- 注册
- 2007-01-19
- 消息
- 29,063
- 荣誉分数
- 9,970
- 声望点数
- 373
Papadopoulos被判刑（获特朗普总统特赦）, Cohen入狱三年, Manafort获刑7.5年、Gates, Flynn, Patten认罪， Roger Stone获刑40个月；Flynn、Manafort、Stone获特朗普总统特赦; Steve Bannon、纳瓦罗被判四个月监禁
- 主题发起人 ccc
- 开始时间
- 注册
- 2003-04-13
- 消息
- 241,061
- 荣誉分数
- 37,883
- 声望点数
- 1,393
Mueller report details 'inadequate' Trump answers, attempts by president to end probe
Report appears to paint picture of president not fully co-operating with special counsel
Thomson Reuters · Posted: Apr 18, 2019 5:52 AM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago
U.S. Attorney General William Barr speaks about the release of the redacted version of the Mueller report Thursday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find that Donald Trump or members of his campaign worked with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, but the report appeared to paint a picture of a president taking steps to control the investigation and not fully co-operating with the probe.
Mueller's investigation did not establish that Trump committed a crime but also did not exonerate him, the report said.
Earlier in the day, Trump's recently appointed attorney general focused largely on one part of that conclusion.
The "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," William Barr told a news conference.
After Barr spoke, Trump's account on Twitter posted a prepared graphic that blared "GAME OVER" with a similar conclusion, which blamed "radical left Democrats." He made similar remarks at a previously scheduled White House event on Thursday.
Trump's legal team released a statement in which it characterized the report as a "total victory for the president."
"It is clear there was no criminal wrongdoing. Nothing withheld; nothing concealed; nothing deleted; nothing destroyed; and nothing bleached," his lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow, Jane Raskin and Martin Raskin said in a statement.
Trump never interviewed in-person
The president never sat for an interview with Mueller during the nearly two-year investigation, despite indicating on several occasions his willingness to do so. Even so, Barr said the "White House fully co-operated with the special counsel's investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely."
But Mueller's 448-page report said Trump's written responses to submitted questions by the special counsel were "inadequate," though it was ultimately decided not to issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a "substantial delay" at a late stage in the investigation.
The Mueller report indicated that in June 2017 Trump directed White House lawyer Don McGahn to tell then-acting attorney general Rod Rosenstein that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed from his role. McGahn refused to carry out the order to fire Mueller, "for fear of being seen as triggering another Saturday Night Massacre," referring to a term used during President Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.
Trump Tower meeting scrutinized
The report indicated that Trump directed aides numerous times not to disclose emails about a controversial June 2016 meeting in New York with a Russian lawyer who had promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, which was attended by his son Donald Trump Jr. and his son-in-law and current White House adviser Jared Kushner.
Mueller said there was no documentary evidence that Trump knew his son, son-in-law and others were taking the Trump Tower meeting until after it occurred.
Elsewhere, Mueller wrote, "there is evidence that could support the inference the president intended to discourage [MIchael Cohen] from co-operating" with the investigation, referring to the president's former personal lawyer, who will begin a three-year prison sentence next month.
Mueller submitted the report to Barr on March 22. Two days later, Barr told lawmakers in a four-page summary that the inquiry did not establish that Trump's 2016 campaign team engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia and that Mueller had not exonerated Trump of committing the crime of obstruction of justice.
Barr subsequently concluded that Trump had not committed obstruction of justice, but Mueller's report concluded it could not clear him of that charge, appearing to defer to the U.S. system of checks and balances in government to grapple with that question.
"[W]e 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 report said.
'Congress will not be silent:' Pelosi
House judiciary committee chair Jerry Nadler appeared ready to take on that responsibility.
"The report concluded there was 'substantial evidence' that President Trump attempted to prevent an investigation into his campaign and his own conduct," Nadler, a New York Democrat, said in a statement.
"The responsibility now falls to Congress to hold the president accountable for his actions," he said. He later said he believes Mueller's report was written as "a road map" for Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, travelling Thursday on a congressional trip to Ireland, said in a joint statement with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that Mueller's report revealed more than was known about the obstruction question.
"As we continue to review the report, one thing is clear: Attorney General Barr presented a conclusion that the president did not obstruct justice while Mueller's report appears to undercut that finding," they said.
Later, in a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi vowed: "Congress will not be silent."
The judiciary committee will hear testimony from Barr on May 2. Nadler said he anticipates Mueller will also testify "in the next couple of weeks after that."
Mueller, a former FBI director, never spoke publicly during the course of the investigation.
'Sincere belief' motivated Trump: Barr
Barr said Thursday that he and Rosenstein, now the deputy attorney general, "disagreed with some of the special counsel's legal theories and felt that some of the episodes examined did not amount to obstruction as a matter of law."
Barr, confirmed as attorney general in February, said the president's personal counsel "requested and were given the opportunity" to read the redacted report, and that Trump did not invoke executive privilege over any portions of the report.
The redacted report was then delivered to Congress and then uploaded to the special counsel's website shortly after 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Democrats have vowed to fight in court for the disclosure of the additional information from the report and say they have subpoenas ready to go if it is heavily redacted.
While Mueller often couldn't make a conclusion as to Trump's motives, Barr said the president was "frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fuelled by illegal leaks."
While Trump and his allies will claim exoneration, there are still inquiries in and out of Congress, including regarding Trump Organization finances and allegations whether inauguration money was spent improperly.
Trump Jr. also could be the subject of further Democratic Party inquiries. The report said Trump Jr. had direct contacts during the campaign with WikiLeaks, which released hacked emails of Clinton officials. Trump Jr. also had password access to a confidential WikiLeaks site, it said.
Democrats slam Barr appearance
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called Barr's remarks on Thursday a "campaign press conference," with other Democratic members of Congress like California Rep. Ted Lieu weighing in with similar criticism.
Jay Inslee, a 2020 presidential candidate, went a step further, calling the news conference "a disgrace."
"The attorney general should be the nation's top law enforcement officer — not a spokesman for the president," said Inslee, the Democratic governor of Washington state.
Ohio congressman Jim Jordan, one of the most ardent Republican proponents of investigating elements of the FBI and Justice Department for supposed anti-Trump bias, trumpeted the Barr conclusions.
Overall, Mueller brought charges against 34 people — including six Trump aides and advisers — and revealed a sophisticated, wide-ranging Russian effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. Twenty-five of those charged were Russians accused either in the hacking of Democratic email accounts or of a hidden but powerful social media effort to spread disinformation online.
Five former Trump aides or advisers pleaded guilty and agreed to co-operate in Mueller's investigation, including Trump's former campaign chairman, former national security adviser and former personal lawyer.
A photo illustration shows an editor looking at a photograph of Barr, left, speaking about the release of the redacted version of the Mueller report, juxtaposed with Trump's 'Game Over' tweet. (Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images)
Comey firing questioned
Evidence supports the inference that Trump intended for Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman, to believe that he could get a pardon, according to Mueller's report.
Manafort in January also told his deputy, Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty in a case related to the Mueller investigation, that Trump's personal counsel had told him they were "going to take care of us," according to Mueller's report.
Attorney General William Barr speaks about the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report during a news conference, Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the Department of Justice in Washington. (Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press)
Barr was accompanied at the news conference by Rosenstein, who oversaw the investigation after Mueller's appointment in May 2017 just a few weeks after he joined the Justice Department. The decision came shortly after Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey less than halfway into this 10-year term.
Trump, supported by a letter written by Rosenstein, claimed the firing was a result of the FBI's handling of an investigation into Clinton's use of private servers while secretary of state, but days later Trump admitted "this Russia thing" was a primary driver of the decision.
Mueller said there was "substantial evidence" that Trump fired Comey due to his "unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation."
Report appears to paint picture of president not fully co-operating with special counsel
Thomson Reuters · Posted: Apr 18, 2019 5:52 AM ET | Last Updated: an hour ago
U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Thursday that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find that Donald Trump or members of his campaign worked with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, but the report appeared to paint a picture of a president taking steps to control the investigation and not fully co-operating with the probe.
Mueller's investigation did not establish that Trump committed a crime but also did not exonerate him, the report said.
Earlier in the day, Trump's recently appointed attorney general focused largely on one part of that conclusion.
The "investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or co-ordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities," William Barr told a news conference.
After Barr spoke, Trump's account on Twitter posted a prepared graphic that blared "GAME OVER" with a similar conclusion, which blamed "radical left Democrats." He made similar remarks at a previously scheduled White House event on Thursday.
Trump's legal team released a statement in which it characterized the report as a "total victory for the president."
"It is clear there was no criminal wrongdoing. Nothing withheld; nothing concealed; nothing deleted; nothing destroyed; and nothing bleached," his lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Jay Sekulow, Jane Raskin and Martin Raskin said in a statement.
Trump never interviewed in-person
The president never sat for an interview with Mueller during the nearly two-year investigation, despite indicating on several occasions his willingness to do so. Even so, Barr said the "White House fully co-operated with the special counsel's investigation, providing unfettered access to campaign and White House documents, directing senior aides to testify freely."
But Mueller's 448-page report said Trump's written responses to submitted questions by the special counsel were "inadequate," though it was ultimately decided not to issue a subpoena to force Trump to give an interview to the special counsel because it would have created a "substantial delay" at a late stage in the investigation.
The Mueller report indicated that in June 2017 Trump directed White House lawyer Don McGahn to tell then-acting attorney general Rod Rosenstein that Mueller had conflicts of interest and must be removed from his role. McGahn refused to carry out the order to fire Mueller, "for fear of being seen as triggering another Saturday Night Massacre," referring to a term used during President Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal.
Trump Tower meeting scrutinized
The report indicated that Trump directed aides numerous times not to disclose emails about a controversial June 2016 meeting in New York with a Russian lawyer who had promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, which was attended by his son Donald Trump Jr. and his son-in-law and current White House adviser Jared Kushner.
Mueller said there was no documentary evidence that Trump knew his son, son-in-law and others were taking the Trump Tower meeting until after it occurred.
Elsewhere, Mueller wrote, "there is evidence that could support the inference the president intended to discourage [MIchael Cohen] from co-operating" with the investigation, referring to the president's former personal lawyer, who will begin a three-year prison sentence next month.
Mueller submitted the report to Barr on March 22. Two days later, Barr told lawmakers in a four-page summary that the inquiry did not establish that Trump's 2016 campaign team engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia and that Mueller had not exonerated Trump of committing the crime of obstruction of justice.
Barr subsequently concluded that Trump had not committed obstruction of justice, but Mueller's report concluded it could not clear him of that charge, appearing to defer to the U.S. system of checks and balances in government to grapple with that question.
"[W]e 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 report said.
'Congress will not be silent:' Pelosi
House judiciary committee chair Jerry Nadler appeared ready to take on that responsibility.
"The report concluded there was 'substantial evidence' that President Trump attempted to prevent an investigation into his campaign and his own conduct," Nadler, a New York Democrat, said in a statement.
"The responsibility now falls to Congress to hold the president accountable for his actions," he said. He later said he believes Mueller's report was written as "a road map" for Congress.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, travelling Thursday on a congressional trip to Ireland, said in a joint statement with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer that Mueller's report revealed more than was known about the obstruction question.
"As we continue to review the report, one thing is clear: Attorney General Barr presented a conclusion that the president did not obstruct justice while Mueller's report appears to undercut that finding," they said.
Later, in a letter to House Democrats, Pelosi vowed: "Congress will not be silent."
The judiciary committee will hear testimony from Barr on May 2. Nadler said he anticipates Mueller will also testify "in the next couple of weeks after that."
Mueller, a former FBI director, never spoke publicly during the course of the investigation.
'Sincere belief' motivated Trump: Barr
Barr said Thursday that he and Rosenstein, now the deputy attorney general, "disagreed with some of the special counsel's legal theories and felt that some of the episodes examined did not amount to obstruction as a matter of law."
Barr, confirmed as attorney general in February, said the president's personal counsel "requested and were given the opportunity" to read the redacted report, and that Trump did not invoke executive privilege over any portions of the report.
The redacted report was then delivered to Congress and then uploaded to the special counsel's website shortly after 11 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Democrats have vowed to fight in court for the disclosure of the additional information from the report and say they have subpoenas ready to go if it is heavily redacted.
While Mueller often couldn't make a conclusion as to Trump's motives, Barr said the president was "frustrated and angered by a sincere belief that the investigation was undermining his presidency, propelled by his political opponents, and fuelled by illegal leaks."
While Trump and his allies will claim exoneration, there are still inquiries in and out of Congress, including regarding Trump Organization finances and allegations whether inauguration money was spent improperly.
Trump Jr. also could be the subject of further Democratic Party inquiries. The report said Trump Jr. had direct contacts during the campaign with WikiLeaks, which released hacked emails of Clinton officials. Trump Jr. also had password access to a confidential WikiLeaks site, it said.
Democrats slam Barr appearance
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer called Barr's remarks on Thursday a "campaign press conference," with other Democratic members of Congress like California Rep. Ted Lieu weighing in with similar criticism.
Jay Inslee, a 2020 presidential candidate, went a step further, calling the news conference "a disgrace."
"The attorney general should be the nation's top law enforcement officer — not a spokesman for the president," said Inslee, the Democratic governor of Washington state.
Ohio congressman Jim Jordan, one of the most ardent Republican proponents of investigating elements of the FBI and Justice Department for supposed anti-Trump bias, trumpeted the Barr conclusions.
Overall, Mueller brought charges against 34 people — including six Trump aides and advisers — and revealed a sophisticated, wide-ranging Russian effort to influence the 2016 presidential election. Twenty-five of those charged were Russians accused either in the hacking of Democratic email accounts or of a hidden but powerful social media effort to spread disinformation online.
Five former Trump aides or advisers pleaded guilty and agreed to co-operate in Mueller's investigation, including Trump's former campaign chairman, former national security adviser and former personal lawyer.
A photo illustration shows an editor looking at a photograph of Barr, left, speaking about the release of the redacted version of the Mueller report, juxtaposed with Trump's 'Game Over' tweet. (Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty Images)
Comey firing questioned
Evidence supports the inference that Trump intended for Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman, to believe that he could get a pardon, according to Mueller's report.
Manafort in January also told his deputy, Rick Gates, who pleaded guilty in a case related to the Mueller investigation, that Trump's personal counsel had told him they were "going to take care of us," according to Mueller's report.
Attorney General William Barr speaks about the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report during a news conference, Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the Department of Justice in Washington. (Patrick Semansky/The Associated Press)
Barr was accompanied at the news conference by Rosenstein, who oversaw the investigation after Mueller's appointment in May 2017 just a few weeks after he joined the Justice Department. The decision came shortly after Trump fired then-FBI director James Comey less than halfway into this 10-year term.
Trump, supported by a letter written by Rosenstein, claimed the firing was a result of the FBI's handling of an investigation into Clinton's use of private servers while secretary of state, but days later Trump admitted "this Russia thing" was a primary driver of the decision.
Mueller said there was "substantial evidence" that Trump fired Comey due to his "unwillingness to publicly state that the president was not personally under investigation."
ottawa_tj
不知名会员
- 注册
- 2015-02-22
- 消息
- 14,682
- 荣誉分数
- 4,635
- 声望点数
- 373
zhangulei
干部。干是一种美德。
- 注册
- 2018-01-06
- 消息
- 6,866
- 荣誉分数
- 1,325
- 声望点数
- 223
重量级智库赞川普“唤醒梦游中的美国”www.creaders.net | 2019-04-19 09:42:49 中时电子报
虽然美国总统川普上任以来，打着"美国优先"路线，先前点起对中国大陆贸易战，近期又准备对欧盟掀起贸易战，外交与经贸政策争议不断；不过美国重量级外交智库"外交关系委员会"16日的一份报告指出，不只肯定川普政府的外交政策，称赞其"唤醒梦游中的美国"。
美国智库外交关系协会（Council on Foreign Relations）15日发表题为《川普外交政策比看起来好》（Trump's Foreign Policies Are Better Than They Seem）的特别报告，其中认为川普的对中政策扭转了过去20年美国三届政府，也就是从克林顿、小布希到欧巴马政府对北京战略意图的误读；虽然太早退出《跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》（TPP）是一败笔，但总体而言，他的外交政策比反对者所批评的要好。
报告指出，美国对北京战略意图的判定错误，为自第二次世界大战以来对美国外交政策损害最大的三大错误之一 ，"这一长期失败的对华政策有可能成为过去70年来美国（外交）政策的最大瑕疵"。另外两个错误分别是1965年越战升级，和2003年入侵伊拉克。
报告认为，川普政府唤醒美国面临中国大陆对美国国家利益和民主价值愈来愈大威胁，表示"在北京果断地将大部分亚洲国家纳入其轨道并远离美国的时候，如果没有川普政府对中国实力日益增长的危险进行持续的政治推动，美国可能还在继续梦游"。
对于川普发动对中贸易战，这份报告说川普"公开、大声对抗北京及其长期的不公平贸易做法"，"尽管对国际商务以及贸易赤字和关税的作用有着重大的误解"，但"川普对中国的巧妙施压已经取得成功"，且"川普可能获得中国政府在贸易上的重大让步，这是欧巴马政府寻求过、而未能通过外交途径获得；而川普的贸易政策可能已经突破了迄今为止北京为其贸易不端行为设置的难以逾越的屏障。
不过，报告也指出川普对中政策的缺失是未能与北京建立能改善两国间紧张关系的合理与可能的传统外交途径，"尤其在台湾问题上，北京和台北之间的紧张正在升高"。
报告作者为外交关系协会美国外交政策资深研究员布莱克威尔（Robert Blackwill），他也是约翰霍普金斯大学（Johns Hopkins University）国际研究院季辛吉全球事务中心（Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs）的高级研究员。布莱克威尔给川普对中政策的评分为B+，即介乎优（A）与良（B）之间。
虽然美国总统川普上任以来，打着"美国优先"路线，先前点起对中国大陆贸易战，近期又准备对欧盟掀起贸易战，外交与经贸政策争议不断；不过美国重量级外交智库"外交关系委员会"16日的一份报告指出，不只肯定川普政府的外交政策，称赞其"唤醒梦游中的美国"。
美国智库外交关系协会（Council on Foreign Relations）15日发表题为《川普外交政策比看起来好》（Trump's Foreign Policies Are Better Than They Seem）的特别报告，其中认为川普的对中政策扭转了过去20年美国三届政府，也就是从克林顿、小布希到欧巴马政府对北京战略意图的误读；虽然太早退出《跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》（TPP）是一败笔，但总体而言，他的外交政策比反对者所批评的要好。
报告指出，美国对北京战略意图的判定错误，为自第二次世界大战以来对美国外交政策损害最大的三大错误之一 ，"这一长期失败的对华政策有可能成为过去70年来美国（外交）政策的最大瑕疵"。另外两个错误分别是1965年越战升级，和2003年入侵伊拉克。
报告认为，川普政府唤醒美国面临中国大陆对美国国家利益和民主价值愈来愈大威胁，表示"在北京果断地将大部分亚洲国家纳入其轨道并远离美国的时候，如果没有川普政府对中国实力日益增长的危险进行持续的政治推动，美国可能还在继续梦游"。
对于川普发动对中贸易战，这份报告说川普"公开、大声对抗北京及其长期的不公平贸易做法"，"尽管对国际商务以及贸易赤字和关税的作用有着重大的误解"，但"川普对中国的巧妙施压已经取得成功"，且"川普可能获得中国政府在贸易上的重大让步，这是欧巴马政府寻求过、而未能通过外交途径获得；而川普的贸易政策可能已经突破了迄今为止北京为其贸易不端行为设置的难以逾越的屏障。
不过，报告也指出川普对中政策的缺失是未能与北京建立能改善两国间紧张关系的合理与可能的传统外交途径，"尤其在台湾问题上，北京和台北之间的紧张正在升高"。
报告作者为外交关系协会美国外交政策资深研究员布莱克威尔（Robert Blackwill），他也是约翰霍普金斯大学（Johns Hopkins University）国际研究院季辛吉全球事务中心（Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs）的高级研究员。布莱克威尔给川普对中政策的评分为B+，即介乎优（A）与良（B）之间。
- 注册
- 2003-04-13
- 消息
- 241,061
- 荣誉分数
- 37,883
- 声望点数
- 1,393
Trump blasts 'crazy' Mueller report as Democrats make legal bid for 'full version'
Russia probe did not conclude president obstructed justice, but did not exonerate him
Thomson Reuters · Posted: Apr 19, 2019 9:42 AM ET | Last Updated: 42 minutes ago
U.S. House judiciary committee chairman Jerrold Nadler issued a subpoena for the full version of special counsel Robert Mueller's report. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Congressional Democrats on Friday took legal action to see all of U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's evidence from his inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election, with an eye to using the probe's findings against President Donald Trump.
U.S. House judiciary committee chair Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for Attorney General William Barr to hand over the full report by Mueller by May 1, saying he cannot accept a redacted version released on Thursday that "leaves most of Congress in the dark."
"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice. The redactions appear to be significant. We have so far seen none of the actual evidence that the special counsel developed to make this case," Nadler said in a statement.
The report provided extensive details on Trump's efforts to thwart Mueller's investigation, giving Democrats plenty of political ammunition against the Republican president but no consensus on how to use it.
The 448-page document painted a clear picture of how Trump tried to hinder the probe. It did not conclude that he had committed the crime of obstruction of justice, although it did not exonerate him.
The report blacked out details about secret grand jury information, U.S. intelligence gathering and active criminal cases as well as potentially damaging information about peripheral players who were not charged.
Democratic leaders played down talk of impeachment of Trump just 18 months before the 2020 presidential election, even as some prominent members of the party's progressive wing, notably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, promised to push the idea.
Former FBI director Mueller also concluded in his report that there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow to sway the 2016 election, a finding that has been was known since late March when Barr released a summary of Mueller's conclusions.
'Crazy Mueller report'
Trump, who has repeatedly called the Mueller probe a political witch hunt, lashed out again on Friday.
"Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report...which are fabricated & totally untrue," Trump wrote on Twitter.
He seemed to be referring to former White House counsel Don McGahn who was cited in the report as having annoyed Trump by taking notes of his conversations with the president.
"Watch out for people that take so-called 'notes,' when the notes never existed until needed." Trump wrote, "it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the 'Report' about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good [or me to look bad]."
Phone conversations between the president and former White House counsel Don McGahn in June 2017 were a central part of Mueller's depiction of Trump as trying to derail the Russia inquiry. (Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press)
Phone conversations between the president and McGahn in June 2017 were a central part of Mueller's depiction of Trump as trying to derail the Russia inquiry. The report said Trump told McGahn to instruct the Justice Department to fire Mueller. McGahn did not carry out the order.
In analyzing whether Trump obstructed justice, Mueller revealed details about how the president tried to fire him and limit his investigation, kept details of a June 2016 meeting between senior campaign officials and a Russian under wraps, and possibly dangled a pardon to a former adviser.
White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley on Friday said the Trump administration was not concerned about attempts by the Democrats to look further into whether Trump committed a crime by obstructing justice.
"We have no concerns, no worries whatsoever, because we already know how the book ends: no collusion," Gidley told Fox News.
Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee, said the Democrats' subpoena "is wildly overbroad" and would jeopardize a grand jury's investigations.
The Mueller inquiry laid bare what U.S. intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump, the Kremlin's preferred candidate.
Russia said on Friday Mueller's report did not contain any evidence that Moscow had meddled. "We, as before, do not accept such allegations," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Asked on Friday about Russian interference in 2016, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that "we will make very clear to them that this is not acceptable behavior."
Trump has tried to cultivate good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and came under heavy criticism in Washington last year for saying after meeting Putin that he accepted his denial of election meddling, over the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies.
Half a dozen former Trump aides, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, were charged by Mueller's office or convicted of crimes during his 22-month-long investigation. The Mueller inquiry spawned a number of other criminal probes by federal prosecutors in New York and elsewhere.
Obstruction
One reason it would be difficult to charge Trump is that the Justice Department has a decades-old policy that a sitting president should not be indicted, although the U.S. Constitution is silent on whether a president can face criminal prosecution in court.
A paragraph in the report is at the heart of whether Mueller intended Congress to pursue further action against Trump.
"The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President's corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law," Mueller wrote.
Republican Collins said Democrats had misconstrued that section of the report to suit their anti-Trump agenda.
"There seems to be some confusion ... This isn't a matter of legal interpretation; it's reading comprehension," Collins wrote on Twitter.
"The report doesn't say Congress should investigate obstruction now. It says Congress can make laws about obstruction under Article I powers," Collins said.
Nadler told reporters on Thursday that Mueller probably wrote the report with the intent of providing Congress a road map for future action against the president, but the Democratic congressman said it was too early to talk about impeachment.
House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer on Thursday advised against an immediate attempt to impeach Trump. "Very frankly, there is an election in 18 months and the American people will make a judgment," Hoyer told CNN.
Another Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Steve Cohen, suggested that the House could censure Trump's "illegal and immoral" conduct rather than impeach him.
Short of attempting impeachment, Democratic lawmakers can use the details of Mueller's report to fuel other inquiries already underway by congressional committees.
Only two U.S. presidents have been impeached: Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in 1998 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 after firing his secretary of war in the tumultuous aftermath of the American Civil War. Both were acquitted by the Senate and stayed in office.
In 1974, a House committee approved articles of impeachment against then-president Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal but he resigned before the full House voted on impeachment.
Russia probe did not conclude president obstructed justice, but did not exonerate him
Thomson Reuters · Posted: Apr 19, 2019 9:42 AM ET | Last Updated: 42 minutes ago
Congressional Democrats on Friday took legal action to see all of U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's evidence from his inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election, with an eye to using the probe's findings against President Donald Trump.
U.S. House judiciary committee chair Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for Attorney General William Barr to hand over the full report by Mueller by May 1, saying he cannot accept a redacted version released on Thursday that "leaves most of Congress in the dark."
"My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice. The redactions appear to be significant. We have so far seen none of the actual evidence that the special counsel developed to make this case," Nadler said in a statement.
The report provided extensive details on Trump's efforts to thwart Mueller's investigation, giving Democrats plenty of political ammunition against the Republican president but no consensus on how to use it.
The 448-page document painted a clear picture of how Trump tried to hinder the probe. It did not conclude that he had committed the crime of obstruction of justice, although it did not exonerate him.
The report blacked out details about secret grand jury information, U.S. intelligence gathering and active criminal cases as well as potentially damaging information about peripheral players who were not charged.
Democratic leaders played down talk of impeachment of Trump just 18 months before the 2020 presidential election, even as some prominent members of the party's progressive wing, notably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, promised to push the idea.
Former FBI director Mueller also concluded in his report that there was not enough evidence to establish that Trump's campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow to sway the 2016 election, a finding that has been was known since late March when Barr released a summary of Mueller's conclusions.
'Crazy Mueller report'
Trump, who has repeatedly called the Mueller probe a political witch hunt, lashed out again on Friday.
"Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report...which are fabricated & totally untrue," Trump wrote on Twitter.
He seemed to be referring to former White House counsel Don McGahn who was cited in the report as having annoyed Trump by taking notes of his conversations with the president.
"Watch out for people that take so-called 'notes,' when the notes never existed until needed." Trump wrote, "it was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the 'Report' about me, some of which are total bullshit & only given to make the other person look good [or me to look bad]."
Phone conversations between the president and former White House counsel Don McGahn in June 2017 were a central part of Mueller's depiction of Trump as trying to derail the Russia inquiry. (Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press)
Phone conversations between the president and McGahn in June 2017 were a central part of Mueller's depiction of Trump as trying to derail the Russia inquiry. The report said Trump told McGahn to instruct the Justice Department to fire Mueller. McGahn did not carry out the order.
In analyzing whether Trump obstructed justice, Mueller revealed details about how the president tried to fire him and limit his investigation, kept details of a June 2016 meeting between senior campaign officials and a Russian under wraps, and possibly dangled a pardon to a former adviser.
White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley on Friday said the Trump administration was not concerned about attempts by the Democrats to look further into whether Trump committed a crime by obstructing justice.
"We have no concerns, no worries whatsoever, because we already know how the book ends: no collusion," Gidley told Fox News.
Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House judiciary committee, said the Democrats' subpoena "is wildly overbroad" and would jeopardize a grand jury's investigations.
The Mueller inquiry laid bare what U.S. intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump, the Kremlin's preferred candidate.
Russia said on Friday Mueller's report did not contain any evidence that Moscow had meddled. "We, as before, do not accept such allegations," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
Asked on Friday about Russian interference in 2016, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that "we will make very clear to them that this is not acceptable behavior."
Trump has tried to cultivate good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and came under heavy criticism in Washington last year for saying after meeting Putin that he accepted his denial of election meddling, over the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies.
Half a dozen former Trump aides, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, were charged by Mueller's office or convicted of crimes during his 22-month-long investigation. The Mueller inquiry spawned a number of other criminal probes by federal prosecutors in New York and elsewhere.
Obstruction
One reason it would be difficult to charge Trump is that the Justice Department has a decades-old policy that a sitting president should not be indicted, although the U.S. Constitution is silent on whether a president can face criminal prosecution in court.
A paragraph in the report is at the heart of whether Mueller intended Congress to pursue further action against Trump.
"The conclusion that Congress may apply the obstruction laws to the President's corrupt exercise of the powers of office accords with our constitutional system of checks and balances and the principle that no person is above the law," Mueller wrote.
Republican Collins said Democrats had misconstrued that section of the report to suit their anti-Trump agenda.
"There seems to be some confusion ... This isn't a matter of legal interpretation; it's reading comprehension," Collins wrote on Twitter.
"The report doesn't say Congress should investigate obstruction now. It says Congress can make laws about obstruction under Article I powers," Collins said.
Nadler told reporters on Thursday that Mueller probably wrote the report with the intent of providing Congress a road map for future action against the president, but the Democratic congressman said it was too early to talk about impeachment.
House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer on Thursday advised against an immediate attempt to impeach Trump. "Very frankly, there is an election in 18 months and the American people will make a judgment," Hoyer told CNN.
Another Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Steve Cohen, suggested that the House could censure Trump's "illegal and immoral" conduct rather than impeach him.
Short of attempting impeachment, Democratic lawmakers can use the details of Mueller's report to fuel other inquiries already underway by congressional committees.
Only two U.S. presidents have been impeached: Bill Clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in 1998 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 after firing his secretary of war in the tumultuous aftermath of the American Civil War. Both were acquitted by the Senate and stayed in office.
In 1974, a House committee approved articles of impeachment against then-president Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal but he resigned before the full House voted on impeachment.
- 注册
- 2003-04-13
- 消息
- 241,061
- 荣誉分数
- 37,883
- 声望点数
- 1,393
Giuliani: Trump camp did no wrong by taking Russian help
Hope Yen, The Associated Press
Published Sunday, April 21, 2019 12:15PM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, April 21, 2019 3:00PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani insisted Sunday the president's 2016 campaign did nothing wrong by taking information from the Russians, as House Democrats pledged stepped-up investigations into campaign misconduct and possible crimes of obstruction detailed in special counsel Robert Mueller's report .
Giuliani called the Trump campaign's effort to get political help from representatives of the Russian government possibly ill-advised but not illegal.
"There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians," Giuliani said, referring to a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Trump's son Donald Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a lawyer linked to Russia. The Trump campaign was seeking harmful information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Sunday news shows offered the latest political back and forth following the long-anticipated release on Thursday of Mueller's 448-page redacted report on his two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller found no evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign and made no verdict on obstruction of justice.
Giuliani rebutted Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who said in a statement on Twitter Friday he was "sickened" by the findings in Mueller's report that cited details on how the Trump campaign welcomed political dirt from Russia.
Giuliani said Romney should "stop the bull," saying that accepting negative information about a political opponent is common. "I would have advised, just out of excess of caution, don't do it," he said. Nevertheless, "there's no crime."
In a tweet Sunday, Trump again asserted he had been fully cleared by Mueller's report and that Democrats' continued efforts to investigate him will prove politically costly.
"Despite No Collusion, No Obstruction, The Radical Left Democrats do not want to go on to Legislate for the good of the people, but only to Investigate and waste time. This is costing our Country greatly, and will cost the Dems big time in 2020!" he tweeted.
Mueller explicitly did not exonerate Trump in the report on the question of obstruction, citing in part Justice Department guidelines that a sitting president shouldn't be indicted.
Not ruling out impeachment, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who chairs the House committee that would hold impeachment hearings, said he remained puzzled why Mueller did not bring charges of criminal conspiracy against those in the Trump Tower meeting.
"All you have to prove for conspiracy is that they entered into a meeting of the minds to do something wrong and had one overt act. They entered into a meeting of the minds to attend a meeting to get stolen material on Hillary (Clinton). They went to the meeting. That's conspiracy right there," said Nadler, D-N.Y.
Nadler said it was now up to Congress to investigate after the special counsel said it did not establish enough evidence to bring charges of criminal conspiracy, yet detailed 10 allegations of Trump's attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation that left open whether Trump broke the law.
Asked whether the offences are impeachable, Nadler told NBC, "If proven, some of this would be impeachable, yes." He said Democrats' current focus is to "go where the evidence leads us."
Nadler has subpoenaed the Justice Department for the full, unredacted report and said Sunday he was adding former White House counsel Don McGahn to the list of people he would call to testify before his committee, along with Mueller and Attorney General William Barr. According to the special counsel's report, McGahn was among the Trump aides who effectively halted Trump's efforts to influence the Russia investigation, rebuffing his demand to set Mueller's firing in motion.
Nadler has said he expects the Justice Department to comply with the subpoena for the full report by May 1, the same day Barr is to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is to appear before Nadler's panel. Nadler summoned Mueller to testify by May 23.
Democratic leaders are under mounting pressure from the party's rising stars and some 2020 presidential contenders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Julian Castro, a former Housing and Urban Development secretary, to start impeachment proceedings.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is pushing for a step-by-step approach to the House's oversight of Trump and has refused to consider impeachment without public support, including Republicans. Pelosi is convening House Democrats on Monday to assess next steps.
Sen. Mike Lee, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said it would be a "mistake" for Democrats to pursue further investigations that could lead to impeachment proceedings, arguing that the American public won't stand for it after Mueller failed to conclude that crimes had been committed.
"It's time to move on," said Lee, R-Utah.
Giuliani said Trump's legal team was weighing whether it would release a detailed written rebuttal to the Mueller report.
"It may become necessary, whether they go ahead with the hearings or not, whether other issues are raised by different people -- there's probably a point at which we'll use it. Right now we think the public debate is playing out about as well as it can," he said.
In the redacted report, Mueller said he considered bringing charges over the Trump Tower meeting but ultimately did not obtain admissible evidence that the campaign officials involved knew the actions were illegal. The meeting had raised questions about whether Trump Jr. and others violated the federal ban on foreign contributions to American political campaigns.
"On the facts here, the government would unlikely be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the June 9 meeting participants had general knowledge that their conduct was unlawful," the report stated. "The investigation has not developed evidence that the participants in the meeting were familiar with the foreign-contribution ban or the application of federal law to the relevant factual context."
Giuliani spoke on CNN's "State of the Union," "Fox News Sunday" and NBC's "Meet the Press." Nadler also appeared on NBC. Lee was on CBS' "Face the Nation."
Hope Yen, The Associated Press
Published Sunday, April 21, 2019 12:15PM EDT
Last Updated Sunday, April 21, 2019 3:00PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani insisted Sunday the president's 2016 campaign did nothing wrong by taking information from the Russians, as House Democrats pledged stepped-up investigations into campaign misconduct and possible crimes of obstruction detailed in special counsel Robert Mueller's report .
Giuliani called the Trump campaign's effort to get political help from representatives of the Russian government possibly ill-advised but not illegal.
"There's nothing wrong with taking information from Russians," Giuliani said, referring to a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Trump's son Donald Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a lawyer linked to Russia. The Trump campaign was seeking harmful information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
The Sunday news shows offered the latest political back and forth following the long-anticipated release on Thursday of Mueller's 448-page redacted report on his two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller found no evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign and made no verdict on obstruction of justice.
Giuliani rebutted Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who said in a statement on Twitter Friday he was "sickened" by the findings in Mueller's report that cited details on how the Trump campaign welcomed political dirt from Russia.
Giuliani said Romney should "stop the bull," saying that accepting negative information about a political opponent is common. "I would have advised, just out of excess of caution, don't do it," he said. Nevertheless, "there's no crime."
In a tweet Sunday, Trump again asserted he had been fully cleared by Mueller's report and that Democrats' continued efforts to investigate him will prove politically costly.
"Despite No Collusion, No Obstruction, The Radical Left Democrats do not want to go on to Legislate for the good of the people, but only to Investigate and waste time. This is costing our Country greatly, and will cost the Dems big time in 2020!" he tweeted.
Mueller explicitly did not exonerate Trump in the report on the question of obstruction, citing in part Justice Department guidelines that a sitting president shouldn't be indicted.
Not ruling out impeachment, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, who chairs the House committee that would hold impeachment hearings, said he remained puzzled why Mueller did not bring charges of criminal conspiracy against those in the Trump Tower meeting.
"All you have to prove for conspiracy is that they entered into a meeting of the minds to do something wrong and had one overt act. They entered into a meeting of the minds to attend a meeting to get stolen material on Hillary (Clinton). They went to the meeting. That's conspiracy right there," said Nadler, D-N.Y.
Nadler said it was now up to Congress to investigate after the special counsel said it did not establish enough evidence to bring charges of criminal conspiracy, yet detailed 10 allegations of Trump's attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation that left open whether Trump broke the law.
Asked whether the offences are impeachable, Nadler told NBC, "If proven, some of this would be impeachable, yes." He said Democrats' current focus is to "go where the evidence leads us."
Nadler has subpoenaed the Justice Department for the full, unredacted report and said Sunday he was adding former White House counsel Don McGahn to the list of people he would call to testify before his committee, along with Mueller and Attorney General William Barr. According to the special counsel's report, McGahn was among the Trump aides who effectively halted Trump's efforts to influence the Russia investigation, rebuffing his demand to set Mueller's firing in motion.
Nadler has said he expects the Justice Department to comply with the subpoena for the full report by May 1, the same day Barr is to testify before a Senate committee and one day before Barr is to appear before Nadler's panel. Nadler summoned Mueller to testify by May 23.
Democratic leaders are under mounting pressure from the party's rising stars and some 2020 presidential contenders, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Julian Castro, a former Housing and Urban Development secretary, to start impeachment proceedings.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is pushing for a step-by-step approach to the House's oversight of Trump and has refused to consider impeachment without public support, including Republicans. Pelosi is convening House Democrats on Monday to assess next steps.
Sen. Mike Lee, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said it would be a "mistake" for Democrats to pursue further investigations that could lead to impeachment proceedings, arguing that the American public won't stand for it after Mueller failed to conclude that crimes had been committed.
"It's time to move on," said Lee, R-Utah.
Giuliani said Trump's legal team was weighing whether it would release a detailed written rebuttal to the Mueller report.
"It may become necessary, whether they go ahead with the hearings or not, whether other issues are raised by different people -- there's probably a point at which we'll use it. Right now we think the public debate is playing out about as well as it can," he said.
In the redacted report, Mueller said he considered bringing charges over the Trump Tower meeting but ultimately did not obtain admissible evidence that the campaign officials involved knew the actions were illegal. The meeting had raised questions about whether Trump Jr. and others violated the federal ban on foreign contributions to American political campaigns.
"On the facts here, the government would unlikely be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the June 9 meeting participants had general knowledge that their conduct was unlawful," the report stated. "The investigation has not developed evidence that the participants in the meeting were familiar with the foreign-contribution ban or the application of federal law to the relevant factual context."
Giuliani spoke on CNN's "State of the Union," "Fox News Sunday" and NBC's "Meet the Press." Nadler also appeared on NBC. Lee was on CBS' "Face the Nation."
