Trump decries leak of inquiry questions
MUELLER ASKS ABOUT THE PUBLIC THREATS PRESIDENT MADE, CONFLICTING STATEMENTS
Donald Trump assailed as “disgraceful leaks” the publication by the New York Times of four-dozen questions that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is said to want to ask the president concerning Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election and his own actions in response to the probe.
“So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were ‘leaked’ to the media,” Trump said in a Twitter posting yesterday.
“No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see ... you have a made up, phoney crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!”
Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russia’s election interference, has at least four dozen questions on an exhaustive array of subjects he wants to ask President Donald Trump to learn more about his ties to Russia and determine whether he obstructed the inquiry itself, according to a list of the questions obtained by The New York Times.
The open-ended queries appear to be an attempt to penetrate the president’s thinking, to get at the motivation behind some of his most combative Twitter posts and to examine his relationships with his family and his closest advisers.
They deal chiefly with the president’s high-profile firings of the FBI director and his first national security adviser, his treatment of Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and a 2016 Trump Tower meeting between campaign officials and Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton.
But they also touch on the president’s businesses; any discussions with his longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, about a Moscow real estate deal; whether the president knew of any attempt by Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, to set up a back channel to Russia during the transition; any contacts he had with Roger J. Stone Jr., a longtime adviser who claimed to have inside information about Democratic email hackings; and what happened during Trump’s 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant.
Detailed look inside probe
The questions provide the most detailed look yet inside Mueller’s investigation, which has been shrouded in secrecy since he was appointed nearly a year ago. The majority relate to possible obstruction of justice, demonstrating how an investigation into Russia’s election meddling grew to include an examination of the president’s conduct in office.
Among them are queries on any discussions Trump had about his attempts to fire Mueller himself and what the president knew about possible pardon offers to Flynn.
“What efforts were made to reach out to Mr Flynn about seeking immunity or possible pardon?” Mueller planned to ask, according to questions read by the special counsel investigators to the president’s lawyers, who compiled them into a list. That document was provided to The Times by a person outside Trump’s legal team.
A few questions reveal that Mueller is still investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. In one of the more tantalising inquiries, Mueller asks what Trump knew about campaign aides, including former chairman Paul Manafort, seeking assistance from Moscow: “What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?” No such outreach has been revealed publicly.
Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump, declined to comment. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
The questions serve as a reminder of the chaotic first 15 months of the Trump presidency and the transition and campaign before that. Mueller wanted to inquire about public threats the president made, conflicting statements from Trump and White House aides, the president’s private admissions to Russian officials, a secret meeting at an island resort, WikiLeaks, salacious accusations and dramatic congressional testimony.
View on law enforcement
The special counsel also sought information from the president about his relationship with Russia. Mueller would like to ask Trump whether he had any discussions during the campaign about any meetings with President Vladimir Putin of Russia and whether he spoke to others about either American sanctions against Russia or meeting with Putin.
Through his questions, Mueller also tries to tease out Trump’s views on law enforcement officials.