Did Trump obstruct justice? Mueller is now investigating
WASHINGTON — The special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election is interviewing senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes an examination of whether President Donald Trump attempted to obstruct justice, officials said.
The move by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Trump’s own conduct marks a major turning point in the nearly year-old FBI investigation, which until recently focused on Russian meddling during the presidential campaign and on whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Investigators have also been looking for any evidence of possible financial crimes among Trump associates, officials said.
Trump had received private assurances from then-FBI Director James Comey starting in January that he was not personally under investigation. Officials say that changed shortly after Comey’s firing.
Five people briefed on the
requests, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said Dan Coats, the current The obstruction of justice director of national intelliinvestigation into the presigence, Adm. Mike Rogers, dent began days after Comey head of the National Secu- was fired May 9, according rity Agency, and Rogers’ to people familiar with the recently departed deputy, matter. Mueller’s office has Richard Ledgett, agreed to now taken up that work, and be interviewed by Mueller’s the preliminary interviews investigators as early as this scheduled with intelligence week. The investigation has officials indicate his team is been cloaked in secrecy and pursuing potential witnesses it’s unclear how many othinside and outside the govers have been questioned ernment. by the FBI. The interviews suggest
The NSA said in statement Mueller sees the attempted that it will “fully cooperate obstruction of justice ques- with the special counsel,” tion as more than just a and declined to comment “he said, he said” dispute further. The office of Direcbetween the president and tor of National Intelligence the fired FBI director, an and Ledgett declined to com- official said. ment. Probing the president for
The White House now possible crimes is a complirefers all questions about cated affair, even if convinc- the Russia investigation to ing evidence of a crime is Trump’s personal lawyer, found. The Justice Depart- Marc Kasowitz. ment has long held that it
“The FBI leak of infor- would not be appropriate mation regarding the pres- to indict a sitting president. ident is outrageous, inexcus- Instead, experts say the onus able and illegal,” said Mark would be on Congress to Corallo, a spokesman for review any findings of crim- Kasowitz. inal misconduct and then
The officials said Coats, decide whether to initiate Rogers and Ledgett would impeachment proceedings. appear voluntarily, though Comey confirmed publicly it remains unclear whether in congressional testimony they will describe in full their March 20 that the bureau conversations with Trump was investigating possible and other top officials, or coordination between the will be directed by the White Trump campaign and the House to invoke executive Russians. privilege. Comey’s statement before
It is doubtful the White the House Intelligence ComHouse could ultimately use mittee upset Trump, who has executive privilege to try to repeatedly denied that any block them from speaking coordination with the Rusto Mueller’s investigators. sians took place. Trump had Experts point out that the wanted Comey to disclose Supreme Court ruled during publicly that he wasn’t perthe Watergate scandal that sonally under investigation officials cannot use privibut the FBI director refused lege to withhold evidence to do so. in criminal prosecutions. Soon after, Trump spoke to Coats and Rogers about the Russia investigation.
Officials said one of the exchanges of potential interest to Mueller took place March 22, less than a week after Coats was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official.
Coats was attending a briefing at the White House together with officials from several other government agencies. When the briefing ended, Trump asked everyone to leave the room except for Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
Coats told associates that Trump had asked him if he could intervene with Comey to get the bureau to back off its focus on former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in its Russia probe, according to officials. Coats later told lawmakers that he never felt pressured to intervene.
A day or two after the March 22 meeting, Trump telephoned Coats and Rogers to separately ask them to issue public statements denying the existence of any evidence of coordination between his campaign and the Russian government.
Coats and Rogers refused to comply with the president’s requests, officials said.
It is unclear whether Ledgett had direct contact with Trump or other top officials about the Russia probe.
As part of the probe, the special counsel has also gathered Comey’s written accounts of his conversations with Trump. The president has accused Comey of lying about those encounters.
Mueller is overseeing a host of investigations involving people who are or were in Trump’s orbit, people familiar with the probe said. The investigation is examining possible contacts with Russian operatives as well as any suspicious financial activity related to those individuals.