Vice President Mike Pence insists the Trump administration is fully co-operating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
His comments come as the president’s son, Donald Jr., blasted the investigation for a supposed lack of impartiality after Mueller removed FBI agent Peter Strzok from his team for exchanging anti-Trump text messages with his lover.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe has obtained guilty pleas from two Trump associates, including former White House security advisor Mike Flynn.
Vice-president Mike Pence was speaking while visiting US service personnel in Afghanistan
It has charged former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his one-time deputy, Rick Gates.
‘My view of all these matters is that the special counsel has a job to do,’ Pence said in an interview with CBS while visiting Afghanistan.
‘We’re fully cooperating with that inquiry, but for the president and myself and our entire administration, we’re focused on what the American people hired us to do.’
Vice-president Pence was asked about former Flynn’s guilty plea to the FBI about his contacts with then Russian envoy Sergey Kislyak.
‘What I can tell you is that I knew that he had lied to me – and I know the president made the right decision with regard to him,’ the vice president replied.
Donald Trump Jr. claimed on Tuesday that a deep-state conspiracy to undermine his father is stopping him from making his agenda a reality
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, made a speech Wednesday on the Senate floor warning Trump not to take any action relating to Mueller.
He said he gave the speech because the ‘tone and tenor’ coming from the White House and its allies ‘should send a chill through all of us.’
‘Over the last several weeks, a growing chorus of irresponsible voices have called for President Trump to shut down Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation,’ said Warner, adding that the attacks were ‘seemingly coordinated.’
‘Firing Mr. Mueller or any other of the top brass involved in this investigation would not only call into question this administration’s commitment to the truth, but also to our most basic concept of rule of law,’ Warner said. ‘It also has the potential to provoke a constitutional crisis.’
A group of Republican members of the House Intelligence Committee have been meeting secretly to ferret out corruption they believe exists within the FBI and the Justice Department.
Senator Mark Warner (left) warned against any attempts to fire special counsel Robert Mueller
House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes has taken part in secret meetings with other GOP panel members to attempt to ferret out corruption they believe exists within the FBI and the Justice Department
The lawmakers may release a report on any findings they have and try to get information that may substantiate their case into the public domain.
House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes is participating in the meetings, Politico reported, although he initially said he would recuse himself from the full committee’s Russia probe.
Sources familiar with the inquiry told the publication lawmakers were frustrated with the Justice Department for failing to share more information about the infamous dirty dossier, which contains salacious information about Donald Trump as well as purported financial connections with Russia
The dossier got handed over to the FBI during the campaign. During oversight hearings, Republican lawmakers have complained that a tainted document could have been the basis for conducting surveillance on Trump associates.