Russian Lawyer Asks Mueller an Important Question
By AP. A Russian lawyer who discussed sanctions with Donald Trump Jr. in New York during his father’s 2016 campaign for the U.S. presidency said Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller has not contacted her yet.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Natalia Veselnitskaya also detailed her recent meeting in Berlin with investigators from the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee. Like Mueller, the committee is investigating allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election.
Veselnitskaya met in June 2016 with then-candidate Donald Trump’s son, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort, his campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort, after Trump Jr. was told the Russian lawyer had potentially incriminating information about Hillary Clinton. (Read more from “Russian Lawyer Asks Mueller an Important Question” HERE)
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Can Mueller Be More Honest Than His Colleagues?
By The Hill. I think it’s entirely possible — likely, in fact — that Robert Mueller is an honest broker and performing his job as special counsel without fear or favor. That he will investigate until he reaches the end of the logical trail and present his legitimate findings accordingly, recommending prosecution of those who may have violated our nation’s laws and betrayed our trust.
But considering the information that’s become available in the past year, we would be remiss if we didn’t at least consider other possible scenarios. Here’s one of them, posited amidst the context of news that has come to light. It has to do with a special counsel probe with the appearance of several important conflicts of interest.
There are many excellent agents within our intelligence agencies who deserve great credit and respect. But we also know that some bad actors within those agencies have a daunting record of problems that include lying about evidence; conducting politically-motivated acts; botched terrorism investigations; improper surveillance of private citizens, members of Congress and journalists; providing incorrect information to Congress; and illegally withholding evidence.
When top FBI officials spoke privately of needing an “insurance policy” in case Trump were elected, what if they felt this “policy” were necessary not just because they hated Trump, or because they believed Trump was illegally conspiring with Russia? What if they feared what a Trump administration might uncover within the intelligence agencies … and what the administration might do to take steps to reform them? Go up against the intelligence agencies, and as top Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned, “They have six ways from Sunday at getting back at you.”
Mueller isn’t exactly an unconflicted player in this scenario. He was FBI director from 2001-2013 when many alleged abuses occurred and — theoretically — would have a vested interest in protecting his former colleagues and his own legacy by preventing a Trump administration from poking around into alleged intelligence agency misdeeds. (Read more from “Can Mueller Be More Honest Than His Colleagues?” HERE)
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