Trump family back under scrutiny
Russia probe to continue as Congress returns from summer recess
Russia probe back as US Congress returns from summer recess.
WasHingTOn: A web of President Donald Trump’s family and associates will be back in the crosshairs of congressional committees investigating whether his campaign colluded with Russia, as well as of the high-wattage legal team assembled by special counsel Robert Mueller.
As Congress returns from a summer recess, some of the attention will be focused squarely on the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, who will meet privately in the coming weeks with staffers on the Senate judiciary and intelligence committees.
A meeting Trump Jr convened with a Russian lawyer and others in the midst of the campaign has already been the subject of testimony before a grand jury that Mueller is using as part of his investigation.
The expected crush of interviews, subpoenas and testimony this fall underscores both the broad scope of the Russia probes and the certainty that they will shadow Trump’s presidency for months or even years.
Even if Trump and his associates are ultimately cleared, some White House advisers worry about the president’s anger over the investigations and the likelihood that he will continue to weigh in publicly in ways that only further distract from his agenda.
The president’s own legal exposure remains uncertain. He has denied coordinating with Russia during the election or having any nefarious financial ties to Moscow.
But Trump’s legal team, anticipating Mueller’s interest in probing Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey, is developing arguments to protect him against any obstruction of justice allegations, including con- stitutional defences and a contention that his actions crossed no legal lines.
In a preview of those arguments, Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said constitutional powers authorise the president to fire subordinates who serve at his pleasure.
“The whole idea of an obstruction allegation here, or obstruction of justice charge, is contrary to the Constitution,” Sekulow said.