Ex-CIA chief suspects Putin leverage; Trump jabs at Mueller
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump indirectly criticized Robert Mueller, the special counsel, on Wednesday for the ongoing investigation into Russia’s 2016 campaign meddling, even as a former CIA director said President Vladimir Putin of Russia may have compromising information on Trump.
After a weekend of attacking Mueller — against the advice of his own lawyers — Trump picked up again in early morning tweets when he said he was quoting a former Harvard professor stating that Mueller should never have been appointed to be the special counsel to investigate Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. That investigation has expanded into inquiries into Trump’s aides and his own business dealings.
“I was opposed to the selection of Mueller to be Special Council,” Trump attributed in a Twitter post to a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School, Alan Dershowitz.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday which remarks of Dershowitz’s the president was quoting. An interview with Dershowitz on Fox News on Tuesday and an opinion piece by Dershowitz published Wednesday did not include the exact phrasing that Trump used in his tweets. And the language was not found in a search of Dershowitz’s cable news appearances over the past week.
Separately, on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, John Brennan, a former CIA director, speculated that the Russians “may have something on him personally,” referring to Trump.
Brennan was the CIA director when a dossier surfaced in 2016 that claimed the Russians had compromising information on Trump. There has been no proof that such material exists, but Trump’s affection for the Russian leader has raised questions about the nature of
their relationship.
On Tuesday, Trump congratulated Putin on his re-election and made no mention of the election meddling. Trump has routinely issued statements about Russia and Putin that sound at odds with his own advisers and administration actions.
“I think he’s afraid of the president of Russia,” said Brennan, now retired from government service and a frequent critic of Trump.
Mueller has accused 13 Russians and three companies of election meddling. Three of Trump’s former associates have pleaded guilty as part of the ongoing inquiry. Last week, the special counsel issued subpoenas for the Trump organization, seeking documents including some related to Russia.
Separately, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday that Mueller and the FBI had investigated Attorney General Jeff Sessions last year for misleading lawmakers about his contacts with Russians before eventually closing that part of the case.
The investigation, which examined statements Sessions made last year during his confirmation process to become attorney general, was authorized by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, according to three people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified discussing a sensitive matter.
Sessions fired McCabe on Friday for a lack of candor and misleading Justice Department officials in a separate matter. But a person close to the attorney general said he wasn’t aware of the investigation into his actions when he fired McCabe. Information for this article was contributed by Chris Strohm of Bloomberg News.