PREZ PROBED FOR OBSTRUCTION
Mueller said to directly probe Trump
PRESIDENT TRUMP is under investigation for possible obstruction of justice, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
The President has been under investigation by the feds since shortly after he fired FBI Director James Comey last month, the paper reported, citing numerous unnamed sources.
That work is being continued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed last month to look into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, the report said.
Trump has repeatedly highlighted the fact that he was not under personal investigation in probes looking into the election interference and potential collusion with his campaign, something confirmed by Comey last week in blockbuster testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.
But sources told The Post that in the time since Comey was let go the focus of the probe has changed.
Some experts have said that the firing itself, as well as Comey’s subsequent assertion that Trump directed him to stop the investigation into disgraced national security adviser Michael Flynn, could be obstruction of justice.
The legal definition of obstruction of justice as a federal crime targets anyone who “influences, obstructs or impedes” federal proceedings such as FBI investigations.
Trump originally denied that Comey’s firing had anything to do with the Russia investigation, saying the ouster was related to his handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe. He later acknowledged dismissing Comey (inset) out of frustration with the growing cloud that the Russia investigation has cast over the White House.
Asked during testimony before the Senate last week if he thought Trump had obstructed justice, Comey said it was up to Mueller to “sort that out.”
Trump has insisted that the true story of interest around the Russia investigation is the frequency of leaked information.
His private legal team parroted that Wednesday by telling The Post, “The FBI leak of information regarding the President is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal.”
Ronna Romney McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, jumped to defend the President on Wednesday.
“Mueller’s unfounded accusation against @POTUS changes nothing. There’s still no proof of obstruction of justice,” she tweeted.
Making matters worse for the commander-in-chief, a former senior official told The New York Times on Wednesday that Mueller’s investigation was also looking at possible money laundering by Trump associates. Mueller has also taken an interest in the President’s interactions with intelligence leaders including Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers, according to The Post. The newspaper, which previously reported that Trump separately asked Coats and Rogers to intervene with Comey and the Flynn probe, said the pair and Rogers’ former deputy, Richard Ledgett, had agreed to be interviewed by Mueller’s team. Coats and Rogers both testified in Congress last week they had not been asked by Trump to do anything illegal, but refused to discuss their conversations with the President.
Coats, who said that he would be willing to discuss such matters in a private setting, is set to speak with members of the committee in a closed session on Thursday, according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee probing Russian influence in the presidential campaign said Wednesday they’d met with Mueller to ensure their investigations don’t conflict.
The meeting came after a friend of Trump said the White House was considering firing Mueller. A White House rep said Tuesday night the President was not considering doing so.