Tag: Russia investigation

Judge issues partial gag order in Roger Stone case

Credit: Seth Wenig, AP Photo

A federal judge on Friday issued a gag order in the Mueller investigation’s case against longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone, restricting the attorneys for both parties from making statements to the media or the public that could influence the outcome of the trial.

Why it matters: The gag order also restricts Stone from making comments within the vicinity of the courthouse. Stone, who filed a response opposing the gag order last week, is a notoriously brash and theatrical political operative who frequently posts on social media about his view that the Mueller investigation is a partisan “witch hunt.” The judge did not say she would impose additional restrictions on Stone at this time, but may reconsider in the future.

View the complete February 15 article by Zachary Basu, which includes the court filing, on the Axios website here.

Drama hits Senate Intel panel’s Russia inquiry

Drama is building around the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Russia investigation after the panel’s top Republican and Democrat clashed over what their findings reveal two years after they opened their inquiry.

The Senate probe is viewed as the most bipartisan congressional investigation into Russian interference, with committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) walking in lockstep on most matters.

However, fractures have emerged recently after Burr publicly stated that none of their evidence indicates the Trump campaign conspired with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign.

View the complete February 14 article by Olivia beavers and Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Americans view Mueller as more credible than Trump, but views of his probe are scattered

As the special counsel investigation seems to be nearing its final stage, Americans view Robert S. Mueller III as far more credible than President Trump, but the public has scattered and partisan perceptions of Mueller’s motives and what he has found so far, according to a new Washington Post-Schar School poll.

Fifty-six percent to 33 percent, more say they trust Mueller’s version of the facts than Trump’s. And by nearly as wide a margin, more believe Mueller is mainly interested in “finding out the truth” than trying to “hurt Trump politically.”

Nearly two years into his investigation, Mueller has charged 34 people and secured guilty pleas from some of Trump’s closest advisers, including his former campaign chairman, deputy campaign chairman, national security adviser and personal lawyer. The special counsel has alleged 25 Russians, including 12 military officers, conspired to hack Democrats’ emails and wage a social media influence campaign to sway the outcome of the 2016 election, and described in astonishing detail how they did so.

View the complete February 12 article by Scott Clement and Matt Zapotosky on The Washington Post website here.

Mueller role confirmed in subpoena battle with mystery firm

Credit: Saul Loeb, AFP, Getty Images

Attorneys from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office are the prosecutors locked in a mysterious grand jury subpoena fight that a state-owned foreign company has taken all the way to the Supreme Court, court records now confirm.

A docket unsealed by the U.S. District Court in Washington shows two prosecutors from Mueller’s office, Scott Meisler and Zainab Ahmad, are handling the dispute on behalf of the special counsel.

The country and the company resisting Mueller’s demand for information have still not been publicly identified, but the district court and a federal appeals court confirmed this week that Atlanta-based Alston and Bird is representing the firm at the center of the fight.

View the complete February 1 article by Josh Gerstein on the Politico website here.

Democrats say Roger Stone indictment shows tightening noose around Trump

Roger Stone Credit: Andrew Harnik, AP

Trump campaign associate accused of seeking stolen DNC emails at direction of a ‘senior Trump Campaign official’

House Democrats cranked up the heat on President Donald Trump on Friday after the indictment of Trump campaign associate Roger Stone, alluding in tweets to possible future impeachment proceedings against Trump and referencing the Watergate scandal that led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.

“Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen, Rick Gates, Michael Flynn… What did the President know and when did he know it?” House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler tweeted, quoting then-Sen. Howard Baker, the Republican ranking member of the Senate Watergate Committee who had previously promised Nixon he would be his “friend” but later turned on the president.

Stone was indicted Thursday and arrested early Friday on charges that he sought stolen emails at the direction of a “senior Trump Campaign official” to damage opponent Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

View the complete January 25 article by Griffin Connolly on The Roll Call website here.

Trump-linked Russian pop star cancels U.S. trip for fear he will be him detained in the Russia probe

On Monday, NBC News reported that Emin Agalarov, a Russian pop star linked to President Donald Trump, announced that he is canceling his North American tour, citing his lawyers’ fears…

On Monday, NBC News reported that Emin Agalarov, a Russian pop star linked to President Donald Trump, announced that he is canceling his North American tour, citing his lawyers’ fears that he could be held as a material witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government:

In a video on Facebook, Agalarov claimed he had nixed the upcoming tour “against his will.” His lawyer said in a telephone interview with NBC News that he doesn’t want his client coming to America under fear of being held under a material witness warrant. Agalarov had been scheduled to perform in New York on Saturday night.

Agalarov is seen as a figure in special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian election interference. Agalarov’s lawyer told NBC News last July that his talks with Mueller’s team were “ongoing,” but NBC News reporting at the time indicated that the singer had not been officially interviewed.

View the complete January 21 article by Matthew Chapman on the AlterNet website here.

Debate builds over making Mueller report public

Anticipation is building for special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, bringing to boil a debate over whether it will also be made public.

The report took center stage at attorney general nominee William Barr’s confirmation hearing last week, where Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee pressed him to commit to releasing it publicly.

It’s far from clear how close Mueller is to ending his investigation; the former FBI director has shown no signs of concluding his investigation.

View the complete January 21 article by Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

RUSSIA REVELATIONS: Trump A Potential Russian Agent & National Security Threat

Here are the latest revelations from this past weekend:

ACTING AS A RUSSIAN AGENT: After President Trump fired FBI Director Jim Comey, the FBI felt it necessary to open a counterintelligence investigation to determine whether Trump was acting as an agent of the Russian government.

New York Times: “In the days after President Trump fired James B. Comey as F.B.I. director, law enforcement officials became so concerned by the president’s behavior that they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests, according to former law enforcement officials and others familiar with the investigation.”

NEWLY RELEASED TRANSCRIPTS: Transcripts released today reveal that then-FBI general counsel James Baker said the FBI was contemplating whether Trump was “acting at the behest of” Russia.

CNN: “James Baker, then-FBI general counsel, said the FBI officials were contemplating with regard to Russia whether Trump was ‘acting at the behest of and somehow following directions, somehow executing their will.’” Continue reading “RUSSIA REVELATIONS: Trump A Potential Russian Agent & National Security Threat”

Supreme Court rules against mystery corporation from ‘Country A’ fighting subpoena in Mueller investigation

Credit:  Carlos Barria, Reuters

The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place a lower-court order requiring an unnamed foreign-owned corporation to comply with a subpoena said to be part of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The court dissolved a temporary stay that had been put in place by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. In a short order, it did not give a reason for the decision or note any dissents.

The entity that is the subject of the cloaked legal battle — known in court papers simply as a “Corporation” from “Country A” — is a foreign financial institution that was issued a subpoena by a grand jury hearing evidence in the special counsel investigation, according to two people familiar with the case.

View the complete January 8 article by Robert Barnes, Devlin Barrett and Carol D. Leonnig on The Washington Post website here.

Manafort suspected of sharing polling data with associate linked to Russian intelligence

A major court filing error led to secret details of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s criminal case leaking out into the public sphere on Tuesday.

Defense attorneys filed a response contesting special counsel Robert Mueller’s allegations that Manafort lied to federal investigators on a variety of subjects, in breach of his plea agreement. But while portions of the filing were supposed to be redacted and shielded from the public, court watchers were able to view the filing in its entirety by copying and pasting the redacted sections.

The error resulted in Manafort’s attorneys disclosing that Mueller has accused Manafort of sharing polling data during the 2016 presidential campaign with Konstantin Kilimnik, a business associate who is suspected of ties to Russia’s military intelligence unit, the GRU.