction portion of the investigation, Mueller is said to be focused on three main episodes: Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey last May; the drafting of a misleading statement about the purpose of a June 2016 meeting between Don Jr., Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and a group of Russians at Trump Tower; and the disclosure that Trump considered firing Mueller last June.

Mueller’s team of FBI agents and prosecutors has already interviewed people who could provide firsthand knowledge of possible obstruction of justice, including Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers.

Millions of Pages
Mueller also has turned Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, into a cooperating witness. He has interviewed more than four dozen White House and campaign aides and requested more than 1.4 million pages of documents, according to Trump’s lawyers.

Kushner spoke to Mueller early on in the investigation for a limited interview, while Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter who’s also an adviser, have yet to be interviewed, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

There is also no indication that Mueller has yet interviewed Trump’s former bodyguard Keith Schiller, who was at Trump’s side on a trip to Moscow and during each day of the campaign and his presidency until he resigned over the summer. When Trump moved to fire Comey, Schiller hand-delivered the note to the FBI.

Here are three of the main episodes Mueller is investigating on a potential obstruction of justice:

Weekend in Bedminster
One focus for Mueller is a rainy weekend that Trump and top aides spent holed up at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, shortly before Comey was fired. Trump stayed out of public view the entire weekend. While the White House released little information about his activities except to say he had “meetings and calls,” it’s clear Trump and his advisers were discussing Comey’s fate.

Traveling with Trump that weekend was then-Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland, a Flynn ally; senior adviser Stephen Miller; then-White House communications director Hope Hicks, social media director Dan Scavino; Kushner; and Ivanka Trump.

That Sunday morning in Bedminster, Trump publicly aired his frustrations on the Russia probe, tweeting: “Why did the Obama Administration start an investigation into the Trump Campaign (with zero proof of wrongdoing) long before the Election in November? Wanted to discredit so Crooked H would win. Unprecedented. Bigger than Watergate! Plus, Obama did NOTHING about Russian meddling.”

Late that day, Trump flew back to Washington with staff and his daughter and son-in-law. After landing at Andrews Air Force Base, he spent more than 40 minutes on the tarmac before deplaning, an unusually long time. When he did exit Air Force One, Kushner told reporters “everything is good, he was working on something.”

Less than 12 hours later, Trump woke the next morning and began venting again about the investigation. He wrote six Twitter posts attacking the probe, three of them aimed at former acting Attorney General Sally Yates. “The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?” one of them read. Trump fired Comey the next day.

Don Jr.’s Statement
Mueller also has been prodding witnesses about the crafting of the misleading statement by Trump Jr. to the New York Times concerning the meeting with Russians at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Mueller interviewed the former spokesman for Trump’s legal team, Mark Corallo, after the release of author Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury,” which said Corallo believed the crafting of the statement could amount to obstruction of justice.

The statement -- crafted aboard Air Force One by Trump, Hicks and Kushner spokesman Josh Raffel and relayed to Trump Jr. -- portrayed the meeting as being mostly about Russian adoptions. Emails later released by Trump Jr. showed an organizer told him the Russians would produce damaging information on Clinton. The White House has said of the statement that Trump “weighed in, as any father would, based on the limited information that he had," while on a return trip from Germany.

Corallo told investigators that in a phone call with Hicks and Trump raising concern about the statement Hicks insisted the emails would "never get out," which Corallo found deeply naive, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Firing Mueller
The third main area Mueller is probing for potential obstruction involves Trump’s desire to fire Mueller. Trump became enraged with Sessions when he recused himself from anything to do with the Russia investigation, a decision that continues to rankle the president. After Trump fired Comey, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel.

Trump wanted to fire Mueller in June, three people familiar with the matter said, raising concern among his top aides and closest supporters that Trump would put himself in legal jeopardy. Trump ultimately relented after White House Counsel Don McGahn refused to carry out the order and made clear he’d resign rather than acquiesce.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...uction-decision

This one is for all the GOPers that are sick of my posts, like Arch.

Your Guide to Understanding the Trump-Russia Saga

By now, few American elected leaders -- other than President Donald Trump, on occasion --dispute that elements of the Russian state interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. What remains unproven is whether anybody from Trump’s winning campaign assisted in that interference. As Trump dismisses talk of collusion as "a total hoax," a wide-ranging criminal investigation has produced indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy; a guilty plea by a junior foreign policy adviser that hinted at the Trump campaign playing ball with the Russians; and a guilty plea by Michael Flynn, Trump’s first national security adviser. The latest targets of indictments are Russians who allegedly carried out the interference.

1. What exactly did Russia do?
U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally ordered a campaign to undermine "public faith in the U.S. democratic process" and the candidacy of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, and that along the way, Putin and his government "developed a clear preference" for Trump. Russia’s efforts included hacking and leaking emails that undermined Clinton’s campaign, and using phony accounts and advertising on Facebook and Twitter to sway American public opinion.

2. What’s still not known?
What if anything Trump or his team did to solicit, encourage or participate in Russia’s effort. The former Trump foreign-policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, who has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators, sought damaging information on Clinton from people connected to the Russian government. Then there’s the 35-page “dossier” alleging Russia has been "cultivating, supporting and assisting” Trump for at least five years and fed his campaign “valuable intelligence” on Clinton. Its major allegations -- compiled by a former British spy and paid for in part by the Clinton campaign -- remain unsubstantiated, and Trump has dismissed them as "a complete fraud."

3. Who is investigating?
Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, was called back into service as special counsel to oversee the probe. He was appointed on May 17 by Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, who cited the "unique circumstances" of the case. Eight days before the appointment, Trump had fired the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey, who’d been a key player in the investigation. Appointing Mueller was Rosenstein’s call because his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was a top Trump adviser during the campaign, recused himself.

4. How did this all begin?
In April 2016, Democratic Party leaders called in a cybersecurity firm to look at suspicious software on their computers. The firm said it found digital footprints of hackers tied to the Russian government. The Democratic National Committee went public with the news and the suspicion of Russian involvement in June, just after Clinton clinched the party’s nomination for president, and just after WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange said his group had "upcoming leaks in relation to Hillary Clinton."

5. What were those leaks?
WikiLeaks released almost 20,000 emails from inside the Democratic National Committee that showed, among other things, how DNC staffers had favored Clinton during her primary campaign against Bernie Sanders -- prompting Debbie Wasserman Schultz to resign as DNC head. Later in the campaign, WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of emails from the Gmail account of John Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman. Clinton, looking back on her defeat, said the "WikiLeaks email dumps" had been "like Chinese water torture."

6. And WikiLeaks got those emails from Russia?
That’s the allegation. The report by U.S. intelligence agencies says Russia’s General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate, or GRU, gave the material to WikiLeaks through an intermediary. (Assange has said the source of the hacked emails "is not the Russian government and it is not a state party," though that doesn’t rule out the possibility that an intermediary was used.) Some of the emails also were released through the "persona" of a purported Romanian hacker, Guccifer 2.0, and a website, DCLeaks.com, both of which promoted the hacked information to certain journalists.

7. Which Trump aides are under scrutiny?
Potentially any who had contact with Russian representatives or intermediaries during the presidential campaign. That list includes:

Flynn, Trump’s national security adviser for just 24 days. In the words of former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, Flynn "compromised" himself -- made himself vulnerable to being blackmailed -- by lying about the contents of a December 2016 phone call with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying about that call to federal agents and has agreed to cooperate with investigators.
Manafort, Trump’s onetime campaign chairman. He was charged on Oct. 27 with money laundering, conspiracy and tax charges in a 12-count indictment that says he used $18 million in laundered funds to support a “lavish lifestyle.” He received more than $17 million for his work with Ukraine’s pro-Russian Party of Regions in 2012-2013 and, according to corporate records, took as much as $52.8 million in loans from companies controlled by Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Jr., who met in June 2016 with a Russian lawyer offering potentially damaging information on Clinton.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and top assistant, who also attended the June 2016 meeting; confirmed four contacts with Russians during the campaign and White House transition; and, after Trump’s victory, discussed creating a secret line of communication between the Trump transition and the Russian government. (He denies any "improper contacts.")
Carter Page, a U.S. energy consultant once listed by Trump as a foreign policy adviser, whose July 2016 visit to Moscow drew the FBI’s interest.
Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative, who dropped hints during the campaign that he had advance knowledge of the release of hacked campaign material.
8. Is Trump himself being investigated?
At the least, he opened himself up to allegations of obstruction of justice by firing Comey as FBI director and saying that, in doing so, he’d considered "this Russia thing." Comey maintains that, months before he was fired, Trump had asked him to shut down the investigation of Flynn. ("I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn," Trump .) Plus, Mueller’s investigation goes well beyond the 2016 campaign. Bloomberg News reported on July 20 that the probe includes Russian purchases of apartments in Trump buildings, Trump’s involvement in a controversial SoHo development in New York with Russian associates, the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow and Trump’s sale of a Florida mansion to a Russian oligarch in 2008.

9. Why is Mueller allowed to look beyond the Russia question?
The Justice Department’s May 17 order appointing Mueller instructs him to investigate “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign,” as well as -- and this is key -- “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation." Trump and his lawyer, John Dowd, say that digging into matters beyond Russia and the 2016 election is out of bounds.

10. Does Trump acknowledge Russian meddling in the election?
He’s given mixed signals. He dismissed such reports during the campaign, theorizing that Democrats could just as easily have been hacked by "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds." Since then, he’s called the concern about Russian involvement "fake news put out by the media," a "ruse" and a "scam." In November, he said he believed Putin was sincere in denying Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The next day, Trump said he stands with U.S. intelligence agencies on the matter.

The Reference Shelf
Highlights of the indictment charging 13 Russians and three Russian businesses.
The prospect of Flynn cooperating with Mueller is dangerous for Trump.
What’s in the indictment of Manafort and Gates.
A deep dive into Manafort’s lucrative Ukraine years.
More on Manafort and that Russian oligarch.
QuickTake Q&As on impeachment, obstruction of justice and the early murmurs about pardons.
A QuickTake explainer on cybercrime and cybersecurity.
Remembering when Putin came up in that Clinton-Trump debate.
People, Politico and the BBC on the biggest revelations from hacked Clinton emails

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...a-quicktake-q-a

Robert Mueller, a true American hero

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opini...0309-story.html

After once predicting quick end to Mueller investigation, White House looking to expand legal team

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/natio...0311-story.html

Maxine Waters: If Robert Mueller 'doesn't get' Trump, Stormy Daniels will

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/...my-daniels-will

hahahahaahhahahahahahhahaah

how exactly is that going to happen?

Former Trump aide speaks to Mueller, believes Russia probe is 'not a witch hunt'

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-aide-speaks-mueller-russia-probe-witch-hunt/story?id=53650541

News anchor who recently interviewed Vladimir Putin believes he 'has something' on Donald Trump

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...w-a8250446.html

Happy Monday GOPers.

hahahhaha , bro you become more of a joke every post.

I have something on Hilary.

see how easy it is to just write whatever you want that's false. . . . . . man, you must have took an extra blue pill this morning, each article gets you going. Hey, after four hours just look at this picture, it should help making that go away.

Willit,

I've been relatively quiet for a while if you look back. I just posted some things I thought were interesting. But you guys only want to talk about fearing illegals or prying your guns out of your cold dead hands... you know, Trumplodyte stuff.

My posts shine a little truth into your world, or let's just say another view to stop your eyerolls, and you guys get all snowflaky and start squirming. I have to laugh because there is no hope for you realizing how bad you screwed up until reality hits you.

So dig up your silly pics of HRC all you want, I didn't back her. But you do whatever you feel you need to keep from looking at what the world around you is saying and you stay in your safe space where you won't melt.

I have something on Hillary too.

But I'm going to delay coming forth with it.

#realnews

I have already leaked it to the Press like a good Democrat would!

“Corporations and labor organizations (including officers, directors or other representatives acting as agents of corporations and labor organizations) are prohibited from facilitating the making of contributions to candidates or political committees, other than to the separate segregated funds of the corporations and labor organizations. Facilitation means using corporate or labor organization resources or facilities to engage in fundraising activities in connection with any federal election …”

“The use of the Trump Organization email is evidence that Cohen’s services were, at least in part, being paid for by the Trump Organization,” “That would be an illegal corporate contribution to the campaign even if the company did not pay the $130,000.”

I gotta say this.. I have to wonder how any reporter gets this information.

I mean, Mueller and his team are about as tight lipped as can be.

The only way this leaks out is if they want it leaked out.

And I can't imagine that.

sounds like a reach.

honestly, do you guys not re-read your post. we have gone the emulates clause, to trump allow people to stay in his hotels, trying to get electoral voters to not vote, from Russia, Russia, Russia, to a payment to porn star. lol

The left has been trying to overturn a legitimate election for over a year. It was rather hilarious to watch at first, now its just down right obsessive and weird.

Like the birtherism movement led by the current President?

The birther movement was on a much smaller scale than what we are witnessing today.

That must be why half the redneck republicans I know still spew that crap all the time. It must just be a small pocket of people I know or hear talking who love Trump.

Honestly, that might be when Trump started colluding with Russia, the memes sure came hot and heavy after he got into the mix.

More racist drivel, I am not surprised.

lol, who am I racist against? You are clueless.

The term redneck is a derogatory term chiefly used for a rural poor white person of the Southern United States.[1][2] Its usage is similar in meaning to cracker (especially regarding Georgia, Texas,[1] and Florida), hillbilly (especially regarding Appalachia and the Ozarks),[3] and white trash (but without the last term's suggestions of immorality).[4][5][6]

Link

So big deal. I'm a hillbilly. I'm not dirt poor, but I'm not wealthy either. I've also been called a red neck.

So again, who am I being racist against? When dumbass becomes a race, you will have nailed me.

your personal thoughts on the matter does not preclude it from being a racial slur.

House Intelligence Committee Russia investigation reportedly finishes interviews and is nearing a conclusion

-The House Intelligence Committee has finished interviewing witnesses as part of its probe into Russian election meddling.
-The Committee is now preparing to write a report on its findings, signaling its conclusion, the Wall Street Journal reports.
-The House Intelligence Committee has interviewed more than 50 witnesses during its investigation.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/house-ru...earing-end.html

Should be a short read - "we didn't find anything".

In all seriousness though, what kind of reaction is going to come out if/when they say - we don't have anything.

I don't think the left is going to say "well thanks for looking" and go about their day.

Yes.

Seeing how the GOP led investigation ran interference for the White House and refuses to call in all witnesses and actually ask meaningful questions instead of chasing Trump's latest talking points... I predict the GOP will say no evidence found.

Your posts, for the last 14 months or so, are really priceless.

Do you go to bed angry every night because Trump hasn't been impeached?

Lol, hardly. I talk to my wife and mother about him sometimes but other than reading or watching the news a couple times a day I don't really let Trump bother me.

Much of what I post on here is just to settle down the GOPers circle smirks. You don't get to celebrate Trump without me making an effort to ruin your celebration.

Truth is there have been things he has done, or said he wanted before he changed his mind 100 times that I actually agreed with. I don't like him because I think he's a liar and shady as hell. But in things like an NK peace agreement, gun control, [struggling to think of a third example] etc. I've actually rooted for him. But for every one thing he does that I at least somewhat agree with he does 20 things I despise.

I think I know what you could be dreaming about each night...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2n_-jwPUHQ

You must spend a lot of time in your underwear editing videos. Only a mind like yours could create that.

Is that why Manfort is sporting a shiny, slightly used, electronic tracking device?

Whats funny, is if Pencil Neck Shiff had one ounce, one shred, one teeny tiny piece of evidence - all he would have to do is come out with it. If he did, it would blow the R decision out of the water on this. Its over though, because once again, there is nothing. 73 witness testimony, 300K pieces of email/letters/man-hours, for nothing.

Remember all of the stories that led readers to believe that there had been collusion - they all had this little caveat at the end of it. “To date, no evidence has been found, but experts say it’s only a matter of time” or what have you."

It rather amusing to sit back and see this unfold in their faces - then watch them try to scramble when they know the farce is up and they are trying to save face.

Yeah, that's it. lmao

Just like with the DACA folks, the Democrats don't care, they just want to score political points.

And the GOP wants to make excuses for Trump acting like a moron. What's new?

yep. and the left eats it up, "cause we got trump now!" "this is it!"

The only evidence of Collusion to date is the Democrats Colluding with insanity!

I see the person they wanted for President is up to her old tricks again...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7jXwgN_UtA