why is mueller going after trump's lawyer

What did Trump know about Mueller?

He knew that Mueller was a relentless inquisitor, and that Mueller’s face, which resembles an Easter Island moai, betrayed little besides impatience. Mueller could intimidate outsiders and insiders alike with his silence.

Why did Trump take ‘no act’ to interfere with the Mueller investigation?

And the only reason that Trump took “no act” to interfere with the investigation was that his subordinates, including Don McGahn and Corey Lewandowski, refused to follow his directives to do so. Barr continued to diminish Mueller’s report and to dilute its impact.

What happened to Mueller’s staff?

Many people on Mueller’s staff were furious with Barr, who had undermined two years of work by mischaracterizing it for Trump’s benefit. And, with the report still secret, no response could be made. Mueller was aggrieved in his customarily reticent, rule-following fashion.

What has Mueller done in the Mueller investigation?

(In the first several months of the investigation, Mueller won guilty pleas from Papadopoulos and Flynn and secured a pair of wide-ranging indictments against Manafort, who was later convicted in one case and pleaded guilty in the other. In 2020, the Trump Administration sought to drop the case against Flynn, even though he had pleaded guilty.)

Who did Donald Trump bring in to lead his legal defense team?

Trump brought Dowd in to lead his legal defense team one month after the president fired FBI Director James Comey and Mueller was subsequently appointed to serve as the special counsel overseeing the widening probe into Russian interference.

Who is the special counsel in the Super Bowl?

During a Super Bowl interview, the president was pressed on whether the public should see the final report of special counsel Robert Mueller as Trump prepares for his State of the Union address.

Why did Mueller not indict Trump?

Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified Wednesday that he did not indict President Donald Trump on obstruction of justice charges because of Department of Justice guidelines barring a sitting president from being indicted — but later clarified his remarks.

What did Robert Mueller say in his opening statement?

In Mueller's opening statement that came later before the House Intelligence Committee, the former special counsel said he wanted to "correct the record" on his exchange with Lieu. "That's not the correct way to say it," Mueller said. "We did not reach a determination as to whether the president committed a crime.".

Why wasn't Trump indicted?

He just gave Mueller a clear and concise moment to say the only reason Trump wasn't indicted is because DOJ policy prohibited it," tweeted national security lawyer Bradley Moss.

Who was the former US Attorney for the Southern District of New York?

Former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara — an Obama appointee who was initially asked to stay on the job by Trump before the president changed his mind and fired him — tweeted the exchange was "very very close to Mueller saying that but for the OLC memo, Trump would have been indicted.".

Who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee?

In early May, Attorney General William Barr testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Mueller "reiterated several times in a group meeting that he was not saying that but for the OLC opinion he would have found obstruction.".

How many times has the President tweeted about Mueller?

The President has tweeted about Mueller more than three hundred times, and has repeatedly referred to the special counsel’s investigation as a “scam” and a “hoax.”. Barr and Graham agree that the Mueller investigation was illegitimate in conception and excessive in execution—in Barr’s words, “a grave injustice” that was “unprecedented in American ...

How long was Robert Mueller a federal prosecutor?

W. Bush Administration, and then, starting in 2001, the F.B.I. director for twelve years .

How many times did Mueller say he had no recall?

Mueller and his staff had low expectations for Trump’s answers; the President didn’t meet them. He said twenty-two times that he failed to “recall,” and twelve times that he had no “recollection.”. Mueller’s prosecutors did what they could at that late date: they wrote a letter.

What did the Comey-Trump encounters lead to?

The Comey-Trump encounters had led the F.B.I. to open a criminal investigation of the President for obstruction of justice shortly before Mueller was appointed. Trump’s pointed request for Comey’s “loyalty” could almost have been mistaken as the behavior of a novice.

What did McCabe tell Mueller about Flynn?

McCabe told Mueller that Flynn had apparently lied to the agents about his conversations with Kislyak , and said that those statements should be on Mueller’s agenda, too. There was also the issue of possible obstruction of justice once Trump became President.

What was the purpose of McCabe's briefing with Mueller?

These meetings demonstrate that, from the beginning, Mueller was instructed to conduct a narrow, fact-based criminal investigation.

When did Giuliani's office of legal counsel establish the law?

At the meeting, Giuliani wanted to nail down a commitment from Mueller to follow a Justice Department policy, established by its Office of Legal Counsel (O.L.C.) in 1973 and reaffirmed in 2000, barring the indictment of a sitting President.