At least nine of the lawyers on special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation team of 16 attorneys donated to Democrats, with most giving money to either the campaigns of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, a review of Federal Election Commission records shows. (UPDATE: Since this article ran, more lawyers have been added to the team.
Goldstein joins the Mueller team from the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, where he was overseeing a separate investigation into former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's business and real estate dealings. Mueller has since taken over that investigation as well.
Robert Mueller Team: Nine Donated to Hillary or Democrats. Seven other lawyers on the team do not have previous federal campaign donations, a review of FEC records shows, and Mueller himself has served in the administrations of both Republican and Democratic presidents (and was a registered Republican in the past).
These are the lawyers aiding Mueller in the Russia probe: Joining the prosecution team in June, Zebley had served as Mueller's chief of staff while he was FBI director. Before joining the special counsel's office, he was a partner at law firm WilmerHale, where he focused on cybersecurity issues.
Goldstein contributed a combined $3,300 to Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.
Conway said the donations are “relevant information for people to have.”
Jed’s notable casework includes arguing in defense of then-secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius in 2014 in the Supreme Court case of Little Sisters of the Poor v. Sebelius. The case challenged the contraceptive insurance requirement under ObamaCare. Jed also argued, before the Supreme Court, to strike down the definition of marriage between a man and a woman in the Defense of Marriage Act in the United States v. Windsor.
Federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann (C) is flanked by FBI agents as he speaks to the press outside the federal courthouse in Houston, Texas about the latest round of indictments stemming from the collapse of Enron, May 1, 2003. Also Lea Fastow, wife of Enron Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow, is expected to be indicted on tax and mail fraud. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell JM/ME - RTRMRJX (REUTERS)
Dreeben is an appellate attorney on detail from the Office of the Solicitor General. Records show he has made no political donations . Dreeben has represented the federal government in a range of cases -- including on the police use of GPS tracking to monitor potential suspects, and whether former Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell crossed the line in performing favors for a wealthy supporter who provided gifts to McDonnell and his wife.
Zelinksy is an attorney on detail from the District of Maryland. Records show he has made no political donations.
There is no shortage of examples to fuel the president's case.
Robert Mueller Team: Nine Donated to Hillary or Democrats. Getty Robert S. Mueller III. At least nine of the lawyers on special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation team of 16 attorneys donated to Democrats, with most giving money to either the campaigns of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, a review of Federal Election Commission records ...
On October 27, 2017, CNN reported, “top lawyers who are helping to lead the Mueller probe, including veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, were seen entering the court room at the DC federal court where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation.”.
Jeannie Rhee. Jeannie Rhee. Jeannie Rhee donated $5,400 to Hillary Clinton in 2015 and 2016, according to FEC records. The records show she gave $2,500 each to Obama for America and Obama Victory Fund 2012 in 2011. FEC.
He also gave thousands of dollars to Obama both in 2008 and 2012. Fox News noted, “Most recently, in October 2016, Quarles donated $2,700 to Clinton’s presidential campaign.
In 2008, he gave about $286 to Barack Obama.
Noted CNN, “James Quarles has spent the last several years at a private firm focusing on complex litigation matters and management, but it’s how his career started that might prove critical….Quarles worked on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, for which he served as an assistant special prosecutor.”
According to Fox News, “Goldstein contributed a combined $3,300 to Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.” You can see one of his donations above.
Several of the team's lawyers came from Wilmer-Hale, where Mueller was recently a partner. Some are veteran federal prosecutors who have tried terrorism cases against al Qaeda operatives or mafia bosses. Others bring white-collar criminal expertise.
The scope of the investigation, individuals familiar with the matter have told CBS News, includes Russian interference in the election, Russian hacking, any other Russian influence, and possible financial wrongdoing. Mueller's team recently obtained records from Facebook regarding $100,000 in ad buys Russians made during and immediately after the 2016 presidential election. Between June 2015 and May of this year, about 3,000 ads connected with 470 "inauthentic accounts" were posted on Facebook, according to the social media giant.
He has spent most of his career at the Department of Justice. During the 1990s, Weissmann worked on a case related to the mafia and Russian organized crime that involved Felix Sater, a Trump business partner who is now a focus of Mueller's probe.
Andrew Weissmann. Weissmann was the FBI's general counsel while Mueller was FBI director. In early 2015, he was selected to serve as chief of the fraud section in the Justice Department's criminal division. He has also worked as a partner at Jenner & Block and was the director of the Enron Task Force from 2002 until 2005.
Aaron Zebley. Joining the prosecution team in June, Zebley had served as Mueller's chief of staff while he was FBI director. Before joining the special counsel's office, he was a partner at law firm WilmerHale, where he focused on cybersecurity issues. He also been senior counselor in the Justice Department's national security division, ...
Elizabeth Prelogar left her post as an assistant in the U.S. solicitor general's office within the Justice Department to join Muller's team. The Harvard Law School graduate previously worked at Hogan Lovells, a private international law firm, and was formerly a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan. Prelogar brings Russian language knowledge to the team, as she participated in a graduate student Fulbright Scholar program in Russia from 2002 to 2003. She was also crowned Miss Idaho in 2004.
James Quarles. Quarles served as an assistant special prosecutor as part of the Watergate Special Prosecution from 1973 until 1975. More recently, he also was a partner at WilmerHale. He also served as a law clerk in a U.S. District Court of Maryland in the early 1970s, according to Bloomberg.
During her time in Obama’s Department of Justice (DOJ), Rhee worked in the Office of Legal Counsel where she provided guidance to former attorney general Eric Holder, the White House and other agency heads and higher-ups.
Rhee’s team was responsible for many of the office’s significant accomplishments: the two Russia-related indictments, the prosecution of Trump associate Roger Stone, and the guilty pleas of attorney Michael Cohen and campaign advisor George Papadopoulos. Ms.
WATCH: Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller claims he did not know his top staffer Jean nie Rhee had deep ties to Hillary Clinton before he hired her. #MuellerHearing pic.twitter.com/gIGfjS2PCh