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Contrary to Democrat claims President Trump sought to obstruct the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, he actually cooperated to an unprecedented extent, according to former independent counsel Ken Starr.
Starr, who was the independent counsel who investigated the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky scandals during the Clinton administration, made the comment on “America’s Newsroom” Thursday:
“The president famously does not hold things back. He hated this whole thing, called it a witch hunt. But…actions speak louder than words.
“For the White House counsel to spend 30 hours answering questions of Bob Mueller and his staff is extraordinary, talk about unprecedented,” Starr said. “That’s an unprecedented level of cooperation with a special counsel investigation.”
Starr added: “Here is a key that no one should lose sight of — Bill Clinton committed crimes. Richard Nixon committed crimes. Whatever this report shows, the bottom line is no crimes are being charged by those who are charged with making that decision — that’s the Justice Department.”
Attorney General William Barr told reporters at a morning press conference that special counsel Robert Mueller’s report recounts 10 episodes involving President Trump that were investigated as potential acts of criminal obstruction of justice. Barr said Mueller did not reach a “prosecutorial judgment” and that he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein concluded the evidence was not sufficient to establish the president committed an offense.
Barr said Trump did not exert executive privilege over any information included in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. He said the White House counsel reviewed a redacted version of the report before Trump decided not to invoke executive privilege.
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Barr has said redactions in the report’s release are legally mandated.to protect four broad areas of concern: sensitive grand jury-related matters, classified information, ongoing investigations and the privacy or reputation of uncharged “peripheral” people.
On “America’s Newsroom,” Starr said: “We shouldn’t forget this all began about collusion, and so I think this will be very helpful [in] reminding us that while the Russians attempted to reach out to Trump campaign folks, apparently those efforts were not accepted or [were] rebuffed. I think that will be a big plus sign for President Trump and the integrity of the campaign.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Fox News Politics
Americans are apparently having a blast killing time as they anxiously prepare for the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on the Russia investigation — a moment they have been waiting for since the investigation began in May 2017.
Attorney General William Barr will deliver the nearly 400-page document to Congress via CDs between 11 a.m. ET and noon. The information will be provided to the public shortly after on the special counsel’s website.
Barr gave everyone a small preview of what’s to come during an early Thursday news conference. Once again, he stressed the special counsel found “no evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
WHAT TIME WILL THE MUELLER REPORT BE RELEASED? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DOCUMENT DUMP
But there are some key details that lawmakers and the public are eager to learn more about, particularly the issue of obstruction of justice. The Mueller probe did not reach a conclusion on whether President Trump committed this offense, but Barr and deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein determined there was not sufficient evidence on that front.
It’s up to Barr to determine how much information Congress will see.
He confirmed Thursday he redacted any information he deemed inappropriate or harmful to a person’s character if he or she has not been charged with a crime. Classified information, grand jury items, closed-door testimony and information that could hinder an ongoing case will also be protected.
“As you will see, most of the redactions were compelled by the need to prevent harm to ongoing matters and to comply with court orders prohibiting the public disclosure of information bearing on ongoing investigations and criminal cases,” Barr said.
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Though Barr claimed the redactions would be “limited,” Twitter users had a field day envisioning what the documents would look like. Dozens of redaction memes flooded the social media site Thursday — many reposting fake documents covered in black bars.
One Twitter user posted a snippet of a redacted snippet of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18.
“Barr’s redacted version of Sonnet 18….,” the user wrote, along with a meme that revealed six words of the literature.
Another bleeped out the lyrics to Rick Astley’s popular song “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
“The redacted #MuellerReport is out! And this is what it reveals…,” a user tweeted.
Actor Rainn Wilson, known for his role as Dwight Schrute on “The Office,” also joked about potential redactions.
“They just released the Mueller Report!” Wilson captioned a meme of a document that only contained the phrases “moreover” and “in that same vein.”
“Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” used the hype about the release to promote the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 27.
A sports fanatic jokingly posted an “advanced copy” of the report that jabs the Washington Nationals baseball team.
“The Nationals Bullpen is a complete disaster,” the fake document reads.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Source: Fox News Politics
A former FBI assistant director believes the investigation by the Inspector General into the origins of the Russia probe will uncover the motives from past high ranking members of the bureau and it’s something that every American citizen should want to see as well.
Mark Morgan, who worked in the bureau for more than 20 years including a 3-year stint as the assistant director to the FBI’s training division, told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday that part of the FBI re-building its reputation after the last two years is to go back and see if past leaders had an agenda against President Donald Trump.
“We need to look at how this started. We need to look at the actions of these top leaders,” he said. “We need to look at the adequacy of the predication – the motives behind the actors. I mean, we are talking about high powers of position.”
IN MUELLER REPORT’S RELEASE, TRUMP LOOKS FOR VINDICATION, BUT NEW FIGHTS LOOM
Morgan continued: “We should be taking a look at this. Every American citizen should want this to be looked at. I know the FBI does as well.”
The Department of Justice is expected to release a redacted version of the nearly 400-page report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller into Russian election meddling on Thursday. The document was expected to be delivered to lawmakers and posted online by noon.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Democrat New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas “very quickly” for the full report if it is released with blacked-out sections, likely setting in motion a major legal battle.
Barr on Thursday affirmed that Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians during the 2016 presidential election, addressing reporters shortly before he is expected to release Mueller’s report to Congress and to the public.
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During the highly anticipated press conference at the Justice Department on Thursday, Barr, joined by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, outlined the findings from Mueller’s investigation and explained their process for review and their decisions to redact certain material in the report.
“After nearly two years of investigation, thousands of subpoenas, and hundreds of warrants and witness interviews, the Special Counsel confirmed that the Russian government-sponsored efforts to illegally interfere with the 2016 presidential election but did not find that the Trump campaign or other Americans colluded in those schemes,” Barr said, adding that Americans “should be grateful” for the findings. He said that Mueller’s report also went on to “consider whether certain actions of the president could amount to obstruction of the Special Counsel investigation.”
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Fox News contributor Dan Bongino sounded off Thursday morning ahead of the Mueller report release, saying that even the Special Counsel knew the probe into collusion was a “hoax.”
“If you did enough homework. You know exactly what is in this report. You know what’s in there? Zero related to crimes. I knew he was going to be exonerated and so did any other rational actor,” Bongino told “Fox and Friends”.
“If you did enough homework. You know exactly what is in this report. You know what’s in there? Zero related to crimes. I knew he was going to be exonerated and so did any other rational actor.”
“The obstruction canard was a scam from the start,” he continued, noting that Andrew Weissmann, a top prosecutor on Mueller’s team, was briefed on the salacious Steele Dossier even before Mueller was appointed to lead the Russia investigation.
“Weissmann knows this case is a dog. There is nothing there. Mueller, in their effort to keep the investigation open into Trump, to damage his presidency, has to keep this thing open,” he added. “He can’t just come out on day two and say ‘hey, ladies, gents, this is a big fraud.’”
IN MUELLER REPORT’S RELEASE, TRUMP LOOKS FOR VINDICATION, BUT NEW FIGHTS LOOM
Bongino went on to point that multiple guilty pleas and nearly 40 indictments had nothing to do with the Russia collusion charges and slammed the media for doubling-down on the claims that President Trump colluded with a foreign government.
“These aren’t serious people anymore. Chuck Todd, Rachel Maddow they are not serious people,” Bongino said in reaction to a clip of Todd claiming on Wednesday that Attorney General William Barr briefing the White House about the report was collusion in itself.
“They missed the two biggest stories of our generation. They missed the fact that collusion was a hoax and spying was real. They got the story backwards,” he continued.
“They missed the two biggest stories of our generation. They missed the fact that collusion was a hoax and spying was real. They got the story backwards.”
“They thought collusion was real and spying was a hoax. They missed the two biggest stories of our generation. We are supposed to take Chuck Todd seriously?”
Bongino went on to dismiss Trump’s threats to fire Mueller or attacks against then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the probe as proof that Trump obstructed justice.
“The president is entitled to an opinion. He is the chief executive in the country involved in a case where he feels like his reputation is being maligned for a crime that never happened.
“It’s not that he didn’t commit it. It’s that it never happened. You have got to understand. They were investigating a bank robbery where no bank was robbed.”
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Former Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Jason Chaffetz said Thursday’s release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s much-anticipated Russia report exonerates President Trump.
In the moments ahead of Attorney General William Barr’s press conference on Thursday Chaffetz, a Fox News contributor, said he expected Barr’s remarks to be a “reflection of the summary he has already given.”
Speaking on “Fox & Friends” Thursday Chaffetz added, “I think it is very telling when the attorney general put out a statement and said, not only did the president rebuff the push by Russia to try to collude, but did so multiple times. That was one of the most telling things.
“I think the Democrats are scrambling. I don’t think they know what to do. I think it is part of their demise and I think it’s a big part of why I think Donald Trump will be reelected in 2020.”
MUELLER PROBE HAS COST TAXPAYERS MORE THAN $25 MILLION, SPENDING REPORT REVEALS
Last month, Mueller submitted his almost 400-page report to the Justice Department for review by the attorney general and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In a letter to Congress, Attorney General Bill Barr relayed some of the primary findings of the report, stating the special counsel found no evidence of collusion between members of the Trump campaign and the Russians during the 2016 presidential election. Democrats blasted Barr for what they called his “unacceptable” handling of the initial summary of that document.
Barr said he identified four areas of the report that he believed should be redacted, including grand jury material and information the intelligence community believes would reveal intelligence sources and methods.
“Probably the most explosive and consequential thing that’s going on right now won’t be revealed today and that is the report by the Inspector General Michael Horowitz,” Chaffetz said Thursday.
TRUMP ALLIES AWAIT RESULTS OF TWO INTERNAL PROBES THAT COULD EXPOSE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION BACKSTORY
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“Horowitz as the inspector general was appointed by Barack Obama. He was confirmed by the Senate unanimously and for the last year he’s been looking at what did the senior echelon at the FBI do when they have this highly documented bias and toward Donald Trump, did they take inappropriate action to spy on the president and his campaign team? We already know the answer to that is yes. To what degree and are there prosecutions, that will come out in the next month or two.”
The U.S. Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz confirmed at a panel discussion last month that his office is continuing to review potential surveillance abuses by the FBI, a review that began last year.
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Both lawmakers on Capitol Hill and members of the general public are on pins and needles as they wait for Attorney General William Barr to dump a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s nearly 400-page report on the Russia investigation Thursday.
Google searches for “Mueller report” spiked early Thursday — just before Barr was expected to take to a podium at a scheduled 9:30 a.m. ET news conference to present his interpretation of the report’s findings before releasing the full document to Congress.
IN MUELLER REPORT’S RELEASE, TRUMP LOOKS FOR VINDICATION, BUT NEW FIGHTS LOOM
Here’s what you need to know about the expected document dump.
What time will the Mueller report be released?
Barr took the stage to discuss his views on the materials at a 9:30 a.m. ET news conference, which is available to view via live stream.
After the news conference, the report will be delivered to Congress on CDs between 11 a.m. and noon and then posted on the special counsel’s website to the wider public.
Which portions will be redacted?
It’s currently unclear what documentation will be produced, but it’s up to Barr to determine how much information Congress will see.
It’s likely Barr will redact any information he deems inappropriate or harmful to a person’s character if he or she has not been charged with a crime. Classified information, grand jury items and closed-door testimony will also be protected.
At a later date, the Justice Department also plans to provide a “limited number” of members of Congress and their staff access to a copy of the Mueller report with fewer redactions than the public version, according to a court filing Wednesday.
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During his confirmation hearing, Barr stressed that he would be as transparent as possible while following federal laws.
“I also believe it is very important that the public and Congress be informed of the results of the special counsel’s work,” he told the Senate Judiciary Committee in January, adding that he doesn’t believe Mueller would be involved in a “witch hunt.”
Why did Barr get to view the documents first?
When the investigation — which began in May 2017 — concluded, Mueller first released his final report to Barr, who was overseeing the special counsel since he took office in February.
“At the conclusion of the Special Counsel’s work, he or she shall provide the Attorney General with a confidential report explaining the prosecution or declination decisions reached by the Special Counsel,” Cornell Law School explains in a blog post detailing the federal regulations.
Throughout the two-year probe, Mueller has also been required to flag any documents that detail any impending prosecutions or witness interviews, among other actions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Fox News Politics
Attorney General William Barr will lead a press conference Thursday ahead of the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russian effort to influence the 2016 presidential election and its ties to the Trump campaign.
Barr is expected to be joined by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. The release of the redacted report is expected later Thursday morning.
The decision to hold a press conference ahead of the report’s release sparked controversy among Democrats who claimed it was a move to shape the narrative surrounding the report. Some Democrats demanded Barr cancel the press conference.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer issued a joint statement calling on the attorney general to testify.
“Attorney General Barr’s regrettably partisan handling of the Mueller report, including his slanted March 24th summary letter, his irresponsible testimony before Congress last week, and his indefensible plan to spin the report in a press conference later this morning — hours before he allows the public or Congress to see it — have resulted in a crisis of confidence in his independence and impartiality,” they said. “We believe the only way to begin restoring public trust in the handling of the Special Counsel’s investigation is for Special Counsel Mueller himself to provide public testimony in the House and Senate as soon as possible.”
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Barnes & Noble is offering curious readers a chance to view special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on the Russia investigation as soon as Attorney General William Barr drops the 400-page document early Thursday.
In a tweet, the bookselling company instructed followers how to easily download the materials.
“Be the first to read THE MUELLER REPORT for free! Pre-order today and it will be delivered to your NOOK Library upon expected release,” Barnes & Noble wrote Wednesday in a tweet, which has been shared nearly 500 times.
IN MUELLER REPORT’S RELEASE, TRUMP LOOKS FOR VINDICATION, BUT NEW FIGHTS LOOM
Users who don’t have the NOOK Library can download the NOOK reading app to read a PDF or “direct replica” of the report on their smartphones.
“The Mueller Report as released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Barr redactions and all, and it is essential reading for all Americans on both sides of the aisle,” a description of the Mueller report on NOOK reads, in part. “After almost two long years, the wait is over for one of the most important investigations in the history of American politics.”
Dozens of people thanked Barnes & Noble for giving them an easy way to read the lengthy report.
The Justice Department is expected to release a redacted version of the special counsel’s report on Russian election interference and the Trump campaign Thursday morning.
FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP POPULARITY HOLDING STEADY AFTER MUELLER SUMMARY RELEASE
Barr scheduled a 9:30 a.m. news conference to present his interpretation of the report’s findings, before providing redacted copies to Congress and the public. The news conference, first announced by President Trump during a radio interview, provoked immediate criticism from congressional Democrats.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Fox News Politics
Special Counsel Robert Mueller should testify before Congress and answer lawmakers’ questions regarding his report of the Russia investigation into President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, Judge Andrew Napolitano said.
The Fox News senior judicial analyst said on “Fox & Friends” early Thursday morning – just hours before Attorney General William Barr is expected to release the highly anticipated report – said there is a “tremendous desire on the of Americans to see what is there.”
“This has consumed us for two years,” Napolitano added.
IN MUELLER REPORT’S RELEASE, TRUMP LOOKS FOR VINDICATION, BUT NEW FIGHTS LOOM
Napolitano said the report will be a 400-page summary of the documents, interviews and notes the special counsel has amassed over the past two years and it will be lightly redacted. That said, Democrats are going to look at everything see what they can use against the president.
“If there is anything in there that they can use to undermine his legitimacy or undermine his credibility or weaken his re-election chances, of course, they are going to do it,” he said. “That’s what they do. They are the other side.”
Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein scheduled a 9:30 a.m. ET press conference to discuss the Mueller report’s public release. The Department of Justice said Wednesday that certain members of Congress will be able to see the report “without certain redactions” after its public release.
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Napolitano said certain ranking members of the Intelligence Committee have top security clearance to see anything.
“Now, can they reveal what they see? If they do, they are going to undermine their credibility,” he added. “They will never have a secret shared with them again.”
It was not immediately clear exactly when on Thursday the DOJ would release the redacted version of the nearly 400-page investigation into Russian election meddling, but the document was expected to be delivered to lawmakers and posted online by noon.
Barr has said redactions in the report’s release are legally mandated.to protect four broad areas of concern: sensitive grand jury-related matters, classified information, ongoing investigations and the privacy or reputation of uncharged “peripheral” people.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Democrat New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, has said he is prepared to issue subpoenas “very quickly” for the full report if it is released with blacked-out sections, likely setting in motion a major legal battle.
Source: Fox News Politics
Republican strategist Karl Rove doesn’t see Thursday’s Mueller report release as the end of a the Trump-Russia collusion narrative, he sees it as “the beginning of the next chapter”
“I wish I believed it was their last gasp. I think tomorrow is the beginning of the next chapter,” Rove said on “Hannity.”
Attorney General William Barr is set to hold a 9:30 a.m. news conference Thursday accompanied by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein ahead of the Justice Department’s planned release of a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election
FEDERALIST EDITOR SAYS MUELLER REPORT ORIGINS DEMAND INVESTIGATION
“I think it is going to be first and foremost focusing on… they want the entire document and that’s going lead then to charges that he obstructed justice and then it’s going to be ‘Katie bar the door.’”
Rove added, “It’s going to be months and months in my opinion of demanding a completely unredacted copy of it.”
President Trump has reportedly prepared a retort and Democrats including Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are unhappy with roll out.
“AG Barr has thrown out his credibility & the DOJ’s independence with his single-minded effort to protect @realDonaldTrump above all else. The American people deserve the truth, not a sanitized version of the Mueller Report approved by the Trump Admin,” Nancy Pelosi tweeted Wednesday.
TRUMP LEGAL TEAM PREPARES MUELLER COUNTER-REPORT ON OBSTRUCTION ALLEGATIONS
Rove noted that Democrats will not be satisfied with tomorrow’s redacted report and will continue to promote their narrative.
“People like Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler are going to be calling for the immediate and total release of everything. You see it in the language of Nancy Pelosi who says that Barr is usurping the responsibility of Congress. Congress is supposed to be the judge and jury, not our legal system,” Rove told Sean Hannity.
Source: Fox News Politics
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