Mr. Giuliani’s assertion that Mr. Comey was sacked over the Russian Federation inquiry did line up with accounts from both Mr. Comey and White House officials who have been interviewed by the office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, whose appointment was prompted in part by the abrupt firing of Mr. Comey. “She was in Bedminster, New Jersey, with President Donald Trump the rainy May 2017 weekend when he chose to fire FBI Director James Comey”.
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To this point, the White House posture toward the Mueller investigation has been to cooperate and hope it goes away, when a root-and-branch legal and constitutional challenge to Mueller’s work is now what’s called for. And the loudest voice on the president’s legal team advocating a conciliatory approach, attorney Ty Cobb, announced Wednesday that he is “retiring”.
“Ivanka Trump? I think I would get on my charger and go ride into their offices with a lance, if they go after Ivanka”, Giuliani told Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Belying their concerns, Trump and Republicans in Congress have threatened to remove Mueller and other senior Justice officials, a move that top members of Congress have also warned could result in Trump’s impeachment. Nothing’s off the table. “But the gloves may be coming off”.
If those negotiations end in a standoff and Mueller makes good on his subpoena threat, Trump’s options would be limited, but he could buy time by asking the courts to determine the contours of his executive power as President, an area of law that is not completely settled.
Trump has denied speculation about plans to fire Mueller, despite criticizing the investigation.
Cobb was a strong advocate that the president should sit down with the special counsel, repeatedly counseling cooperation as a way to get the probe wrapped up quickly. Giuliani compared FBI investigators who raided the home and office of Trump attorney Michael Cohen to Nazi storm troopers.
But he added, “I have to find that we’re going to be treated fairly because everybody sees it now and it’s a pure witch hunt”.
However, it would be a violation of Department of Justice regulations for Mueller to consider political affiliation when hiring prosecutors. They include what the president’s motives were in firing Comey and whether he was aware of any efforts to dangle the possibility of a presidential pardon to former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
You will recall that last month, when asked aboard Air Force One if he knew about the payment, Trump emphatically said no.
“Some people have talked about a possible 12-hour interview”.
Despite what Sanders would have you believe, the White House’s changing story could cause problems for Trump. It’s being reported that Flood only took the job with the expectation that he would transition into McGahn’s role in about six weeks.
Sanders, meanwhile, was forced to defend her credibility, a week after comedian Michelle Wolf created an uproar at the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner with jokes about the press secretary, including one quip that she “burns facts” and “uses that ash to create a ideal smoky eye”. Now, the White House is anticipating a possible legal showdown over a presidential interview. This, plus Trump’s impulsiveness, propensity to exaggerate, and often rash responses to hostile questions, would make him easy prey for the perjury traps prosecutors set up when they can not convict their targets on the evidence.
“He feels his guys are being outmaneuvered”, this adviser said.
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As Trump’s head lawyer in charge of responding to the Russian Federation investigation, Cobb frequently advocated cooperation with Mueller’s team as a means of speeding up the investigation.
