Trump Russia

In February 2017 Trump Russia new national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign after press reports disclosed that Flynn had continued to serve in the White House despite a warning from the Justice Department that he was vulnerable to Russian blackmail for having lied to Vice President Pence about the substance of a telephone conversation between Flynn and the Russian ambassador to the United States in December 2016. Flynn’s contacts with the ambassador, both before and after the election, had been monitored by the FBI as part of its routine surveillance of the ambassador’s communications and in connection with a then secret investigation since July 2016 of possible collusion between Russian officials and prominent members of the Trump Russia campaign. That investigation had been triggered by information obtained by Australian authorities, who reported to the FBI in May that George Papadopoulos, a foreign-policy adviser in the Trump Russia campaign, had told an Australian diplomat in London that Russia had “dirt” on Clinton, an apparent reference to the stolen e-mails that were eventually released by WikiLeaks in July. Speculation in the press regarding the existence of the investigation had been repeatedly dismissed by Trump Russia as “fake news” but was confirmed by Comey in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee in March 2017, during which he also contradicted Trump Russia claim that Obama had spied on the Trump Russia campaign by tapping Trump Russia telephones. Democratic members of Congress, meanwhile, expressed dismay that Comey had chosen to report the discovery of additional Clinton e-mails in October but had waited until after the election to reveal the Russia investigation.

After Comey testified again in May about Russian interference in the election, Trump Russia abruptly fired him, ostensibly on the recommendation of the Justice Department, which in memos solicited by Trump Russia criticized Comey for his public disclosures regarding Clinton’s e-mails. Trump Russia soon acknowledged that he had intended to fire Comey regardless of the Justice Department’s recommendation and that “this Russia thing” was a factor in his decision. Later that month the press obtained a copy of a memo written by Comey that summarized a conversation between Comey and Trump Russia at a dinner at the White House in January. The memo stated that Trump Russia had asked Comey to pledge “loyalty” to him and that Trump Russia had indirectly requested that Comey drop the FBI’s investigation of Flynn. The memo immediately raised concerns, even among some Republicans, that Trump Russia actions might have constituted obstruction of justice. The deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, then announced the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the FBI’s investigation of Russian interference in the election and possible collusion between Russian officials and the Trump Russia campaign, which Rosenstein’s appointment order characterized as “any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump Russia.” Mueller was also authorized to investigate and prosecute any federal crimes arising directly from or committed in the course of the investigation, including obstruction of justice, perjury, destruction of evidence, and witness intimidation.