Lawmakers to Trump: Leave Mueller alone
FACEBOOK SAYS 126M AMERICANS MAY HAVE SEEN RUSSIA-LINKED POLITICAL POSTS
Executives from Facebook, Twitter and Google were scheduled to appear before congressional committees on alleged Russian attempts to spread misinformation in the months before and after the 2016 US presidential election
Democrats — and a few Republicans — in Congress have a clear message for President Donald Trump: Don’t mess with Robert Mueller.
Concerned that the president may fight back after Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling led to two indictments and a guilty plea for his former advisers on Monday, top Democrats laid down a marker for the president, who earlier in the year criticised Mueller and the probe.
“The president must not, under any circumstances and in any way, interfere with the special counsel’s work,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. “If he does, Congress must respond swiftly, unequivocally, and in a bipartisan way to ensure that the investigation continues and the truth — the whole truth — comes out.”
Republicans were less explicit, but many sent a similar message. “I don’t think anybody in their right mind at the White House would think about replacing Mr. Mueller unless there was a very good reason,” said Lindsey Graham, a Republican.
Meanwhile, Facebook said that Russia-based operatives published 80,000 posts on the social network over a two-year period in an effort to sway US politics and that about 126 million Americans may have seen the posts during that time. It was included in written testimony provided to lawmakers ahead of key hearings with social media and technology companies about Russian meddling.
Meanwhile, Trump said that a former campaign aide thrust into the centre of Mueller’s probe “has already proven to be a liar.”
On Twitter, Trump sought to dismiss George Papadopoulos, who has provided key evidence in the first criminal case connecting Trump’s team to alleged intermediaries for Russia’s government. Said Trump: “Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar.”
It’s becoming harder for President Donald Trump to speak dismissively of the Russia investigation now that his former campaign chief is under house arrest and a one-time aide has pleaded guilty to lying about his Russian interactions. But he’s still trying.
A look at statements by Trump and spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday, when criminal charges were unsealed against Paul Manafort and his business associate and a guilty plea by campaign adviser George Papadopoulos from earlier this month was revealed:
TRUMP tweet: “Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign.” THE FACTS: Not true, according to the indictment. Manafort and his associate Rick Gates are charged with criminal activities that go back to 2006 but extend to February of this year. The charges do not refer to Manafort’s activities with the campaign but rather accuse him of laundering money and conspiratorial acts before, during and after he was campaign chairman.
Manafort and Gates face 12 counts, which do deal largely with activities from 2006 to 2015, before Manafort joined the campaign in March 2016.
But both are charged with conspiring together and with others to knowingly and intentionally defraud and commit crimes against the US from 2006 to this year.
SANDERS: “Today’s announcement has nothing to do with the president, has nothing to do with the president’s campaign or campaign activity.” — briefing Monday
THE FACTS: It’s true that Trump himself isn’t wrapped up in the charges, but a campaign adviser is. Papadopoulos, who advised the campaign on foreign policy, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with a Russian professor who has close ties to the Russian government.
SANDERS: “What the Clinton campaign did, what the DNC did was actually exchange money .... actually paying money for false information.” — briefing
THE FACTS: She is right that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party hired a firm that came up with sensational allegations about Trump’s connections to Russia. The material is unverified. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s false.