mueller looking into trump finances fake bews

SCHMIDT: Last thing, if Mueller was looking at your finances and your family finances, unrelated to Russia - is that a red line? The question, and the framing of it, was brought up by Times reporters Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman at the very end of the very long interview, and Trump’s supposed threats were interspersed with long digressions on other matters: Trump’s statements to the Times about Mueller didn’t seem intended as a preplanned threat, but rather as something the president sort of stumbled into.īut though it may have been unplanned, it is of a piece with Trump’s repeated attempts to delegitimize the investigation, and his general lack of respect for the rule of law. Trump’s interview with the Times had nothing to do with it.īut the news of this aspect of the investigation has only added to speculation in Washington that Trump could fire Mueller - an action that, if carried out, would mean a crisis over the rule of law in the United States.Īnd John Dowd, one of Trump’s lawyers, complained to Bloomberg that “those transactions are in my view well beyond the mandate of the special counsel.” Trump’s statement about Mueller, in context Importantly, this has been in the works for a while - the Bloomberg report said it spiraled out of an old investigation into money laundering by former US Attorney Preet Bharara (whom Trump fired in March). Trump’s sale of a Florida estate to a wealthy Russian back in 2008.A Trump business deal with Russian associates for a condo development in SoHo.The 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which was held in Moscow.

The Bloomberg reporters quote “a person familiar with the probe” as confirming that several transactions in particular have piqued investigators’ interest, including: “This is about Russia,” Trump said.īut according to a new report by Bloomberg’s Greg Farrell and Christian Berthelsen, investigators had already been investigating several Trump business transactions with Russians. Still under discussion is whether the interview can be written questions, as opposed to in-person questioning.Just yesterday, President Donald Trump told a trio of New York Times reporters that if special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation turned to his finances, he’d view it as a “violation” of Mueller’s charge. He said that he expects an interview to take place in the next two to three weeks, pending his attorney's approval. 'I would do it under it under oath,' and 'I would love to do that as soon as possible,' the president said. The president told reporters Wednesday night that he was 'looking forward' to being interviewed by Mueller in the investigation into Russian election meddling and any ties to Trump associates. Investigators have been exploring whether Mr. Trump told reporters in December that he had no plans to fire Mueller. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on MSNBC a 'constitutional crisis' is looming. 'Any attempt to remove the special counsel, pardon key witnesses, or otherwise interfere in the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power, and all members of Congress, from both parties, have a responsibility to our Constitution and to our country to make that clear immediately.' 'I've said it before, and I am saying it again: firing the special counsel is a red line that the president cannot cross,' Warner said in a statement.

Mueller looking into trump finances fake bews