As the Russia investigation gets closer to the president, the White House is becoming increasingly desperate. Nowhere is that more clear than the past 24 hours, which will prove to be pivotal moments in this ongoing effort by the White House to derail the Russia investigation.
Hours after Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions shocked the country by firing former deputy director of the FBI Andrew McCabe, the president’s personal lawyer is now calling for an end to Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation.
More from the bombshell report published Saturday in the Daily Beast:
President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, John Dowd, told The Daily Beast on Saturday morning that he hopes Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will shut down the Mueller probe.
Reached for comment by email about the firing of former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, sent The Daily Beast the text of Trump’s most recent tweet on the subject, which applauded the firing. Then he wrote that Rosenstein should follow Sessions’ lead.
“I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier,” Dowd then wrote.
He told The Daily Beast he was speaking on behalf of the president, in his capacity as the president’s attorney.
The president’s lawyer is now walking back his comments, saying he was only speaking personally, but that doesn’t make his comments any less troubling. After all, this is the man in charge of mounting a legal defense for Trump – he’s always in the president’s ear.
On Saturday’s edition of ‘AM Joy’ on MNSBC, chief legal correspondent Ari Melber explained what’s so troubling about the development that Trump’s lawyer is calling for Mueller’s special counsel probe to be shuttered:
Ari Melber Explains What’s So Troubling About The Last 24 Hours Of Trump’s War On Mueller #AMJoy #Mueller #Russia #McCabe pic.twitter.com/qBIOuZKq0z
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) March 17, 2018
Melber explains:
This is a significant story. It comes not from a commentator or a, quote, ally of President Trump but from his criminal defense attorney at a very tense time, as you know, Joy, because we are in the morning after the very late night and unusual firing of the number two official at the FBI who is, of course, what we call a fact witness to the obstruction issues around Jim Comey. The next morning Betsy Woodruff with a big story here. They’re not quiet. They’re not letting this play out. Making another on-the-record move, the White house’s Criminal defense attorney for the president saying follow the example of what Jeff Sessions did last night and shutter this probe. It suggests, in a bad way, that the DOJ process and the president’s criminal defense are together. And that’s not my inference. That’s what John Dowd said on the record because he’s calling for this in response to what Sessions did late last night.
White House legal team and DOJ working together to topple Mueller?
As Melber noted on Saturday, the last 24 hours of moves taken by the White House suggest that the Department of Justice run by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the president’s legal team are working in concert to wage war on Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation.
Removing Andrew McCabe – who has devoted decades of service to the country – on Friday night was one example of this. This morning call by Trump’s counsel to shutter the investigation now that McCabe is out is another.
Donald Trump’s behavior of obstructing and undermining Robert Mueller’s probe has been on full display for months. But the last 24 hours of actions represent an egregious escalation of their ongoing war on the Russia investigation.
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