“I believe many, many others were spied on but do not know” said Attkisson. “It was only thanks to help from intelligence contacts that I even learned that government agents were spying me. Otherwise, I never suspected it or would have known.”
Archiv: Robert Mueller
Mueller deputy Andrew Weissmann to headline Biden virtual fundraiser
Throughout the Russia investigation, Weissmann had been considered a “deputy” to Mueller, with conservatives regularly targeting him for his reputation of using aggressive tactics in cases, as well as his role in past controversial prosecutions. Weissmann helped to build the case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Ex-Trump-Mitarbeiter Flynn entlastet
Trump bezeichnete Flynn daraufhin als „völlig entlastet“. Flynn sei Opfer der Machenschaften von „dreckigen, widerlichen Bullen an der Spitze“ der Bundespolizei FBI.
Michael Flynn case places both FBI integrity and civil liberty on the line
More than a year ago I wrote a series of columns that made the point that former national security adviser Michael Flynn had been set up by the FBI and may have committed no crime. I repeated my legal arguments in several interviews. This led the professional Trump-bashers — who care more about “getting” Trump than about protecting civil liberties — to attack me for “inventing” legal principles that help the Trump team.
Well, it now turns out that I was right all along.
Trump says he would consider bringing Flynn back into administration
The documents released Wednesday show FBI agents discussing how to handle a January 2017 interview with Flynn, who was still working as Trump‘s national security adviser at the time.
„What‘s our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?“ an unnamed FBI agent wrote in a handwritten note included among the documents. „If we get him to admit to breaking the Logan Act, give facts to DOJ & have them decide. Or, if he initially lies, then we present him [redacted] & he admits it, document for DOJ, & let them decide how to address it.“
Explosive Revelations in the Flynn Case
(27.04.2020)
As I’ve noted several times over the years, it has long been speculated that Flynn — though he did not believe he was guilty (and though the agents who interviewed him also did not believe he had intentionally misled them) — nevertheless pled guilty to false-statements charges because prosecutors from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s staff threatened him. Specifically, Flynn is said to have been warned that, if he refused to plead guilty, prosecutors would charge his son with a felony for failing to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent. Such a so-called FARA violation (Foreign Agent Registration Act) is a crime that the DOJ almost never charged before the Mueller investigation, and it had dubious application to Flynn’s son (who worked for Flynn’s private-intelligence firm).
‚Get him to lie‘: MSNBC‘s Ari Melber breaks down new Russia probe Flynn docs
New developments in a key case from the Mueller probe. Former national security advisor Michael Flynn had pled guilty to lying to the feds in a cooperation deal. For the first time, we are seeing how they approached him. MSNBC’s Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber analyzes all the documents, giving you a fascinating look inside the probe.
Mueller interview notes obtained by CNN show Trump‘s push for stolen emails
The release, received by CNN on Saturday, includes 274 pages of Mueller team interview notes, emails and other documents related to the cooperation of Gates, former top campaign official Steve Bannon and former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen. Both Cohen and Gates pleaded guilty to criminal charges from Mueller.
William Barr discussed FBI Russia inquiry with UK intelligence
(01.10.2019)
The US attorney general met UK intelligence agencies in the summer to discuss Britain potentially cooperating with Donald Trump’s administration on an inquiry examining the FBI’s investigation into alleged collusion with Russia, according to sources.
William Barr met British intelligence officials in London on 29 July at a meeting attended by intelligence agencies from the Five Eyes group.
Robert Mueller, who oversaw Trump-Russia probe, returns to private practice
He was also FBI director from 2001 to 2013, becoming that agency’s longest-serving director other than J. Edgar Hoover.
I‘m begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on. Because if you want to have a democracy intact for your children, and your children‘s children, and generations yet unborn we‘ve got to guard this moment…this is our watch.
(24.07.2019)
Mueller to testify publicly on July 17 following a subpoena
„Americans have demanded to hear directly from the Special Counsel so they can understand what he and his team examined, uncovered, and determined about Russia‘s attack on our democracy, the Trump campaign‘s acceptance and use of that help, and President Trump and his associates‘ obstruction of the investigation into that attack,“ House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler and House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said in a joint statement.
Mueller wird vor US-Kongress aussagen
Genau das wollte Robert Mueller mit seinem Auftritt vor der Presse vor ein paar Wochen vermeiden: Im Kongress formal aussagen und auf Detailfragen der Abgeordneten antworten zu müssen. Nun kommt er doch, und zwar am 17. Juli.
“Someone should call Obama up. The Obama Administration spied on a rival presidential campaign using Federal Agencies. I mean, that seems like a headline to me?” @TuckerCarlson It will all start coming out, and the Witch Hunt will end. Presidential Harassment!
Phil Mudd: „Clock Ticking“ For Democrats Before Barr Finds Out How Trump Probe Started
(04.06.2019)
Retired CIA operative and CNN counterterrorism analyst Phil Mudd talks about British national Christopher Steele, author of the infamous Steele dossier, deciding to talk with U.S. officials about his part in the Trump-Russia investigation.
Mudd predicts things are going to get „ugly“ when Attorney General Bill Barr concludes how the probe was initiated which will give the Trump White House „ammo.“
AG William Barr Doesn‘t Want The Government Spying On The President But Thinks It‘s OK If It Spies On Everyone Else
Let me restate that: William Barr is opposed to certain, very narrow subsets of domestic surveillance. Specifically, Barr doesn‘t think the government should have spied on Trump and his campaign staff, if that‘s what actually happened, which Barr doesn‘t actually seem to know.
But if you‘re literally anyone else, domestic surveillance is just another name for national security, whether you‘re a random Verizon customer or one of the world‘s most useful websites.
The Wikimedia Foundation sued the federal government over domestic surveillance back in 2015. The suit lives on four years later …
Report: Christopher Steele agrees to be questioned by US officials over his relationship with FBI
A source close to Steele told The Times he will meet with investigators in London in the coming weeks. Republicans have long alleged it was Steele’s dossier that improperly led to an FBI inquiry, which ultimately morphed into special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible coordination between the Trump and campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
Golden showers dossier author Christopher Steele WILL speak to U.S. authorities investigating how claims Trump colluded with Russia began
– The former British intelligence officer authored what became known as the golden showers dossier
– Congressional investigators sought to interview him without success
– He will meet with unidentified U.S. investigators, a source close to him told the Times of London
– Attorney General Bill Barr ordered a new investigation of the origins of the Russia probe
– The Mueller report did not confirm salacious claims from the dossier
– The report did include a footnote about a Georgian businessman who told Michael Cohen he had ‚stopped flow‘ of ‚some tapes‘
House Intelligence chair to spy agencies: Tell us what Barr asks for
„This approach threatens national security by subverting longstanding rules and practices that obligate you and other heads of [intelligence community] agencies to safeguard sources and methods and prevent the politicization of intelligence and law enforcement,“ Schiff wrote in the letter to Coats, which was also sent to the heads of the CIA, NSA and FBI.
Barr Doubts Intelligence Accounts of Trump-Russia Probe’s Origin
Attorney General William Barr said he’s not satisfied so far with official accounts justifying the counterintelligence investigation into whether Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was involved in Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
“These counterintelligence activities that were directed at the Trump campaign, were not done in the normal course and not through the normal procedures as a far as I can tell,” Barr told “CBS This Morning” in an interview broadcast Friday.
Barr has not received ‚satisfactory‘ answers from intelligence community in Russia probe origins review
Last month, Barr announced he had assembled a team to review the FBI’s original Russia probe which was opened in the summer of 2016. Barr appointed U.S. Attorney from Connecticut John Durham to lead the investigation which will focus on the use of FBI informants as well as alleged improper issuance of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants.
But Barr, in an interview with CBS News that aired Friday, said he has more questions than answers at this point in the probe.
US intelligence partners wary of Barr‘s Russia review
Key allies who share intelligence with the United States could soon be dragged into the middle of Attorney General Bill Barr‘s politically-charged Justice Department review of how the Russia investigation began.
President Donald Trump has said he wants Barr to look into the role key intelligence partners, including the United Kingdom and Australia, played in the origins of Russia probe.
Robert Mueller: Charging Trump was not an option
He reiterated that his report did not exonerate the president and that legal guidelines prevent the indictment of a sitting president.
Muellers Schlussstrich
Der Sonderermittler redet zum ersten Mal über seinen Bericht – aber dann sagt er nichts Neues. Sein Job scheint endgültig beendet. Die Demokraten dürften enttäuscht sein.
Trump Russia investigation: Robert Mueller‘s first public statement in full
US Special Counsel Robert Mueller has spoken publicly for the first time since he published the findings of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump moves to escalate investigation of intel agencies
The move marked an escalation in Trump‘s efforts to „investigate the investigators,“ as he continues to try to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller‘s probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Our system of checks and balances relies on each branch’s jealously guarding its powers and upholding its duties under our Constitution. When loyalty to a political party or to an individual trumps loyalty to the Constitution, the Rule of Law—the foundation of liberty—crumbles.
GOP throws up impeachment shield around Trump
Republicans are moving fast to squelch Justin Amash‘s rebellion against Donald Trump before his conclusion that the President „engaged in impeachable conduct“ — the first by a GOP lawmaker — can gather momentum.
How a Lone Republican Set an Example for Democrats on the Mueller Report
“Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment,” Mr. Amash wrote on Twitter.
“In fact,” he added in a 13-tweet explanation of his conclusions, “Mueller’s report identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence.”
Amash storm hits Capitol Hill
Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) doubled down Monday on his case that President Trump should be impeached for obstruction of justice, ensuring the spotlight will stay on the stunning attacks against his party’s leader all week.
Im Streit um den Ermittlungsbericht zur Russland-Affäre hat ein Kongressausschuss Justizminister Bill Barr formell der „Missachtung“ der Parlamentsrechte beschuldigt.
House Panel Approves Contempt for Barr After Trump Claims Privilege Over Full Mueller Report
The committee’s 24-16 contempt vote, taken after hours of debate that featured apocalyptic language about the future of American democracy, marked the first time that the House has taken official action to punish a government official or witness amid a standoff between the legislative and executive branch.
Trump: ‚Mueller should not testify‘
Attorney General William Barr has previously told Congress that he has no objection to Mueller, who is technically a Justice Department employee, testifying before lawmakers. Peter Carr, the special counsel’s spokesman, declined to comment on the president‘s tweet.
Attorney General Barr’s decision to mislead the public in his testimony to Congress was not a technicality — it was a crime.
Democrats blast Barr for missing hearing
Barr skipped the House Judiciary Committee hearing because he objected to Democratic demands that their staff counsel be able to question him.
Democrats went forward with the theater of the hearing anyway, setting up an empty chair for the absent attorney general.
Mueller-Bericht: US-Justizminister Barr verweigert weitere Aussage vor Kongress
Mit einem Auftritt des Justizministers William Barr vor dem Justizausschuss des Senats ist es am Mittwoch nun auch zum ersten direkten Schlagabtausch zwischen republikanischen und demokratischen Kongressmitgliedern gekommen.
Dieser hätte am Donnerstag in eine zweite Runde gehen sollen, mit einem Hearing von Barr im Repräsentantenhaus. Doch Barr wies das Ansinnen der Demokraten zurück, ihn von einem Anwalt aus ihrem Stab befragen zu lassen.
There is, needless to say, no hint or suggestion in the Mueller Report that Paul Manafort visited Julian Assange ever in his life, let alone 3 times in the Ecuadorian Embassy during the election. It would obviously be there if it happened. How can the @guardian not retract this??
Donald Trump and the Mueller report: What do we know and what questions remain?
US attorney general William Barr said there was “no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian government hackers”.
Mr Trump told reporters: „This should never happen to another president again.“
Watch the attorney general‘s full statement here:
Lol WTF?? ThinkProgress is making up its own list of groups and people Mueller didn’t ID, but who they’ve decided are Russian assets? This has become absolutely fucking surreal.
Mueller reported Trump did not collude with Russia to influence our elections. Now we must put aside partisan interests, move forward, and work to unite our country to deal with the serious challenges we face.
Thanks to Russiagate, Trump could win in 2020
For two years, the various ranks of the Democratic and ‘Never Trump’ Republican establishment have insisted that Mueller would prove the Trump campaign had colluded with Vladimir Putin’s government to win the 2016 election. President Trump would then be ousted from the White House, justice served, order returned to the cosmos.
But the cosmos had other ideas.
Mueller report: The best day of Trump‘s presidency
It is impossible to over-emphasise the significance of what has been said.
If the Democrats want to remove this president from the White House, it‘s going to have to be via the ballot box in November 2020, and not before.
Mueller report: President Trump ‚did not conspire with Russia‘
President Trump‘s campaign did not conspire with Russia during the 2016 election, according to a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s report submitted to Congress on Sunday.
The report summary did not draw a conclusion as to whether Mr Trump illegally obstructed justice – not exonerating the president.
Manafort bombshell deepens mystery in Russia probe
None of these activities are necessarily illegal, making it even more difficult to understand why there was an apparent need to cover them up.
„This is the million-dollar question in the entire investigation,“ Rep. Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican who‘s a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on CNN‘s „Cuomo Prime Time.“ „You just have to start asking yourself, why did all of them lie about their connections to the Russians?“https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/13/politics/paul-manafort-donald-trump-russia-probe/index.html
Federal judge finds Paul Manafort lied to Mueller probe about contacts with Russian aide
Manafort’s lies, the judge found, included “his interactions and communications with [Konstantin] Kilimnik,” a longtime aide whom the FBI assessed to have ties to Russian intelligence.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the District said Manafort also lied to the special counsel, the FBI and the grand jury about a payment from a company to a law firm — which he previously characterized as a loan repayment — and made false statements that were material to another Justice Department investigation whose focus has not been described in public filings in Manafort’s case.
Roger Stone says campaign officials listed in indictments „have an ax to grind against me“
A longtime associate of President Trump is maintaining his innocence. Roger Stone insists he is not guilty of charges outlined in a federal indictment and he‘s blasting an early-morning FBI raid on his Florida home. Stone spoke to CBS News justice and homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues.
Trump LOSES Shutdown War And Roger Stone Is Raided And Arrested
The government shutdown has ended… for now. Trump advisor Roger Stone‘s home was raided and he was promptly arrested by furloughed FBI agents.
FULL DOC: Roger J. Stone indictment (pdf). The document reflects existing reporting on Stone, Corsi & Credico‘s attempts at braggadocio in response to WikiLeaks‘ announcements. New evidence of no „back channel“ with WikiLeaks:
Mueller indicts Roger Stone, says he was coordinating with Trump officials about WikiLeaks‘ stolen emails
Prosecutors cite text messages and emails he exchanged with the people about what Assange had, and one sent a photo of himself standing outside the Ecaudorian embassy in London, where Assange has stayed for years.
The men passed on much of the information after WikiLeaks began speaking publicly about stolen documents it had but before all had been released.
According to previous reporting, those people included radio host Randy Credico and Jerome Corsi. They are unnamed in the indictment and have not been charged with crimes.