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Undated: Robert "Bob" Swan Mueller III
(born August 7, 1944) is an American lawyer and civil servant who was the sixth
Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2001 to 2013. A
Republican, he was appointed by
President
George W. Bush and his original ten-year term was given a two-year extension
by President
Barack
Obama, making him the longest-serving FBI director since
J. Edgar Hoover. He is currently head of the
Special Counsel investigation of
Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
Undated: Redacted version of the Mueller Report
Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential
Election March 2019
https://www.justice.gov/storage/report.pdf
-- 2017 --
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May 17: Former FBI Director Robert Mueller
named special prosecutor for Russia probe
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/93337819-132.html
May 17: The United States
Department of Justice has announced that a special counsel has been appointed to
investigate Russian interference into last year's presidential election and
links or coordination with the campaign of President Donald Trump.
Former
FBI Director Robert Mueller was assigned by Deputy Attorney General Rod
Rosenstein to "oversee the previously-confirmed FBI investigation of Russian
government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election, and related
matters."
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/robert-mueller-appointed-special-counsel-oversee-probe-russias/story?id=47472673
May 18:
Robert Mueller's appointment Wednesday as special counsel to probe Russian
election meddling and any collusion by Trump campaign aides elevates the
investigation clear of partisanship and the threat of White House interference.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/18/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-democracy/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist
May 18: President Donald Trump
bemoaned what he called the "single greatest witch hunt" in political history
Thursday, after the appointment of a special counsel to investigate any
links between his 2016 campaign and Russia. His complaints contrasted sharply
with the near universal [conservative and liberal] welcome in Washington for
Robert Mueller, the former FBI director picked for the special counsel post
Wednesday by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/18/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-appointment/index.html
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May 18: So confident was [Trump] of his own
immunity to convention that he once boasted he could shoot someone in the middle
of New York's Fifth Avenue and wouldn't lose voters. But as President, that
impunity has been challenged and Trump's behavior became a liability.
Ultimately, had he not fired [FBI Director James] Comey in a fit of pique about
the Russia investigation, it might never [have] emerged that he reportedly asked
the FBI chief to cool it in his investigation. And [Deputy Attorney General Rod]
Rosenstein's hand may not have been forced and Trump may not have faced a
special counsel [Robert Mueller].
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/18/politics/donald-trump-robert-mueller-democracy/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist
July 21: Former CIA Director John Brennan
says government officials should refuse orders to fire special counsel Robert
Mueller if they are told to by the White House.
"I think it's the obligation of some executive branch officials to refuse to
carry that out. I would just hope that this is not going to be a partisan issue.
That Republicans, Democrats are going to see that the future of this government
is at stake and something needs to be done for the good of the future," [Brennan
said] ...
http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/21/politics/brennan-clapper-aspen-trump/index.html
July 25: In the most vocal opposition to
president Donald Trump yet, former CIA Director John Brennan said that if the
White House tries to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, government officials
should refuse to follow the president orders, as they would be - in his view -
“inconsistent” with the duties of the executive branch.
Brennan appeared alongside his former colleague, Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper, and both men who served in the Obama administration,
told [Wolf] Blitzer they have total confidence in Mueller. "Absolutely. It was
an inspired choice- they don't come any better, " Brennan said adding that "If
Mueller is fired, I hope our elected reps will stand up and say enough is
enough."
http://www.nationalgunforum.com/political-news-discussions/122505-former-cia-director-calls-coup.html
August 9:
Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller and key members of his team
revealed millions of dollars of financial holdings and previous legal work for
companies that could figure into their investigation of President Donald Trump's
campaign, according to financial disclosures released Tuesday.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/09/politics/robert-mueller-team-financial-disclosure/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist
December 2:
After six months of work, special counsel
Robert Mueller III has indicted two top advisers to President
Donald Trump and accepted guilty pleas from two others in exchange for their
cooperation with his probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election - a sign
of mounting legal peril for the
White House.
With the guilty plea Friday by former national security adviser Michael Flynn -
one of Trump's closest and most valued aides - the investigation has swept up an
array of figures with intimate knowledge of the campaign, the transition and the
White House.
It appears to have swiftly
expanded beyond Russia's interference in the campaign to encompass a range of
activities, including contacts with Russian officials during the transition and
alleged money laundering that took place long before Trump ran for office.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-mueller-white-house-20171202-story.html
December 16:
A spokesman for special counsel Robert Mueller has denied accusations by Trump
transition lawyers that Mueller's team got unauthorized access to thousands of
transition emails.
http://www.crossroadstoday.com/category/288113/all-stories
-- 2018 --
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January 4: Mueller learned of Trump attempt
to stop Sessions recusal, NY Times reports ... Trump had ordered White House
counsel Don McGahn last March to stop Sessions from recusing himself from
oversight of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Sessions said in
summer 2017 he was "confident" he had made the right decision about recusal --
and as some Republicans called Thursday
for his ouster, some top Democrats, in a major shift, have
suggested Sessions should stay to avoid interference with the special
counsel probe.
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/mueller-learned-of-trump-attempt-to-stop-sessions-recusal-ny-times-reports
January 8: Initial talks underway about
Trump interview in Mueller Russia probe
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/initial-talks-underway-about-trump-interview-mueller-russia-probe-n835506
January 23: Special counsel Robert S.
Mueller III is seeking to question President Trump in the coming weeks about his
decisions to oust national security adviser Michael Flynn and FBI Director James
B. Comey, according to two people familiar with his plans.
Mueller’s interest in the events that led Trump to push out Flynn and Comey
indicates that his investigation is aggressively scrutinizing possible efforts
by the president or others
to hamper the special counsel’s probe.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mueller-seeks-to-question-trump-about-flynn-and-comey-departures/2018/01/23/e6652db6-0068-11e8-9d31-d72cf78dbeee_story.html?utm_term=.94b44ffe1a25
January 24: Special counsel Robert Mueller's
team wants to question former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon about
the firings of national security adviser Michael Flynn and FBI Director James
Comey, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/politics/robert-mueller-steve-bannon-questioning/index.html
January 25: President
Donald Trump attempted to fire
Robert Mueller, the special counsel overseeing the FBI’s investigation of
Russian interference in the 2016 election, in June,
The New York Times reported Thursday. The Washington Post later
confirmed the report.
According to the report, the president decided against it after White House
counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign over the planned firing. McGahn believed
that firing Mueller would only add to speculation over whether the president had
obstructed justice by attempting to interfere with the probe.
Mueller, according to the Times, found out about the attempt to fire him “in
recent months.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-tried-firing-robert-mueller-report_us_5a6a820ee4b0ddb658c508ad
January 25: Democrats late Thursday renewed
their calls for Congress to pass legislation to protect Mueller and future
special counsels from being fired by the president. At least two such bills have
been introduced in recent months by members of both parties.
[Trump] has continued to fume about the investigation, even as his lawyers have
publicly pledged to work with the special counsel. On Thursday, Dowd released a
memo outlining the administration’s commitment to transparency, noting that more
than 20 White House officials have voluntarily given interviews.
But the revelation that Trump tried to fire Mueller could be a critical piece of
evidence for the special counsel as he tries to build an obstruction case, said
white-collar criminal defense attorney Jacob Frenkel, who previously worked in
the Office of Independent Counsel.
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/01/25/donald-trump-tried-to-fire-robert-mueller/
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January 25: Trump was initially calm when
Mueller was appointed, surprising White House aides, according to a senior
administration official.
But in the weeks that followed, the president spoke with a number of friends and
advisers who convinced him that Mueller would dig through his private finances
and look beyond questions of collusion with Russians. They warned that the probe
could last years and would ruin his first term in office.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-moved-to-fire-mueller-in-june-bringing-white-house-counsel-to-the-brink-of-leaving/2018/01/25/9184a49e-0238-11e8-bb03-722769454f82_story.html?utm_term=.8bf21d2fd998
January 25: In a July interview with The New
York Times, Trump warned Mueller against expanding the special counsel
investigation to his family's financial affairs.
"I think that's a violation. Look, this is about Russia," said Trump ...
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/01/25/trump-ordered-mueller-fired-then-backed-off-ny-times-reports.html
January 25: Lawyers involved with Mueller’s
investigation viewed the report as a potentially ominous sign.
“It’s one more brick in the wall,” said a Washington lawyer representing another
senior Trump aide in the Russia probe who added that the most interesting aspect
of the Trump-Mueller story to him was that “people are leaking this shit.”
“That is a sign to me people perceive this ship has sprung a leak and it’s time
to make themselves look good,” the attorney said. “To some extent I think the
fact of the leaking is almost the most significant, that we’ve reached an
inflection point where people at the center of things feel the need to redeem
themselves at the expense of the president.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/25/trump-mueller-fired-order-report-370807
January 26: White House Counsel Donald
McGahn threatened to quit last June because he was "fed up" after President
Donald Trump insisted he take steps to remove the special counsel [Mueller]
investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election ...
https://japantoday.com/category/world/white-house-counsel-was-'fed-up'-with-trump-source
February 2:
Russia probe lawyers think Mueller
could indict Trump ... Many legal scholars
doubt a U.S. vs. Trump case is possible, but two attorneys who have dealt with
special counsel Robert Mueller's team disagree. One expects Mueller to move as
early as this spring.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/02/trump-russia-indictment-mueller-probe-384969
February 5: Lawyers reportedly don’t want
Trump to talk to Mueller because of Trump’s habit of lying ... Some on the
president’s legal team would rather risk fighting the special counsel in court.
This attempt to protect Trump could set up a protracted legal showdown with the
potential to extend the Mueller investigation, and put more attention on the
president and the Russia investigation
he so loathes. Mueller, for example, could issue a grand jury subpoena to
Trump — which the president’s lawyers would try to fight, allowing the battle to
play out in the courts for weeks or months.
https://www.vox.com/2018/2/5/16976552/trump-mueller-lawyers-interview
February 7: New documents show how Mueller
quickly expanded investigation
Special counsel Robert Mueller asked a government agency last June to preserve
documents relating to Donald Trump's transition to the presidency, according to
records obtained by CNN -- an indication of how he expanded the investigation
soon after his appointment.
The FBI request to the GSA [] appears to confirm a fear that the President's
friends warned him about last spring. They worried that a special counsel, which
comes with broad authority to investigate any matters deemed relevant, could
lead to an expansive investigation beyond what the FBI had in its initial
inquiry.
http://www.cnn.com/2018/02/06/politics/new-documents-mueller-investigation-trump-transition/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist
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February 15:
Rick Gates, a campaign adviser to President Trump and former business partner of
Paul Manafort, is close to finalizing a plea deal with Special Counsel Robert
Mueller's office
After interviews
like this, prosecutors investigate the information they received, then negotiate
charges and potential sentences. Gates' plea deal could be announced in the next
few days ...
http://theweek.com/speedreads/755700/trump-campaign-adviser-rick-gates-reportedly-close-making-plea-deal-mueller
February 21: Mueller asking if Manafort
promised banker White House job in return for loans
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mueller-asking-if-manafort-promised-banker-white-house-job-return-n849916
February 21:
Former Trump campaign staffer Sam Nunberg is expected to meet with Special
Counsel Robert Mueller’s team on Thursday in Washington, according to a source
with knowledge.
http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/former-trump-adviser-sam-nunberg-expected-to-meet-with-speci.html
February 22:
Special counsel Robert Mueller filed 32 new
charges related to bank and tax fraud against former Trump campaign officials
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates.
http://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-files-tax-bank-fraud-charges-against-paul-manafort-and-rick-gates-2018-2
February 23: Mueller and Trump: Born to
wealth, raised to lead. Then, sharply different choices.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/mueller-and-trump-born-to-wealth-raised-to-lead-then-sharply-different-choices/2018/02/22/ad50b7bc-0a99-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1ea55b118058
February 23: Former Trump campaign official
Rick Gates is set to plead guilty to criminal charges brought against him by
special counsel Robert Mueller.
According to a newly unsealed court filing Friday afternoon, Gates has been hit
with a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy against the United
States and making a false statement.
Gates will appear in federal court at 2 p.m. Friday where he will be arraigned
and the plea agreement will be revealed, the special counsel’s office announced.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/trump-associate-rick-gates-will-plead-guilty-cooperate-with-robert-mueller/article/2649858
March 5: Sam Nunberg,
a onetime campaign aide to Donald Trump who recently met with investigators for
the special counsel, said on March 5, 2018, that he was subpoenaed to go before
a grand
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/ex-trump-aide-sam-nunberg-called-before-mueller-grand-jury-says-he-wont-go/
March 5:
Lawmaker wants ex-Trump aide Nunberg to testify ... A US
lawmaker investigating alleged
Russian election meddling says an ex-Trump aide
should testify on wild claims he has made about the president.
Mr Nunberg said Mr Trump was aware of a 2016 meeting between his
aides and a Russian lawyer, and may have "done something" during the campaign.
Democrat Adam Schiff responded by saying his congressional panel "needs to
explore" Mr Nunberg's allegation.
Mr Nunberg is the latest figure to become embroiled in the Russia inquiry.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43295989
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March 5: “Here’s what Manafort’s indictment
tells me: Mueller is going to go over every financial dealing of
Jared Kushner and the Trump Organization,” said former Trump
campaign aide Sam Nunberg. “Trump is
at 33 percent in Gallup. You can’t go any lower. He’s fucked.”
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/11/the-west-wing-trump-is-apoplectic-as-allies-fear-impeachment
March 6: 'It would be funny if they arrest
me' – Sam Nunberg's TV interview disaster
The former Trump adviser made a succession of appearances on US news channels in
which he – among many gaffes – called the president an ‘idiot’ and threatened to
tear up a subpoena from Robert Mueller
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/shortcuts/2018/mar/06/sam-nunberg-wild-interviews-made-must-see-tv-robert-mueller-subpoena-
March 6:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5734721/trump-aide-sam-nunberg-cnn-interview-russia-probe/
March 9: Former Trump aide Sam Nunberg shows
up to face grand jury
After a wild round of cable television interviews earlier this week, former
Donald Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg appeared to face a grand jury Friday
hearing a case presented by
special counsel
Robert Mueller.
He ignored shouted questions as he left the courthouse late Friday afternoon
after spending more than six hours inside with Mueller's team and the grand
jury.
It's unclear what exactly Nunberg would have testified about before the grand
jury, but during previous interviews with Mueller's team, Nunberg said he was
questioned about some of
President Trump’s campaign and previous business activities.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-aide-expected-face-grand-jury/story?id=53624442&cid=clicksource_4380645_1_hero_headlines_headlines_hed
March 17: Special counsel Robert Mueller has
memos written by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe documenting his
conversations with President Donald Trump, a source with knowledge of the matter
told CNN.
The memos also detail what former FBI Director James Comey told McCabe about his
own interactions with Trump while he was FBI director and are seen as a way to
corroborate Comey's account in Mueller's probe on Russian interference in the
2016 election.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/17/politics/mccabe-memos-trump/index.html
March 17: Trump’s lawyer calls on Justice
Department to immediately end Russia probe
Attorney John Dowd said in a statement that the investigation, now led by
special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, was fatally flawed early on and
“corrupted” by political bias. He called on Deputy Attorney General Rod J.
Rosenstein, who oversees that probe, to shut it down.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-lawyer-calls-on-justice-department-to-immediately-end-russia-probe/2018/03/17/c7c58ac8-29f2-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html?utm_term=.1189f9ba94d6
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March 18: “Any effort to go after Mueller
could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency unless Mueller did
something wrong,” Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill, where he outlined plans
to introduce legislation next week that would move to block any Trump attempts
to fire Mueller.
“The idea that the president would fire Mueller or have somebody fire Mueller
because he doesn’t like Mueller, or Mueller is doing something he doesn’t like,
then we become Russia,” Graham said.
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/27/lindsey-graham-trump-robert-mueller-241027
March 18: Rep.
Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) on Sunday warned that if
President Trump orders the firing of special counsel
Robert Mueller, she will vote to impeach him.
“The President is careening us toward what I fear will be a constitutional
crisis. Mr. President: Here is my red line — Fire Mueller and I will vote fire
you,” Speier tweeted.
http://thehill.com/homenews/house/379037-democrat-to-trump-fire-mueller-and-i-will-vote-to-fire-you
March 19: Trump’s lawyers have turned over
documents to Mueller with hopes of limiting interview scope
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-lawyers-have-turned-over-documents-to-mueller-with-hopes-of-limiting-interview-scope/2018/03/19/9174cd54-2b9f-11e8-b0b0-f706877db618_story.html?utm_term=.aebc278233bb
March 19: Mueller team gives Trump lawyers
more details of what they want to talk to President about
As President Donald Trump's reaction to special counsel Robert Mueller grows
more irate by the day, attorneys on both sides sat down last week in a rare
face-to-face discussion about the topics investigators could inquire of the
President.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/19/politics/robert-mueller-president-trump-russia-investigate-interview/index.html
March 19: Congressional Republicans sounded
alarm Sunday over President Donald Trump’s increasing belligerence toward
special counsel Robert Mueller, but they offered no hint about what actions they
might take if Trump attempts to fire him.
“I’m not sure the House can do a lot,” said Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) on “Fox
News Sunday.” Gowdy urged the president to give Mueller the space and resources
to finish his probe unimpeded, but he noted that the Senate has more leverage
over Trump on this issue because it has a say in his senior administration
appointments.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/18/congress-trump-mueller-republicans-fired-470062
March 21: Trump keeps up aggressive attacks
on Mueller
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/21/politics/trump-special-counsel-tweet/index.html
March 22:
The departure comes amid a larger shakeup of the legal team handling the Mueller
investigation.
April 3:
Report: Trump under
investigation, but not criminal target of Mueller probe
The Washington
Post said special counsel Robert Mueller told Trump's lawyers that he was
preparing a report about potential obstruction of justice.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/report-trump-under-investigation-not-criminal-target-mueller-probe-n862576
April 5:
Judge casts doubt on Manafort
effort to kill Mueller indictments
http://thecapitaltalk.com/2018/04/judge-casts-doubt-on-manafort-effort-to-kill-mueller/
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April 6: Trump begins informal prep for
potential Mueller interview ...
http://www.4conservative.com/item/3529206/trump-begins-informal-prep-for-potential-mueller-interview-cnnpolitics/
April 6: Roger Stone warns of 'perjury trap'
if Trump talks to Mueller
http://www.abc17news.com/news/politics/roger-stone-warns-of-perjury-trap-if-trump-talks-to-mueller/726271965
August 9:
The FBI raided the
home and office of President Trump's personal attorney
Michael Cohen on Monday, seizing materials and documents including
content related to his payments to porn actress
Stormy Daniels.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-raids-michael-cohen-office-trump-personal-lawyer-today-2018-04-09/
April 10:
The top Republican on
the Senate Judiciary Committee said Tuesday that if President Donald Trump were
to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, "it would be suicide."
"I think it would be suicide for the President to fire him," Iowa Republican
Sen. Chuck Grassley told CNN. "I think the less the President says about this
whole thing, the better off he will be. And I think Mueller is a person of
stature and respected and I respect him. Just let the thing go forward."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/chuck-grassley-firing-mueller-suicide/index.html
April 10: White House: Trump Believes He Has
the Power to Fire Mueller
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/04/white-house-trump-believes-he-has-the-power-to-fire-mueller.html
April 10: ... as part
of a larger tantrum, Donald Trump insisted
this morning, “Attorney–
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/despite-trumps-claims-attorney-client-privilege-not-dead
April 10: "American voters in huge numbers,
including a majority of Republicans, tell President Donald Trump: Keep your
hands off Special Counsel Robert Mueller," said Tim Malloy, assistant director
of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2534
April 11: Senators to introduce new bipartisan
bill to protect Mueller
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/382615-senators-to-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-protect-mueller
April 19: Pittsburgh police ordered to bring
riot gear in case Trump fires Mueller ... Police Cmdr. Victor Joseph reportedly
sent an email Wednesday, instructing Major Crimes detectives to bring full
uniforms and riot gear to work "until further notice."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/19/us/pittsburgh-police-mueller-riot-gear/index.html
April 30: Special counsel Robert Mueller has
given a list of almost four dozen questions to lawyers for President Donald
Trump as part of his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election
and whether Trump obstructed justice ...
http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/38079524/report-mueller-gives-list-of-questions-to-trumps-lawyers
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May 3: As
Rudy Giuliani enters the center ring of the legal fight between President
Donald Trump and
special counsel
Robert Mueller, the former New York City mayor is already anticipating one
possible battle – a subpoena for
President Trump to testify. “I think it's 50/50,” Giuliani, the president's
personal attorney, told ABC News regarding the possibility of a subpoena. “But I
got to prepare for that 50 percent.”
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/giuliani-believes-5050-chance-mueller-subpoenas-president-trump/story?id=54923079
May 5: Mueller team questions longtime Trump
friend Tom Barrack
Barrack was interviewed as part of the federal investigation of possible
collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in 2016, according to AP
sources.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/mueller-team-questions-longtime-trump-friend-tom-barrack-n871621
May 6: Giuliani doesn't rule out that Trump
could take Fifth Amendment in Mueller probe
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/06/politics/rudy-giuliani-trump-fifth-amendment/index.html
May 23: Is the Mueller probe costing $20
million, as Donald Trump says?
https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/23/donald-trump/mueller-probe-costing-20-million-donald-trump-says/
May 30: What Would Happen If Trump Fired
[Deputy Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein Rosenstein?
Dismissing him
would be a
more obvious attempt to control the outcome of Mueller’s investigation than
insisting on a separate probe of the FBI. But even in the case of a hypothetical
Rosenstein firing, there isn’t a clear line between the president’s legitimate
authority over law enforcement agencies and criminal interference in an ongoing
investigation. Dismissing the deputy attorney general would be a political
bombshell, but the extent of the legal fallout would depend largely on what the
president did next.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-fallout-of-a-rosenstein-firing-would-depend-on-what-happens-next/
May 31: Mueller
probe spending tops $17 million
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/31/mueller-russia-probe-cost-spending-616112
July 13:
Robert Mueller charges 12 Russian
intelligence officers
Indictment in Russian meddling probe revealed three days before Trump-Putin
summit
Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating alleged Russian election
meddling, has charged 12 Russian intelligence officers with hacking Hillary
Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee during the 2016
presidential election. Mr Mueller alleged that the 12 Russians stole and leaked
emails as part of a Russian government effort to interfere with the election.
https://www.ft.com/content/2909ff62-86b4-11e8-96dd-fa565ec55929
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July 13:
Mueller indictment appears to make reference to Roger Stone
Special counsel
Robert Mueller’s indictment of Russian military officers in the 2016
hacking of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) appears to make reference to
former informal Trump campaign adviser
Roger Stone.
The longtime GOP
strategist acknowledged to CNN that messages
included in the latest indictments match ones that he previously
released relating to the hacker Guccifer 2.0, but he denied that he is the
person referred to in the indictment “because I wasn't in regular contact with
members of the Trump campaign.”
http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/396978-roger-stone-appears-to-be-unnamed-person-in-mueller-indictment
July 13:
Special counsel
Robert Mueller has now brought
191 criminal charges against 32 people and 3 companies as part of
his investigation into Russian meddling and related matters. This includes
today’s indictment which has 112 new charges against 12 Russian operatives.
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/mueller-rosenstein-russia-indictments/h_f01d32c92326c5d5766e096e495eb869
July 13:
Mueller’s New Indictment Points to
Collusion With Russia
In what is possibly an astonishing coincidence, but probably not, that very
night, according to the new indictments from the Department of Justice, Russian
hackers “attempted after hours to spearphish for the first time email accounts
at a domain hosted by a third-party provider and used by Clinton’s personal
office. At or about the same time, they also targeted seventy-six email
addresses at the domain for the Clinton campaign.” Trump asked Russia to hack
his opponent, and Russia did “[f]or the first time,” as the indictment says.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/mueller-indictment-suggests-trump-colluding-with-russia.html
July 13:
The Justice
Department announced the
indictment of twelve Russian intelligence officers for their role in
Russia's interference in the 2016 election. The indictment alleges that the
officers, who were members of two GRU units, successfully spearfished persons
associated with the Clinton campaign, the DNC and DCCC. They used their access
to collect internal campaign correspondence and, using online personas they
created like Guccifer 2.0 and DCleaks.com, fed that information to journalists,
Wikileaks (which the indictment calls Organization 1), and one candidate for
U.S. Congress who
requested information about their opponent.
https://www.cfr.org/blog/cyber-week-review-july-13-2018
July 15: Special counsel Robert Mueller’s
indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officials may be the most vivid
illustration yet of how cryptocurrencies can be used for alleged criminal
purposes.
The
indictment includes charges of money laundering through the use of Bitcoin,
the leading virtual currency, to mask the illegal activities of officers in the
GRU, a Russian military intelligence agency.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/15/muellers-indictment-may-heighten-scrutiny-of-bitcoin-688155
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July 25:
Donald Trump postpones summit with Vladimir Putin until new year
The national security adviser, John Bolton, in a statement, cited special
counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016
election as the reason for the delay.
Bolton said: “The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with
President Putin should take place after the
Russia witch hunt is over, so we’ve agreed that it will be after the first
of the year.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/25/trump-putin-visit-delayed-latest-news-john-bolton-russia-statement
August 1:
President Trump's barrage of tweets Wednesday morning going after
special counsel
Robert Mueller's Russia investigation reportedly came after the
president learned that Mueller wants to ask him about obstruction of justice.
ABC News, citing sources close to the White House, reported that Trump was
upset with Mueller’s interest in obstruction and fired off a fresh round of
attacks on the special counsel's credibility while calling for Attorney General
Jeff Sessions
to end the probe.
"Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now,
before it continues to stain our country any further," Trump tweeted.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/399975-trump-tweet-storm-came-after-learning-mueller-wants-to-ask-about
August 1: Mueller responds to Trump
attorneys' request for parameters of potential interview
... sources say that Mueller has agreed to reduce the number of questions for
Trump from an initial list of 49 and is willing to have some questions answered
in writing – though he wants other questions answered orally.
However, the sources add that Mueller has not agreed to the president's demands
to limit his questioning to matters related to allegations of collusion between
the Trump campaign and Russia. The special prosecutor still wants to ask the
president about obstruction of justice and other topics.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/01/mueller-responds-to-trump-attorneys-request-for-parameters-potential-interview.html
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August 1: U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III
specifically told prosecutors to stop using the word “oligarch” to describe
wealthy Ukrainians, whose dealings with Manafort are at the heart of the fraud
charges he faces in northern Virginia federal court.
The judge said the term has a “pejorative” meaning and is not relevant in this
case. Further, he cautioned that using it could suggest Manafort is associated
with bad people – and guilty by association.
“It’s not the American way,” the judge said. He noted that wealthy donors like
George Soros or the Koch brothers also could be considered oligarchs.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/01/mueller-team-lectured-by-judge-in-manafort-case.html
August 27: Rudy Giuliani, President Donald
Trump's attorney, said the President's lawyers have not heard back from special
counsel Robert Mueller's office in nearly three weeks.
"I figured we wouldn't hear until after the Manafort trial, but we (still)
haven't," Giuliani said.
He said Mueller's office has told them it is "still studying" the latest letter
from Trump's team, which Giuliani said was only five to six pages.
"I have to figure they're planning something," Giuliani said.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/27/politics/giulaini-mueller-trump/index.html
August 31: Republican Lobbyist Steered
Foreign Money to Trump’s Inaugural Committee
Republican lobbyist Sam Patten, who previously worked with the Trump campaign’s
data firm, is the latest to be nabbed in the Mueller probe.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/paul-manafort-associate-sam-patten-charged-with-illegal-foreign-lobbying
September 14: Paul Manafort pleads guilty in
Mueller probe, will cooperate with prosecutors
Last month, Trump praised Manafort for refusing to cooperate in order to make a
deal.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/paul-manafort-pleads-guilty-mueller-probe-n909576
September 14: ... part of the
plea agreement reached between Mueller and former Trump campaign chairman
Paul Manafort includes forfeiture of certain property to the government. While
it’s not clear how much value will be extracted from that forfeiture, there’s
reason to think that it could more than pay for what Mueller has incurred so
far.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/09/14/robert-mueller-may-have-just-eliminated-one-trumps-biggest-complaints/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.579b8ca275bb
September 15: Manafort forfeits $22 million
in New York real estate in plea deal
Manfort forfeited five New York homes worth an estimated $22 million as part of
his plea deal with Mueller, including a Trump Tower condo.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/manafort-forfeits-22-million-new-york-real-estate-plea-deal-n909596
September 15: Paul Manafort knows some of
Trump's deepest secrets. And now he works for Mueller.
Analysis: If anyone knows about collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign,
it's Paul Manafort. That may explain the prosecutors' interest in a plea deal.
The decision by President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman
to admit his guilt and cooperate with prosecutors could be a game-changer
for special counsel Robert Mueller, while dramatically ratcheting up the
pressure on the president.
It wasn’t only Trump critics who were offering that assessment of Paul
Manafort's stunning guilty plea Friday, but also some of his most ardent
supporters.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/paul-manafort-knows-some-trump-s-deepest-secrets-now-he-n909801
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September 17: Special counsel Robert
Mueller's investigation could turn a profit for the government, thanks to Paul
Manafort's asset forfeiture
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/17/mueller-probe-could-turn-a-profit-thanks-to-manafort-assets.html
September 18:
Trump-proof aspects of Manafort deal rankle lawyers
Robert Mueller seems to have built in safeguards to discourage the president
from pardoning Manafort.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s plea agreement with Paul Manafort on Friday
took unusual and possibly unprecedented steps to undercut President Donald
Trump’s ability to pardon his former campaign chairman.
The plea deal Mueller struck with Manafort contains several provisions that
appear intended to discourage the former Trump aide from seeking a pardon and to
rein in the impact of any pardon Trump might grant.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/18/manafort-deal-pardon-mueller-trump-827898
October 2: Kyle Freeny and Brandon Van Grack,
two prosecutors who worked on Paul Manafort's criminal cases, are ending their
tenure working for special counsel Robert Mueller.
Van Grack left recently to return to his job in the National Security Division
of the Justice Department, and Freeny will leave the office in mid-October to
return to the Criminal Division. Both were detailed to Mueller's office over the
past year, said special counsel spokesman Peter Carr.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/02/politics/mueller-two-prosecutors-leave/index.html
October 5: Mueller moves for forfeiture
order to seize Manafort assets
https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/410167-mueller-moves-for-forfeiture-order-to-seize-manafort-assets
October 30: The Atlantic
is reporting that the FBI is looking into a matter sent to them by
the office of special counsel Robert Mueller about an anonymous woman who is
alleging she was offered $20,000 to make a false allegation of sexual harassment
against Mueller. The woman had initially spoken to at least ten reporters from a
variety of news outlets, who were unable to verify her account. In a letter to a
reporter, she claimed, a man “offered to pay off all of my credit card
debt, plus bring me a check for $20,000 if I would do.” She added, “He knew
exactly how much credit card debt I had, right down to the dollar, which sort of
freaked me out.”
The woman named GOP operative John Burkman, who also hosts a talk radio
show and frequently promotes conspiracy theories, as being part of the
operation.
https://newrepublic.com/minutes/151959/fbi-investigating-report-plot-discredit-robert-mueller-sexual-harassment-accusations
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November 7: ... one of the more remarkable things about the Mueller investigation, at
least so far, is that it hasn’t added any costly burdens to American taxpayers.
In fact, it seems to be a generator of revenue.
For that, we have Paul Manafort to thank.
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-complains-about-cost-of-mueller-probe-753624bba773/
November 25: 'He has moved incredibly
quickly': Mueller nears Trump endgame
A new urgency surrounds the Russia investigation, with Donald Trump Jr and
longtime Trump ally Roger Stone in legal peril
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/25/robert-mueller-donald-trump-russia-investigation
November 29: 6 Trump officials engaged in
political activity that violated Hatch Act
The Office of Special Counsel declined to pursue disciplinary action.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/6-trump-officials-engaged-political-activity-violated-hatch-act-n942286
December 16: Giuliani on whether Trump will
sit down with Mueller: 'Good luck -- over my dead body'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/giuliani-on-whether-trump-will-sit-down-with-mueller-good-luck-over-my-dead-body
December 16: Mueller Exposes Putin's Hold
Over Trump
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2018/12/16/mueller-exposes-putins-hold-over-trump/#20cf1c8448f6
December 17: A Complete Guide to All 17
(Known) Trump and Russia Investigations
https://www.wired.com/story/mueller-investigation-trump-russia-complete-guide/
December 17:
Robert Mueller’s Legal
Masterpiece
The special counsel has spun a web of investigations that draw closer to
Trump every day.
https://newrepublic.com/article/152717/robert-muellers-legal-masterpiece
December 24: Supreme Court Chief Justice
John Roberts has weighed in on a clash over a mysterious grand jury subpoena,
which is rumored to be connected to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe.
The dispute involves an unknown company owned by a foreign nation, which has
fought the subpoena and appealed a related contempt citation. In a brief order
issued Sunday, Roberts stayed that contempt citation and associated financial
penalties pending a response from government lawyers, due Dec. 31.
There is scant information in the public docket about the case, but a
three-judge D.C. Circuit panel examining the
appeal revealed the witness fighting the subpoena is a corporation owned by
a foreign state, Politico reported. The panel went on to reject the company’s
argument that it is immune from grand jury subpoenas and that complying would
violate the law in the company’s home country.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chief-justice-roberts-weighs-in-on-mystery-subpoena-clash
December 27: Giuliani calls for Mueller to
be investigated for destruction of FBI evidence
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/422963-giuliani-calls-for-mueller-to-be-investigated-for-destruction-of-fbi-evidence
-- 2019 --
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January 13: Three newly empowered Democratic
House committee chairmen, alarmed by statements over the weekend by President
Trump about his former lawyer’s planned testimony before Congress, cautioned on
Sunday that any effort to discourage or influence a witness’s testimony could be
construed as a crime.
The warning, a stark and unusual message from some of Congress’s most
influential Democrats, underscores the increasing legal and political peril
facing Mr. Trump. Democrats are beginning their own investigations of him as the
special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, appears to move toward a conclusion in
his investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia and potential
obstruction of justice by Mr. Trump.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/13/us/politics/trump-cohen-testimony.html
February 22: On Tuesday, the New York Times
published
the results of an extensive investigation into Trump's "two-year war on the
investigations encircling him." The paper found that there has been a
"sustained, more secretive assault by Mr. Trump on the machinery of federal law
enforcement" than has been previously publicly known ....
As part of his efforts to contain the ongoing legal crises he faces, Trump
reportedly tried to install a loyalist in New York's Southern District, US
attorney Geoffrey S. Berman, as the new person in charge of the investigations
into Trump's hush-money payments, like the one apparently made to Stormy Daniels
in 2016.
https://sfist.com/2019/02/22/sf-based-irs-agent-stormy-daniels/
April 17: Everything We’ve Learned From
Robert Mueller’s Investigation (So Far)
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/robert-mueller-investigation-what-we-know.html
April 18: The special counsel, Robert S.
Mueller III, produced a report of more than 400 pages that painted a deeply
unflattering picture of President Trump but stopped short of accusing him of
criminal wrongdoing. Here are seven takeaways.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/us/politics/mueller-report-pdf-takeaways.html
April 30: Mueller's Letter To Barr
Complained That Trump-Russia Report Summary Lacked 'Context'
Special counsel Robert Mueller wrote a letter in late March objecting to
Attorney General William Barr's four-page summary of the conclusions of the
investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, a
Justice Department official confirmed Tuesday night.
The letter written to Barr expressed the special counsel's frustration that the
attorney general's
memo to Congress "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance"
of the investigation.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/30/718883130/mueller-complained-that-barr-summary-of-trump-russia-probe-lacked-context
May 1: Read: Letter from special counsel
Robert Mueller to Attorney General William Barr
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/01/politics/mueller-letter-to-barr/index.html
May 6: Cohen was mentioned in
Mueller's report more than 800 times.
Cohen pleaded guilty to financial crimes, allegations that he facilitated a
combined $280,000 in hush money payments to two women, and also for lying to
Congress about the length of time Trump was trying to reach a deal in Moscow to
build a skyscraper there. Trump has long denied sexual encounters with the
women.
Five men in Trump's orbit have pleaded guilty or been convicted of an array of
offenses and another faces a trial later this year. Among the Trump aides,
Cohen's three-year term is second only to the 7.5-year sentence handed out to
former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was convicted of several
financial crimes.
https://www.voanews.com/a/one-time-trump-fixer-michael-cohen-heads-to-prison/4905684.html
May 26: House Democratic Caucus
Chairman Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday morning that there’s reason to believe
President Donald Trump committed obstruction of justice.
“Well, I certainly think there’s reason to believe that there was obstruction of
justice,” the New York Democrat told NBC’s Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press.” “The
Mueller report laid out 10 different instances that we need to look into
separately as part of our investigation as to what may have taken place.”
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/26/hakeem-jeffries-trump-obstruction-of-justice-1345023
-- 2020 --
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