Thread: Trump attorney signals a firm stance in dealing with special prosecutor

Trump attorney signals a firm stance in dealing with special prosecutor

David Willman
June 11, 2017 11:15 am

President Trump will not unconditionally cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s recently opened investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and any possible coordination with the Trump campaign, a defense lawyer for Trump signaled on Sunday.

The lawyer, Jay Sekulow, also asserted that former FBI Director James B. Comey submitted for Mueller’s advance review the prepared testimony that he delivered last week to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Comey denied doing so in an exchange during that hearing.

Though noting that Trump said Friday he would answer Mueller’s questions under oath, Sekulow declined to rule out ordering at some later date the firing of the widely praised Mueller, who preceded Comey as FBI director.

“The president is going to seek the advice of his counsel and inside the government as well as outside,’’ Sekulow told ABC’s “This Week,’’ adding, “I’m not going to speculate on what he will or will not do.’’

Sekulow’s position points out the complexity created by the parallel congressional and criminal investigations into what happened during the campaign and its aftermath. Mueller’s inquiry may also now include questions about whether Trump tried to influence the FBI probe.

Comey and Mueller had worked together during the George W. Bush administration when Comey was deputy attorney general and Mueller was FBI director, a position he kept until late 2013, when Comey succeeded him.

Comey, in his appearance before the Senate panel Thursday, said Trump pressured him to end the FBI’s investigation of Michael Flynn shortly after Flynn resigned as the president’s national security advisor. Flynn was forced out after the Washington Post reported that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about Flynn’s flurry of contacts during the presidential transition with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislyak.

In comments to reporters on Friday, Trump disputed some of Comey’s recollections and denied that he had in any way sought to obstruct the investigation.

The conflicting characterizations invite a contest between the credibility of the president and the man he had inherited as FBI director.

When asked Friday about the existence of any tape recordings of his conversations with Comey, Trump told reporters he would provide the answer “within a fairly short period of time,’’ adding, “Oh, you’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer. Don’t worry.’’

Sekulow declined Sunday to commit Trump to releasing any recordings. “That’s a decision that the president will make in consultation with his chief lawyer, Marc Kasowitz,’’ Sekulow said, adding that Trump would “address it next week.’’

Three senators said Sunday that Trump should now divulge or acknowledge any such tapes.

“If there are tapes — and the president’s equivocal on this — bring those tapes forward,’’ Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who serves on the Intelligence Committee, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“He should give a straight yes or no answer to the … question of whether or not the tapes exist,” said another committee member, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). “I don’t understand why the president doesn’t clear the matter up.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York said, “He should make them public right away. If there aren’t tapes, he should let that be known. No more game playing.’’ Schumer appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Trump, for his part, did not entirely delegate Sunday’s advocacy duties to Sekulow and other surrogates.

At 5:29 a.m. EDT, the president’s Twitter account posted criticism of Comey — focusing on the former FBI director’s acknowledgment to the Senate committee that he had used an intermediary to leak to the news media the existence of notes he had kept memorializing his private conversations with Trump.

“I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible,’’ said Trump’s tweet. “Totally illegal? Very ‘cowardly!’”

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-n...611-story.html

Robert Mueller has a conflict of interest due to his deep personal relationship with Jim Comey. Jim Comey was Deputy Attorney General when Robert Mueller was Director of the FBI meaning Mueller was Comey's direct boss. Mueller was also Comey's "mentor" and Comey was Mueller's protege. They are also close personal friends as a result. Comey is at this point being set up as a key witness if not the only witness for an obstruction of justice investigation, Comey will or should also be a target of the leaking investigation, the phony hype on collusion he refused to clear up concerning the President, and I believe Mueller was a collaborator on all of the leaks out of the FBI by Jim Comey.

The Special Counsel needs to be shut down. Congress needs to be put on notice that neither the Department of Justice in its entirety nor the White House will participate further in this Witch Hunt, invasion of privacy, violations of civil rights, nor harassment against innocent citizens simply because they supported Donald Trump for President or joined his Administration to Make America Great Again.

Be Bold. SHUT THIS SWAMP DOWN.

Let us know when you find a Russian to prosecute for interfering in our 2016 Presidential Election. Maybe you should start with the eviction of the Ambassador that Jim Comey calls a "spy", unless of course he isn't a "spy" and is just a good and very active, hard-working Diplomat for Russia.

It's time to pull out the TEFLON and take charge of this mess that is making the United States look like a bunch of idiots if they didn't already know that from our stupid policies on trade and immigration.

And when Nancy Pelosi wants to question Donald Trump's "fitness for office", one might remember that she couldn't even remember who was President and referred to him as President Bush. Nancy Pelosi is 77 years old and losing it early. Sad to watch. She needs to be retired in 2018. When you can't remember the name of the person you're viciously attacking, it's time to go home to the Vineyard and enjoy your political spoils.