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Trump Calls Mueller’s Obstruction Investigation “Phony” and “Witch Hunt” In Latest Tweet Blast

440px-Director_Robert_S._Mueller-_III-1donald_trump_president-elect_portrait_croppedWashington was awaken this morning with our now regular sound of a tweet from the President. At 6:55 am, President Donald Trump blasted the report that Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating him for obstruction of justice.  He called the whole thing based on a “phony story” — a likely dig at former FBI Director James Comey.  I previously raised my concern about the alleged leak from the Special Counsel’s office.  The fact that the office is investigating obstruction is hardly news.  Even those of us who have expressed substantial reservations about the legal basis for an obstruction charge against the President have said that there was ample reason to investigate such allegations.  However, the leak in the Washington Post undermines the credibility not of the President but the Special Counsel.  Similarly, I have previously said that these tweets from the President are highly damaging to both his public and legal case.  Recent polling finds that only one in five voters support Trump’s firing of Comey and a majority now believe that he did meddle in the Russian investigation.

This morning, the following tweet flew out of the White House:

 

Donald J. Trump 

✔@realDonaldTrump

They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice

6:55 AM – 15 Jun 2017

Once again, the tweet is not without foundation. There is no known proof of collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign. I have been openly skeptical about the claims and openly critical of the treatment officials like Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the controversy. However, that is not the point.  Trump is the focus of a criminal investigation and it is exceptionally poor judgment to be tweeting about the investigation.

Trump then an hour later called the investigation by Mueller a witch hunt:

Donald J. Trump 

✔@realDonaldTrump

You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history – led by some very bad and conflicted people! 

7:57 AM – 15 Jun 2017

Trump has repeatedly lambasted the Russia probe as a “witch hunt,” using the phrase in at least eight tweets since March.

These tweets and prior alleged statements adds to questions over the role of White House Counsel Don McGahn.  If the President repeatedly raised the investigation with Comey and others, it would presumably have occurred over the fierce objections of counsel.  That leads to the question of whether Trump is simply not consulting with the White House Counsel — a deeply troubling concern in itself.  These continued tweets only magnifies the concern over whether McGahn is able to offer effective counseling to the President.  Worse yet, an obstruction investigation may invariably lead to McGahn and what he has advised the President — making him a potential witness. There are obviously confidentiality and privilege issues in such inquiries. However, there are also crime and fraud exceptions to such claims.  McGahn is an experienced and accomplished lawyer. He knows how to handle himself in such investigation.  Yet, the President’s continued discussion (and alleged intervention) into aspects of the investigation could put his position under great scrutiny.

 

 

165 thoughts on “Trump Calls Mueller’s Obstruction Investigation “Phony” and “Witch Hunt” In Latest Tweet Blast”

  1. My paranoid thought for the morning is this: Perhaps some external agent (Russians? Space Aliens?) is conducting a sociological and political experiment, to see just how much it takes to tear a society apart, and have the citizens at each others’ throats….. At the rate things are going, maybe not too much.

  2. Whatever esoteric process employed in choosing the Special Counsel handed us a personal friend and professional colleague of James Comey. He then proceeded to hire four staff attorneys who had contributed such large sums to the Democratic Party that their names were published in the Federal Election Commission database. Only a tiny minority of the general population make 4-digit political contributions to candidates for office. It cannot be that difficult to find competent lawyers who haven’t done that.

    Why does Mueller operate this way? Well, because he fancies he can get away with it. This investigation has hallmarks of a stitch up by the Washington establishment and should end.

    1. Or, perhaps, the only prosecutors with integrity in Washington, happen to have donated to the Democratic Party. A coincidence, no doubt.

  3. And so did Lynch and Yates and they are all connnected though the Clinton unsecure pipeline for passing informaton . To Where? Obvious to the former rulers of the USSR. That’s your Russian Connection. Set up a flow of information that is completely open such as Podestas ‘password’ and clintons bathroom closet hackable server. That’s an open invitation to browse and feel free to sample.

      1. Obama’s Second Illegal War on Libya. Record of US-NATO War Crimes and Destruction

        “In 2011, he and then secretary of state Hillary Clinton bore full responsibility for the rape and destruction of Libya, transforming Africa’s most developed country into a cauldron of endless violence, instability, turmoil and unspeakable human suffering – the aftermath of all US imperial wars.”

        “They flagrantly violated international, constitutional and US statute laws – attacking another country threatening no others, killing tens of thousands of noncombatant men, women, children, the elderly and infirm.”

        http://www.globalresearch.ca/obamas-second-illegal-war-on-libya-record-of-us-nato-war-crimes-and-destruction/5539546

    2. Exactly what crimes would you charge her with, that could be proven in a court of law? Policy differences are not crimes.

      1. “Exactly what crimes would you charge her with, that could be proven in a court of law? ”

        Waging aggressive war and crimes against humanity like at those famous Nuremberg Trials.

  5. What is a “witch hunt”? Is Trump saying that he is himself a witch? Which witch is the wicked witch?
    Tweet, tweet bo beep.

    Why is Trump not having fun with wifey poo at that time in the morning. Instead we get instagrams.

    1. Big mistake yesterday for the left. Imagine the unimaginable. Secular Progressives in a religious moment pretending to pray. As a propaganda spin it fell on the floor doing bronx cheer noises. It was an insult to many who are religious and will rethink their affiliation with the left as a result. No need to go to the other party just become like many of us – Self Governing Use or institute Recall using the Initiative It’s a year round vote that eats away at the other side and saps their strengths and funding . Grass Roots activity now trying to influence their primary outcomes for the weakest candidate they have or support a real Constitutional Republic candidate. It’s your home area. Every precinct, voting district, town, city, county, federal destrict and State.

      Pass it on.

    2. “Why is Trump not having fun with wifey poo at that time in the morning. ” Well, when you reach a certain age, “having fun” is a lot more work than it used to be…..

  6. No one has clean hands. Trump is a madman. That doesn’t mean he can’t be correct (if overblown) about the situation. Trump has surrounded himself with moral monsters and this is what happens when you do things like that. Trump is himself a war criminal. He is only concerned with mass surveillance as it effects him personally. He is only concerned about the abuse of the law in so far as it touches him. Otherwise, he is fine with mass incarceration, torture and supporting terrorists (to name just a few things).

    For this reason I do not feel sorry for the man in any way. He is only being afflicted by the same things he afflicts others with (minus war crimes and access to good legal representation not available to others).

    I wish that Trump had not been yet another false, evil jerk like Obama. Both men had enough people behind them to take on the deep state. Each willingly betrayed those people and sold out to the deep state. Obama never did suffer any consequences for that but Trump doesn’t have the weird ability to fool people that Obama does. He should not have betrayed his base. He, and the rest of the world, will pay dearly for his perfidy.

    1. So in finally admitting to your own wrong doing you drag down the rest of OUR country and again try to drag down Our Constitutional Republic. with your foreign ideology. Your programmer went to a lot of trouble for nothing the games already afoot and you’ve been exposed too many times. Regardless of the natterings of your RINO faction there is no ‘us’ There is the USA and there is those of you who long for a return of the USSR. So how much did Comrade Sanders and Soros pay for that post? Too bad it didn’t work. Nothing has changed and yes there will be another reckoning with the left and this time including the left’s right wing AKA RINOs

      In the end Progressive Socialist Party exposed and in the open versus the Constitutional Republic and we’ve got more votes than you . No need for a party for our 40% just wants you running the likes of Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris and the foot in mouths of Pelosi and Schumer. Keep up the good work.

      Hows your organization doing for 2018……ask the GOP same question. Ours never quit And all it takes is self governing citizens. No serfs no slaves no snowflakes.

    2. The Deep State has probably convinced Trump that the only thing that keeps the debt-based US economy from going under is the worldwide protection racket run by the MIC and the state security organs.

  8. Mueller is a golfing buddy of Comey, and Mueller has hired Hillary donors. And, at what point will the intelligent JT stop believing phony MSM polls. Does anyone here think 75% of people like and support Comey? Come on!

      1. Yes Joe/SWM, But none of the people you list are supposed to be INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATORS!!

        2. Don’t want any name that links me to a school, location or anything else. Too many crazies on the internet…….

      1. Well, of course, it’s phony. Anything that does not fit into your narrative must be wrong because you can’t possibly be wrong.

    3. Does anyone here think 75% of people like and support Comey? Come on!

      It’s doubtful that name-recognition for James Comey exceeds 25% of the adult population. The poll is fake.

  9. Why should the American people be kept in the dark as to whether or not their president is under investigation? We were told he wasn’t and now we are told he is. As it should be.

    1. Frankly,..,
      – When Trump was NOT under investigation, I don’t think anyone leaked that information on his behalf.
      Trump asked Comey to publicly state that he was not being investigated, but it was Trump himself who announced that Comey told him he was not under investigation.
      No time was wasted currently in leaking and reporting that Trump is now being investigated.
      Even if some approve of nonstop leaks by anonymous sources, they should be aware that it can be a one-sided, agenda driven game.

  10. “You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history” Perhaps Mr Trump is unaware that people actually lost lives in in actual witch hunt a few years back in an area that would soon become a state. But hey, it was mainly women that were killed so maybe that doesn’t count in his feeble mind.

    2. Paul – 0ne of the Witch Hunter General’s minions was killed yesterday, but several witches were injured. Does that count?

      1. I think 20 people were executed in Salem oh so many years ago. We have a ways to go today before it would be comparable. But hey, to trump, if his steak is cold it is a catastrophe. So I have no doubt in his feeble mind this is the worst thing to ever have happened to a person like him in the history of the universe.

        1. Paul – if my steak is cold, I send it back, too. More people should do it. Keeps the servers on their toes. And the tip goes down.

          There is a vast left-wing conspiracy to get Trump impeached. We can all see it.

          1. What if Trump doesn’t get impeached and is vindicated by Mueller but some of his associates go to jail for breaking laws due to money laundering? Is that a left wing conspiracy? Jack Abramoff went to jail. Was that due to a left wing conspiracy or was he guilty?

            1. I agree completely. The investigation is clearly looking into a number of things. Trump may be innocent. But why does he act guilty as s***??

    3. I don’t think something that happened in a pure theocracy located in a British colonial settlement in the 17th Century has anything to do with “American political history.” OTOH, it’s part of American *social* history.

  11. Here’s an explanation for “lots of noise”.
    “Washington Post Reporter Frustrated every Space in Parking Garage taken up by Anonymous Sources”. – The Onion, May 30, 2017.
    Woodward and Bernstein never had to deal with that problem when Felt the Fink was leaking to them.

    1. Wait a minute- you want someone to leak more information now to satisfy your (and everyone else’s) curiosity? In a criminal investigation, they don’t normally lay out their evidence for all to see until the investigation is done, and even then that normally happens only if there is a trial. ( I would hope that, at the conclusion of the investigation and any related criminal proceedings, there is a publicly available report in this matter, no matter what the outcome of the investigation. )

      If your complaint is that there isn’t sufficient publicly available information to warrant an investigation, I will respectfully disagree. Otherwise, whining about a lack of evidence is decidedly premature.

      1. So far nothing has been laid out. Just vague references to ‘officials’ with no connecton to any particular source the left stream media skips over.

  13. Given the Star Chamber Washington swamp, Trump is doing exactly the right thing — using Twitter to set the record straight with his base. During the previous administration, Obama didn’t tweet because the press was doing it for him.

    1. Trump can take care of himself enough to do dealing with the left and the RINOs. Our job is to continue supporting our Constitutional Republic as self governing citizens. The menshevik loser faction are doing a good job of destroying themselves as they evolve into the Secular Progressive Party.

      We’ve a long time without representation by the party system and now have the single largest voting block in the nation. No real name just supporters of our Constitutional Republic and Our Constitution.

      Independence Day II on November 8th taught us a lot. The counter revolution against a foreign ideology, the secularl left and their RINO faction continued going to grass roots level.

      Pass it On

      Ballots Not Bullets .

  14. What I find interesting, is that the leaks were reported “AFTER” members of congress were briefed behind closed doors. We all know congressional staffers routinely leak information and are the likely culprits.

    Congress can attempt to be cute by saying Trump is “new to this” and any other lame reason but Robert Mueller is not playing games, the law is the law and when crimes are committed people go to jail.

    One question, where are all of the “law and order” people now?

    Phony investigation, witch hunt, fake news, all work with Trump’s low IQ supporters but when career law enforcement officials show up with an unlimited budget and resources, the games are over!!!

  15. I wish Professor Turley would weigh in on the assertion I heard Greg Jarrett make. He said that if Mueller is investigating obstruction in which his close friend James Comey is a central figure, the law mandates his recusal.
    Is this really the case?

  16. Lots of misspelled words and syntax errors in your report on Mueller’s investigation.

    Peter A. Davis Davis Law Firm, P.C. 2058 S. State St., Suite 300 Ann Arbor, MI 48104-4697 734-663-2233 (3173 fax) pad.legal@gmail.com

    On Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 7:31 AM, JONATHAN TURLEY wrote:

    > jonathanturley posted: “Washington was awaken this morning with our now > regular sound of a tweet from the President. At 6:55 am, President Donald > Trump blasted the report that Justice Department special counsel Robert > Mueller is now investigating him for obstruction of justice. ” >

    1. padlegal – if you stay here long enough, you will learn to ignore the misspellings, etc. JT writes these late at night and doesn’t edit. After a while, you go with the flow. 😉

      1. View JT’s post that starts the correction thread that is accessible from the second rightmost link at the top of any post.

        JT Specifically asks for help with proof reading. If you notice any things that you think are typos or errors JT wants you to post a message on the correction thread.

  17. If there are leaks in the Special Counsel’s office, he must resign. It sounds like the office is leaking like a sieve.

    1. The leaks may have come from Congress in this case but they do raise doubts about Mueller’s ability to run a professional investigation.

    2. Paul, these leaks are growing into a cancer of their own and at some point I think they will undermine the governments position so much as to vindicate Trump and everything will get thrown out and make a bunch of people look like stooges and fools.

    4. Mueller’s operation will be so tight lipped from now on that we won’t even know if Flynn has flipped.

  18. Good morning Professor. The fact is, Trump’s wounds are self-inflicted. His tweets have caused most of his problems. His staff can’t control him and I firmly believe there’s something mentally wrong with him. Trump wants government to be run like his businesses and ruled by fiat. He wants a gig similar to Putin’s where he does what he wants without a care in the world for norms and the rule of law. Firing Comey was a stupid move and he has no one to blame but himself for the mess he finds himself in.

  19. We need more leaks. I would like to know. I have a right to know what is said behind closed doors. If it is not directly damaging to the security of the US, then Americans have a right to know how their sausages are made. The only way to stop this festering presentation of options is to have an informed public.

        1. You write” I have a right to know what is said behind closed doors.”
          Well frankly you don’t.
          The question about RBC and your reply is telling in many ways.
          Get with the program son.

          You can read the link if you want but here’s the money quote from a little bit of pertinent history for you regarding executive privacy:

          WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court threw out a lawsuit against Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday and ruled that he was free to meet in secret with energy industry lobbyists in 2001 while drawing up the president’s energy policy.”

          http://articles.latimes.com/2005/may/11/nation/na-cheney11

          1. Roscoe

            A federal appeals court will rule one way at one time and another at another time. I post here to present my opinion as to what I feel makes sense, vis a vis democracy and transparency. Trump will deny anything he doesn’t like, regardless of the facts. Trump will applaud anything he likes, regardless of the circumstances. These are facts that have been proven over the course of his storied career.

            The decisions are made based on the severity of the transgressions by the people under investigation. If Nixon’s ordeal had revolved around something other than criminal activities by agents linked to him and his obstruction, the tapes would not have been surfaced.

            It is all about direction. No one is perfect and the daily goings on of the government cannot be scrutinized on a constant basis. However, when issues such as occupy the present moment arise the privacy of our representatives, those we have elected, those that answer to the people, should not be determined by shill lawyers and unrelated precedents. Cheny’s meetings with energy industry lobbyists, in my opinion, should be open for review. However, the results, the policy, must be open, to the public, for scrutinization, and criticism. The government must be open. Our closed government has evolved into an oligarchy that has all but replaced a democracy based on what goes on that is not transparent and not in the minds of the voters. It is woefully obvious that Americans elect shills presented by big business and special interests, exhibited in a Ringling Bros. manner, with next to no substance, relying on mindless cliches such as ‘make America great, again’ Step back and take a look at how our methods compare with the more open societies and you should be ashamed.

            Blame it on whomever, but the fact of the matter is that the American system of politics is a travesty. The founding fathers never intended this, regardless of what puppet supreme court judges argue.

            2. All I’m saying is I’m tired of people looking the other way when their guy is in office and then it’s a major fiasco when Boris Badenov Jr. takes over and now it’s time to scrutinize secrecy..

              1. Unfortunately one of the hurdles we all have to get over is the ‘well the opposition is just as bad or worse’ routine. Whatever Obama did, may have done, or is seen as a travesty cannot be a validation for stooges like Trump. Whatever Obama’s faults, he is light years ahead of Trump in the area of competency and class, the two seemingly most important ingredients for America’s king.

    2. BRUTUS
      What a blunt fellow is this grown to be!
      He was quick mettle when he went to school.

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