Trump Draws Battle Lines, Says Mueller Probe 'Illegal,' 'Not Allowed' by Law
President Donald Trump on Sunday stepped up his criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 election.
“The illegal Mueller Witch Hunt continues in search of a crime. There was never Collusion with Russia, except by the Clinton campaign, so the 17 Angry Democrats are looking at anything they can find. Very unfair and BAD for the country. ALSO, not allowed under the LAW!” Trump tweeted.
The illegal Mueller Witch Hunt continues in search of a crime. There was never Collusion with Russia, except by the Clinton campaign, so the 17 Angry Democrats are looking at anything they can find. Very unfair and BAD for the country. ALSO, not allowed under the LAW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2018
Mueller began his investigation in May 2017, according to the Washington Examiner.
Trump, who has often used the term “witch hunt” in describing the Mueller probe, is not the only one to question its legal authority.
Attorneys for Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, also tried to make a case that the probe was not legal. Manafort reached a plea deal with prosecutors last week to settle charges against him that stem from work he did for a former Ukraine politician several years before he briefly managed Trump’s campaign.
Although U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III did not toss out the case, the ruling in which he made his decision offered a less-than-resounding endorsement of what Mueller has been doing.
“Here, we have a prosecution of a campaign official, not a government official, for acts that occurred well before the presidential election. To be sure, it is plausible, indeed ultimately persuasive here, to argue that the investigation and prosecution has some relevance to the election which occurred months if not years after the alleged misconduct. But in the end, that fact does not warrant dismissal,” Ellis wrote.
Trump has also attacked the Mueller probe over the paucity of its results.
This past week, Texas Congressman John Ratcliffe said that based on a deposition with former FBI attorney Lisa Page, there was little to show.
“I cannot provide the specifics of a confidential interview,” the GOP congressman said, according to Fox News. “But I can say that Lisa Page left me with the impression, based on her own words, that the lead investigator of the Russian collusion case, Peter Strzok, had found no evidence of collusion after nearly a year.”
Page and former lover Strzok — both of whom were involved in the Mueller probe — exchanged anti-Trump communications, leading critics of the Mueller to believe the probe has been biased against Trump from the start.
Manafort’s guilty plea and his promise to cooperate with Mueller does not mean Trump is in hot water, Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, tweeted Saturday.
According to sources close to Manafort defense: “The coooeration agree does not involve the Trump campaign….There was no collusion with Russia.” Another road travelled by Mueller. Same conclusion: no evidence of collusion President did nothing wrong.
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 15, 2018
“According to sources close to Manafort defense: ‘The cooperation agree does not involve the Trump campaign … There was no collusion with Russia.’ Another road travelled by Mueller. Same conclusion: no evidence of collusion President did nothing wrong,” Giuliani tweeted
Giuliani further said that media hoopla over what Manafort’s agreement might mean deliberately misses the point.
Morning shows all ignore clear statement from Manafort team that there is no cooperation against the President and a statement “there was no collusion.” It is pathetic: how biased they are! What’s new?
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 16, 2018
Isn’t Manafort cooperating when he says no collusion. He should get as much credit,maybe more, by sticking to the truth. After all Mueller is seeking justice not political revenge, isn’t he.?
— Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) September 16, 2018
“Morning shows all ignore clear statement from Manafort team that there is no cooperation against the President and a statement ‘there was no collusion.’ It is pathetic: how biased they are! What’s new?” Giuliani tweeted Sunday.
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