Trump brands Russia probe a hoax insists crimes were committed by Dirty Cops and Democrats

President Donald Trump sought to get ahead of the attorney general and the special counsel on Thursday morning, branding it the entire probe a ‘Political Hoax’ conducted by ‘Crooked Dirty Cops’ before William Barr released the redacted report of Russian election meddling.

The report will shed light on Robert Mueller’s decision not to make a determination on obstruction of justice. Attorney General William Barr says Mueller left that decision up to him.

Before the report’s release, the president sent out a flurry of tweets accusing his political enemies of crimes. He intimated that he was referring to former FBI director James Comey and Hillary Clinton, as well as the Democratic National Committee. 

‘The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats,’ he said in a tweet. ‘PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!’ he said in another.

Several other tweets highlighted charges that a conservative judicial activist group  levied against the FBI and an informant who’s claims served as the basis for allegations that Russia could be blackmailing Trump. 

The group, Judicial Watch, had also been tweeting about Clinton and the emails she routed through a private server when she was secretary of state. The FBI investigated her but declined to bring charges against her for gross negligence.

President Donald Trump sought to get ahead of the attorney general and the special counsel on Thursday morning, branding it the entire probe a ‘Political Hoax’ conducted by ‘Crooked Dirty Cops’ before William Barr released the redacted report of Russian election meddling

He further claimed that the investigation that looked at allegations of obstruction of justice and collusion with Russia was harrassment

He further claimed that the investigation that looked at allegations of obstruction of justice and collusion with Russia was harrassment

President Trump says he could hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss the findings of the special counsel report

President Trump says he could hold a press conference on Thursday afternoon to discuss the findings of the special counsel report

President Trump suggested he could hold a press conference on Thursday to discuss the findings of the special counsel report. 

He said his could follow one that William Barr will have that day. ‘Maybe I’ll do one after that, we’ll see,’ the president said on a WMAL radio program.

He made the announcement minutes before Justice announced that Barr would speak to DOJ reporters at 9:30 am the next morning. 

The Justice Department seemingly gave the president a heads up that Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the outgoing deputy attorney general, would speak to media, prompting Trump to say he might have a news conference, too.

It was not immediately clear how the president knew about the presser or the ‘strong things’ he said would be coming out of it. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the House Judiciary Chairman, said afterward, in a tweet, that he was ‘deeply troubled by reports that the WH is being briefed on the Mueller report AHEAD of its release,’ especially after DOJ informed lawmakers that they would not be getting the report until after Barr’s news conference.    

Trump had been relatively quiet about the special counsel and the redacted report on Wednesday until it came up in a drive-time radio interview

Trump had been relatively quiet about the special counsel and the redacted report on Wednesday until it came up in a drive-time radio interview

The Justice Department seemingly gave the president a heads up that Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the outgoing deputy attorney general, would speak to media, prompting Trump to say he might have a news conference, too

The Justice Department seemingly gave the president a heads up that Barr and Rod Rosenstein, the outgoing deputy attorney general, would speak to media, prompting Trump to say he might have a news conference, too

Congressman Adam Schiff, a former prosecutor himself, recommended that Americans skip Barr’s presser and spend their time reading the redacted Mueller report, instead.

‘He took it upon himself to reach a conclusion on obstruction. He adopted the President’s “spying” smears. Now, he will spin a report no one has read. My advice: Wait to read Mueller’s words for yourself,’ he tweeted.

The chaos around the release of the redacted report was reminiscent of the furor on Capitol Hill after the FBI abruptly announced that it was not recommending charges against Hillary Clinton in her email and server case.

When the FBI wrapped up its investigation into the former secretary of state, former director James Comey held an impromptu media avail that even his bosses didn’t know about.  He said investigators found her to be reckless but not guilty of crimes.

Trump went on to fire Comey for what he claimed at the time was sloppy work on the Clinton case. He claims now that Comey was a dirty cop who led dirty team and they were all out to get him.

He has claimed more than once that Comey and his cronies may have committed treason, once he learned that they investigated his business ties to Russia. He has accused ousted FBI officials of ‘illegal spying’ on his presidential campaign and plotting a ‘coup’ to forcibly remove him from office. 

He told press before a luncheon on Capitol Hill in March that he believes the alleged spying went all the way to the top — suggesting that former President Barack Obama was involved. 

In a WMAL interview on Wedesday, Trump would not accuse Obama of crimes, however, he said it was hard to fathom a situation in which the sitting president was not aware of what was taking place in his own Justice Department.

‘We’re talking about pervasive horrible things that were happening. And it would certainly be hard to believe what was going on, but we’re going to leave that for another day,’ the president said. 

Barr has agreed with Trump that ‘spying’ on the presidential campaign took place. He hasn’t explained exactly what he meant by that, though. 

It’s likely to come up at the Thursday presser that will seemingly take place before news outlets have had time to fully process the redacted report. Barr will also be asked about his conclusion that President Trump did not intend to obstruct justice when he fired Comey. 

Mueller did not reach a conclusion on obstruction, but Barr, working in tandem with Rosenstein, decided against charges, based on underlying evidence they have not made public and won’t turn over to Congress.

Barr has agreed with Trump that 'spying' on the presidential campaign took place. He hasn't explained exactly what he meant by that, though

Barr has agreed with Trump that ‘spying’ on the presidential campaign took place. He hasn’t explained exactly what he meant by that, though

The redacted report could shed light on Mueller’s alleged inability to pin down obstruction of justice on his own. It may explain how the special counsel investigators arrived at the conclusion that the there was no criminal collusion.

Trump had been relatively quiet about the special counsel and the redacted report on Wednesday, making no mention of it at an afternoon event.

The president and members of his administration were holding a conference in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the opportunity zones for businesses that the GOP tax plan created.

The president stayed on message at the event, where he linked economic growth and favorable hiring practices to his policies.

‘And we want all Americans to share in our great renewal,’ he stated.

The U.S. president who often goes off script, and had been tweeting aggressively earlier in the week, grew relatively quiet and had a limited public schedule.

It turned out that he had three radio interviews, supposedly on the opportunity zones, where the conversation quickly turned to the 2020 presidential contest and the Mueller report.

He told WMAL’s Larry O’Conner, after the conservative radio host asked him about the claims that what happened to him shouldn’t happen to future leaders, that what the FBI did is ‘unthinkable’ and ‘strong things’ would be coming out on Thursday.

‘You look at what Comey did as the director of the FBI, it’s a disgrace. It’s a disgrace to our country,’ he said, claiming the take-down might be one of his greatest achievements. 

Earlier in they day, the president had mentioned Robert Mueller’s report in a tweet that labeled Comey and others ‘dirty cops’ and himself a victim of a witch hunt.

‘Wow! FBI made 11 payments to Fake Dossier’s discredited author, Trump hater Christopher Steele. @OANN @JudicialWatch The Witch Hunt has been a total fraud on your President and the American people! It was brought to you by Dirty Cops, Crooked Hillary and the DNC,’ he wrote on Twitter.  

Earlier in they day, the president had mentioned Robert Mueller's report in a tweet that labeled Comey and others 'dirty cops' and himself a victim of a witch hunt

Earlier in they day, the president had mentioned Robert Mueller’s report in a tweet that labeled Comey and others ‘dirty cops’ and himself a victim of a witch hunt

He has fired off 8 tweets so far this week on this subject as Washington awaits with baited breath the release of Mueller’s findings on Russia’s role in the 2016 election.  

Trump’s tweet on Wednesday morning mentioned Judicial Watch’s announcement it had filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit ‘for records of communications and payments’ between the FBI and Steele. 

‘How and why did the FBI pay Christopher Steele, who was already being funded by the Clinton campaign and DNC through Fusion GPS?’ Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a release. ‘That we had to sue for this basic information shows the FBI may have something more to hide.’ 

Trump has long railed against Steele, whose unverified dossier claimed the president was vulnerable to blackmail from Russia and had received ‘golden showers’ from prostitutes during a 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe pageant.

Fusion GPS – a research firm worked for the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton- recruited Steele to put together the dossier. He was also in contact with the FBI about the document the the law enforcement agency vetted and told Trump about after the election. 

In August, the FBI released 71 pages of heavily redacted communications between the bureau and Steele.

The records revealed the 11 FBI payments to Steele as a Confidential Human Source over an unknown period. 

But on Nov. 1, 2016, the FBI told Steele it was unlikely to continue working with him, and he should not ‘obtain any intelligence whatsoever on behalf of the FBI,’ according to the documents.

The FBI had hired Steele to continue the research that started with the Fusion GPS dossier. That information was originally commissioned by Fusion GPS on behalf of a Republican media outlet, Washington Free Beacon, during the GOP primary.    

Trump has putting the FBI on blast on Twitter for days in advance of the Mueller report’s release, trying to get in front of the document that could hurt him politically.

On Wednesday, the president argued Mueller’s probe was a ‘scam.’

‘The greatest Scam in political history. If the Mainstream Media were honest, which they are not, this story would be bigger and more important than Watergate. Someday!’ he claimed.  

On Monday, he argued crimes were committed by Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and ‘dirty cops’ – a reference to Comey and former FBI agents that worked for him.

‘Mueller, and the A.G. based on Mueller findings (and great intelligence), have already ruled No Collusion, No Obstruction. These were crimes committed by Crooked Hillary, the DNC, Dirty Cops and others! INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS!’ he tweeted.

Attorney General William Barr will send the Mueller report to Congress Thursday

Attorney General William Barr will send the Mueller report to Congress Thursday

President Trump said it was time to 'INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS' as Washington prepared for the release of the Mueller report

President Trump said it was time to ‘INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS’ as Washington prepared for the release of the Mueller report

Democrats have demanded the full special counsel report from Barr so they can decide for themselves whether that is true or not. Barr told lawmakers in a letter that Mueller left it up to him to determine whether the president obstructed justice. 

Trump’s legal team has prepared their own, official spin in document form: a report to counter Mueller’s that is expected to be released after the special counsel’s.

Democrats are meanwhile gearing up for a lengthy investigation of their own that will pick up where Mueller left off. 

Nadler has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas ‘very quickly’ for the full report on Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign, as well. 

WHAT WILL BE REDACTED: GRAND JURY INFORMATION

Barr has staked out his position on releasing secret grand jury information, saying last week that he would not go to court to request its release. He said Democrats are ‘free to go to court’ themselves, and Nadler has said he is ready to do so.

Grand jury information, including witness interviews, is normally off limits but can be obtained in court. Some records were eventually released in the Whitewater investigation into former President Bill Clinton and an investigation into President Richard Nixon before he resigned.

Both of those cases were under somewhat different circumstances, including that the House Judiciary Committee had initiated impeachment proceedings. Federal court rules state that a court may order disclosure ‘preliminary to or in connection with a judicial proceeding.’

But Democrats have said they are not interested in impeachment, for now, and are likely to argue in court that they don’t need to be in an official impeachment proceeding to receive the materials.

CLASSIFIED INFORMATION

Congress frequently receives classified documents and briefings, and Democrats say there is no reason the Mueller report should be any different.

Many Republicans agree, including the top Republican on the intelligence committee, California Rep. Devin Nunes, who wrote a rare joint letter in March with House intelligence committee Chairman Adam Schiff asking for ‘all materials, regardless of form or classification.’ In the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press, Schiff and Nunes also asked for a private briefing from Mueller and his team.

Democrat Schiff has argued that some of that information should be released to the public, as well, citing Mueller indictments that have already revealed granular detail about the Russian effort to influence the 2016 election.

‘All of that information at one point was classified, but the decision must have been made the public interest outweighs that. And I think a similar analysis should be undertaken here,’ Schiff said on CNN this month.

ONGOING INVESTIGATIONS

Barr said he will redact information related to investigations connected to the Mueller probe that are still underway. Those include cases handed off or referred to federal prosecutors in Washington, New York and Virginia.

Democrats have noted that the Justice Department has released such information before, including some related to Mueller’s own investigation while it was in progress. Republicans who were in the House majority last year, obtained documents related to the beginnings of the Russia investigation, arguing that officials were biased against then-candidate Trump.

Republicans argued at the time that it was necessary to obtain that information to maintain the integrity of the investigation.

DEROGATORY INFORMATION

The Justice Department regularly redacts information about people who were interviewed or scrutinized in investigations but not charged. Barr has said he will black out information from the report ‘that would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.’

Asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., at a hearing last week if that meant he would redact information to protect the interests of Trump, Barr said it did not. ‘No, I’m talking about people in private life, not public officeholders,’ Barr said.

That means that in addition to Trump, members of his family who work at the White House, such as his daughter Ivanka, could potentially be named if they were somehow entangled in Mueller’s investigation. But any information regarding his sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., who run his businesses, could be more likely to be redacted.

The Justice Department did release information about the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices more than two years ago, even though Clinton wasn’t charged. But that was after then-FBI Director James Comey made the much-questioned decision to publicly discuss that investigation. Barr signaled in his confirmation hearing in January that he would do things differently.

‘If you’re not going to indict someone, then you don’t stand up there and unload negative information about the person,’ Barr said. ‘That’s not the way the Department of Justice does business’ 

 

 

 

 

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