TRUMP CALLS RUSSIA PROBE A ‘ WITCH HUNT’
• President Donald Trump said he respects the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian meddling in the U. S. election but stood by his claim that it is a witch hunt targeting him.
“I respect the move but the entire thing has been a witch hunt,” Trump said Thursday at a White House press conference. “I think it divides the country.
“Believe me, there is no collusion” between his presidential campaign and Russia, he added.
Earlier, Trump had tweeted, “This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!” There was never a special counsel ap- pointed to investigate what he called “all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration,” he said.
At the press conference, Trump also denied trying to quash an FBI investigation of his former national security adviser.
“No, no — next question,” Trump said when asked whether he pressured then- FBI Director James Comey in February to drop an investigation into former White House adviser Michael Flynn’s dealings with Russia and Turkey. He said it was “totally ridiculous” to think he had done anything that would amount to an impeachable offence.
While Trump questioned the legitimacy of the investigation, it has thrown the administration off track and consumed its political capital. Many lawmakers from both parties welcomed the appointment of Mueller by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as a way to restore confidence in government institutions and bring order to the probe.
Trump said Thursday he thought firing Comey would be a popular decision because he’d been criticized by Democrats and Republicans alike for his handling of an investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. He said Comey turned in a “poor performance” in his most recent testimony to Congress and that Rosenstein had written a “very strong letter” outlining Comey’s shortcomings.
Trump said he planed to announce his choice for a new FBI director “soon.” He said earlier in the day that former Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent, was one of the top contenders.
While Mueller takes over the Justice Department investigation, probes in Congress were proceeding as well.
Republican Richard Burr of North Carolina, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat, said the panel would continue its own investigation and “engage with Director Mueller” on any potential conflicts.
The House Intelligence Committee requested documents from the Justice Department and FBI about the bureau’s investigation and any records related to Comey’s dismissal. Comey wrote detailed memos of his conversations with Trump, including one in which the president allegedly asked him to drop a probe of Flynn.
Flynn was forced to resign in February after it was disclosed that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of his conversations with Russia’s U. S. ambassador. Flynn is under investigation for his contacts with Russia as well as his work on behalf of Turkey’s government while he was a prominent campaign supporter of Trump. He has become a central figure in the investigations in Congress.
Rosenstein appointed Mueller in an order giving him broad authority to pursue the investigation into Russian meddling, including “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.”
“If the Special Counsel believes it is necessary and appropriate, the Special Counsel is authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters,” the order said. That means he can issue subpoenas, present evidence to a grand jury and bring charges — all the powers of a federal prosecutor.
The Mueller appointment will, at least temporarily, relieve some of the pressure on congressional Republicans who’ve publicly complained that the constant drama and serial controversies at the White House were hindering their ability to work on their policy agenda.
Another beneficiary may be Rosenstein, who was criticized for doing the White House’s bidding after a memo he wrote criticizing Comey’s handling of the Clinton email probe last year emerged as a justification for the FBI chief ’s dismissal. The deputy attorney general notified the White House of his decision to name a special counsel only after he signed the order designating Mueller for the job.
The White House was already reeling from the allegation that Trump asked Comey to drop the Flynn investigation, the revelation that the president may have inadvertently passed sensitive intelligence to two top Russian officials in the Oval Office and a suggestion he made that he might be secretly recording his conversations.
On Friday, Trump leaves for meetings in Saudi Arabia and Israel followed by summits with U. S. NATO allies and with other leaders of the world’s major economies. He also is scheduled to have an audience with the Pope.