May 17, 2017

OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE? TRUMP ASKED COMEY TO END FLYNN INVESTIGATION

Trump asked Comey to SHUT DOWN Mike Flynn investigation

Trump urged halt to Flynn probe, former FBI director’s notes say.

‘I hope you can let this go,’ Trump said, according to notes taken by Comey and described by associates.

According to a set of notes taken by former FBI director James Comey following a February meeting with President Trump, the president brought up the counterintelligence investigation into Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser, and urged Comey to drop it.

By Devlin Barrett, Ellen Nakashima and Matt Zapotosky

Trump might have obstructed justice if Comey’s allegation is true, legal analysts say.

More evidence would likely be required to warrant action and, as one expert noted, “Intent is key, and intent here can be difficult to prove.” But Comey’s memo offers a plausible case that the president obstructed justice.

By Matt Zapotosky

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he was 'shaken' by news of Comey's memo, and warned: 'History is watching'

As scandals grow, GOP senators say they’re ‘troubled’ but not much else.

....as lawmakers grapple with troubles in the fallout of another scandal in the Trump administration, nobody was exactly sure what to do about the situation, at least not yet.

By Ben Terris and Monica Hesse

Comey (whom Trump fired last week, drawing accusations that he was trying to chill the FBI’s ongoing investigation into contact between the Trump campaign and Russian officials) was known for taking careful and exhaustive notes when in circumstances he was worried would provoke later controversy — providing a paper trail to tell his side of the story. [Matthew A. Miller via Twitter]
And while it’s not clear who leaked the existence of the memo to the Times, it wouldn’t be surprising if the leak came from within the FBI — which has a history of reacting extremely badly to any perceived threat to its independence, and a lot of ways to make politicians’ lives hell. [Vox / Zack Beauchamp]

President Donald Trump walks from the Residence to the West Wing of the White House after returning from Philadelphia on January 26, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Trump is careening toward an inevitable showdown with an undeniable truth.

Time and time again, the public has been forced to decide: Whom do you believe — Donald Trump, or some other source? Whether it’s Trump’s word against that of his campaign rivals or of the media or of James Comey, it seems only a matter of time until Trump is up against someone or something that leaves him no wiggle room.

By Philip Bump

Trump 'told Comey to JAIL journalists who publish classified information.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4513042/Trump-told-Comey-jail-reporters-classified-leaks.html#ixzz4hIqgocTI
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According to the New York Times , who have spoken to two unnamed advisers, the president has become 'sour and dark' and has turned against his staff, son-in-law Jared Kushner

Is President Trump turning on Jared Kushner? 'Sour and dark' president has unleashed his fury on his White House staff - including his son-in law - following the Russia revelations.

A New York Times report suggests that the White House has been thrown into turmoil following the report that the president disclosed top secret information to top Russian officials

As reports of Trump released classified information to Russia broke, White House aides were 'hiding in offices' and Sean Spicer's communications team was turning up the volume of televisions to mask the sound of shouting

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4510100/How-West-Wing-reacted-newest-Trump-Russia-claims.html#ixzz4hIrydkaR
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The Fix: Will Trump be impeached? It’s less likely than some Democrats are suggesting.

In practice, though, there’s no automatic trigger for impeachment. It’s a process that requires a majority of the House (and removing an impeached president requires two-thirds of the Senate). So unless Republicans decide that this is the violation that’s going to shake them from their support of Trump, the newest revelations won’t change anything. [Vox / Dylan Matthews]

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LET'S TALK: David Friedman, (R) the new United States Ambassador to Israel, with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (L) in the president's Jerusalem residence as Friedman presents his credentials on 16 May 2017

David Friedman, (R) the new United States Ambassador to Israel, with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (L)

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4513366/Trump-spy-s-life-risk-sharing-info-Russia.html#ixzz4hIpx4sHN
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Trump 'risked life of Israeli spy who is embedded in ISIS' by sharing classified information with Russia.

The classified information Trump shared with Russia came from an Israeli spy who is embedded in ISIS.
ABC reports that Israel shared their reports with the US on the condition they remain anonymous.
Trump relayed the information to Russian's foreign minister and ambassador to the US.
He defended it on Tuesday, saying he was within his rights to do so as president.
Former Mossad director Danny Yatom said it could be a 'grave violation' and could lead to 'harm to the source'
An Israeli intelligence officer said a 'special understanding' was violated and it represented 'our worst fears confirmed.'

The disclosure ensures that Trump will have plenty to discuss when he visits Israel, where Trump will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pray at the Western Wall.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4513366/Trump-spy-s-life-risk-sharing-info-Russia.html#ixzz4hIqFyTjl
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House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

JONATHAN CHAIT, NEW YORK

Trump’s Protective Republican Wall in Congress Cracks

By Jonathan Chait

The Republican Congress has surrounded the Trump administration with a protective wall. The majority party has denied Democratic demands for independent investigations, quashed bills to force President Trump to release his tax returns, and avoided any serious effort at oversight. Hours after the New York Times reported that James Comey has memos describing Donald Trump attempting to steer him away from the Russia investigation, that wall began to crack.

Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, and heretofore a staunch Trump defender, has subpoenaed all records of Comey’s meetings with the president. Cathy McMorris-Rogers, the fourth-ranking House Republican, endorsed the request, followed within hours by House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Opening up Comey’s trove of evidence is hardly a radical step. But it paves the way for a series of revelations are are extremely likely to depict the president having committed an impeachable offense. The implication of the next step is apparent to many Republicans. Senator John McCain says the charges have “reached Watergate size and scale.” Dana Bash reports that Congressional Republicans are discussing an independent prosecutor or an independent commission – two steps the party has avoided so far.

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