Donald Trump Makes New Call On Robert Mueller To End Russia Investigation As His Son Comes In The Crosshairs
Donald Trump has made a new call on Robert Mueller to end the Russia investigation, quoting one of his favorite sources in an early morning tweet that comes amid growing reports that Donald Trump Jr. could be in trouble with the investigation.
On Sunday, Trump posted a quote from Fox News commentator Jeanine Pirro claiming that the information used to start the investigation was politically motivated and false.
.@JudgeJeanine “Bob Mueller, isn’t your whole investigation premised on a Fake Dossier, paid for by Hillary, created by a man who hates Donald Trump, & used to con a FISA Court Judge. Bob, I really think it’s time for you to give up your phony investigation.” No Collusion!
Many of these points have already been debunked. The recent publication of the FISA warrant for surveillance on Trump campaign official Carter Page showed that what Trump called the “Fake Dossier” was not the basis for the investigation and the connections to Hillary Clinton were not hidden from the FISA court. As Lawfare noted, the judges who signed off on the FISA surveillance warrant were all appointed by Republicans, with one a George H.W. Bush appointee and the other three appointed under George W. Bush.
The Sunday morning tweet was now the second time in two days that Trump publicly took aim at his own Attorney General, with calling Jeff Sessions “missing in action” on Saturday. Trump has frequently criticized Sessions publicly for recusing himself from the Russia investigation. Trump also attacked Christopher Steele, the former British spy who compiled the dossier that detailed allegations of his campaign’s collusion with Russia, CNN noted.
Trump’s broadsides against the Russia investigation also comes amid reports that the president is fearful that his own son will face charges. As the New York Times noted, Trump Jr. may have broken the law by agreeing to meet with Kremlin-connected officials who were offering to share dirt on Hillary Clinton that had been stolen by Russian hackers. Reports claimed that Donald Trump was fearful his son was in legal jeopardy, but Trump blasted these reports.
.@JudgeJeanine “Bob Mueller, isn’t your whole investigation premised on a Fake Dossier, paid for by Hillary, created by a man who hates Donald Trump, & used to con a FISA Court Judge. Bob, I really think it’s time for you to give up your phony investigation.” No Collusion!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 12, 2018
Rep. Devin Nunes’ actions in the Russia investigation has already shown that he prioritizes protecting the president from Mueller above all else. Now we have it on tape.https://t.co/OE55PIsDQC
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) August 11, 2018
Donald Trump has increased his public attacks on Robert Mueller’s investigation as Trump’s team has been in negotiations for the president to sit down with investigators for an interview. Trump’s lawyers have reportedly tried to narrow the scope and forbid any questions about obstruction of justice. Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said this week that Trump’s team turned down the latest proposal from Mueller and promised not to let the president walk into a “perjury trap,” Fox News reported.
