Tag: Mueller investigation

Russia investigation charges complicate Trump’s Asia trip, ability to sell tax cuts

The following article by John Wagner and David Nakamura was posted on the Washington Post website October 31, 2017:

President Trump speaks, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin by his side, during a meeting on tax policy with business leaders at the White House on Tuesday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

The first criminal charges stemming from the Russia investigation landed this week at a perilous point in Donald Trump’s presidency, threatening his standing with foreign leaders ahead of an important trip to Asia on Friday and his effectiveness in selling the Republican tax plan set to be released this week.

Aides insisted the twin challenges at home and abroad would not be undermined by the indictments, but the frustration of the president — whose job approval ratings hit a new low this week in Gallup polling — was evident Tuesday. He started the day with a spate of tweets in which he lashed out at the media and “Crooked Dems” and urged a focus instead on the “Massive Tax Cuts” he has promised to deliver by Christmas.

In a bid to show he remains focused on the tasks at hand, Trump later in the day allowed reporters to witness the start of a White House meeting with business leaders at which he boasted that the December signing of the yet-to-be-unveiled GOP tax bill would be “the biggest tax event in the history of our country.” Continue reading “Russia investigation charges complicate Trump’s Asia trip, ability to sell tax cuts”

Trump’s real leak problem is not with Mueller’s team. It’s with his own.

The following article by Callum Borchers was posted on the Washington Post website October 31, 2017:

Credit: Gary Cameron/Reuters

Before Monday’s unsealing of indictments against Paul Manafort and Richard Gates, and a guilty plea by George Papadopoulos, President Trump’s allies preemptively sought to shift attention away from the substance of the charges and onto the leak that had led the media to expect them.

“There are strict laws against any of this type of leaking of grand jury activity,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

“Fox & Friends” picked up the argument Monday morning, which must have pleased the president; he indicated on Twitter that he was watching the show. Continue reading “Trump’s real leak problem is not with Mueller’s team. It’s with his own.”

Mueller charges come at vulnerable time for Trump

The following article by Niall Stanage was posted on the Hill website October 31, 2017:

Special counsel Robert Mueller released several bombshells on Monday, and they exploded at an especially vulnerable time for President Trump.

Three polls in the past week have shown Trump hitting all-time lows with the public.

Now, the question is whether the new developments from Mueller — indictments against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Richard Gates, as well as a plea deal with former campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos — will drive those numbers even lower.

Continue reading “Mueller charges come at vulnerable time for Trump”

Mueller’s moves send message to other potential targets: Beware, I’m coming

The following article by Devlin Barrett, Sari Horwitz and Ellen Nakashima was posted on the Washington Post website October 30, 2017:

President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Manafort’s former business associate Rick Gates and Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos have all been charged in the special counsel’s investigation into Russian election interference. (Video: Jenny Starrs/Photo: Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)

With the guilty plea of one Trump campaign official and a 31-page indictment of two others, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III spoke volumes more about the Russia probe than months of heated public debate. Without uttering a word, Mueller’s message was clear, according to veteran lawyers: He isn’t bluffing, and witnesses are talking.

The double-barreled court filings ratchet up the pressure on everyone under scrutiny in the investigation, lawyers said, in part because they show that a former Trump campaign adviser began cooperating with the FBI three months ago. Continue reading “Mueller’s moves send message to other potential targets: Beware, I’m coming”

Trump Tries to Shift Focus as First Charges Reportedly Loom in Russia Case

The following article by Julie Herschfeld Davis was posted on the New York Times website October 29, 2017:

President Trump, in a series of Sunday morning tweets, attacked Hillary Clinton, saying Republicans were pushing back against the Russia allegations by looking into her. Credit Doug Mills/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Pushing back against the accelerating criminal investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia, President Trump argued on Sunday that its focus should instead be on his 2016 rival, Hillary Clinton, even as the special counsel’s inquiry was reportedly poised to produce its first indictment.

In a series of tweets, Mr. Trump said Republicans were now fighting the Russia allegations by looking into Mrs. Clinton, apparently referring to new House investigations into her email practices and an Obama-era uranium deal with Russia. But the president made it clear he believed that Mrs. Clinton should be pursued more forcefully, writing, “DO SOMETHING!”

He did not say who should take action or what it should be, though critics have accused him of trying to sway the congressional and special counsel inquiries into Russian ties. Still, the outburst suggested that Mr. Trump, increasingly angry and frustrated about the investigations, is waging a concerted campaign to shift the focus to Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats. Continue reading “Trump Tries to Shift Focus as First Charges Reportedly Loom in Russia Case”