Trump sought out loyalist to curtail special counsel — and drew Mueller’s glare
President Trump walks from the Oval Office to the South Lawn of the White House on June 30, 2017. By Ashley Parker , Ashley Parker White House reporter Email Bio Follow Rosalind S. Helderman and Rosalind S. Helderman Reporter focusing on political enterprise stories and investigations Email Bio Follow Matt Zapotosky Matt Zapotosky National security reporter covering the Justice Department Email Bio Follow April 25 at 8:45 PM President Trump was furious.
The episode, which discomfited even some of Trump’s most loyal advisers, was read by some legal observers as one of the clearest cases laid out in Mueller’s report of potential obstruction of justice by the president. In unequivocal terms, the report states that there was “substantial evidence” that Trump hoped his actions would derail Mueller’s investigation and prevent further scrutiny of his campaign and his own conduct.
The president has claimed that Mueller’s investigation resulted in his “complete and total exoneration.” She added: “There are several episodes where I am confident that if this were not the president of the United States, charges would absolutely be recommended. And this is one of them.” 'Mueller has to go' Trump was already unhappy about the special counsel’s investigation when The Washington Post reported on June 14, 2017, that Mueller had broadened his probe to include whether Trump had obstructed justice.
Trump denied the episode in a tweet Thursday, saying he never told McGahn to fire Mueller. “If I wanted to fire Mueller, I didn’t need McGahn to do it, I could have done it myself,” he wrote. After some small talk, the president turned to the purpose of the meeting, according to the special counsel report. He was angry that Sessions had recused himself from the Russia investigation and had a message he wanted Lewandowski to pass along to the attorney general.
The senior Justice Department official said bringing a prosecution on those facts would have been complicated because the obstruction “relies on multiple people in a chain all doing something,” including Lewandowski delivering the note, Sessions being persuaded by it and then Sessions moving on the special counsel.
Ray took a different view, noting that the actions the Mueller report described are certainly within the purview of the president — giving orders to his attorney general, and even choosing to seek out private citizens to accomplish his goals. A president should be able to feel out his role and decide how he thinks it best to carry it out, he said.
“What can I do?” Priebus recalled Lewandowski saying. “I’m not an employee of the administration. I’m nobody.” Trump again asked Lewandowski if he’d spoken with Sessions about the president’s previous request. Lewandowski promised he would soon. The president told his former campaign manager that if Sessions refused, Lewandowski should simply tell the attorney general he was fired, according to the special counsel’s report.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions leaves the White House on July 26, 2017. Later that day, Lewandowski and Hicks discussed the Times interview, according to the report. Lewandowski confided in Hicks about Trump’s request that he meet with Sessions, telling her that Trump had told him to tell the attorney general to do the “right thing” and resign, she told investigators.
By the time Trump issued his directive to his former campaign manager, it had been widely reported that a grand jury investigation was underway as part of the special counsel’s investigation.
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