Donald Trump is claiming 'complete and total exoneration' following the release of a summary of special counsel Robert Mueller's report into collusion with Russia. The president spoke before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington from Florida on Sunday afternoon. The Justice Department said that Mueller's investigation did not find evidence that Trump's campaign 'conspired or coordinated' with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mueller also investigated whether Trump obstructed justice, but did not come to a definitive answer
Category Archives: Trump administration
Mueller did not find Trump campaign conspired with Russia, attorney general says
- William Barr sends four-page letter to Congress
- Special counsel does not clear Trump of obstruction of justice
- Mueller report – live updates
- Support the Guardian’s independent journalism
Special counsel Robert Mueller found that neither Donald Trump nor any of his aides colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, according to a letter delivered to Congress on Sunday by the US attorney general.
Related: No collusion, plenty of corruption: Trump is not in the clear | Richard Wolffe
Continue reading...Kushner, Inc review: Jared, Ivanka Trump and the rise of the American kakistocracy
Vicky Ward has produced a damning depiction, a lethal amalgam of Page Six-like dish and firsthand investigative reporting
Like Donald Trump, Americans are displeased with Jared Kushner, the president’s squeaky sounding son-in-law. As the reality that Kushner received his White House security clearance the same way he got into Harvard sinks in – “Daddy” pulled some very expensive strings – his popularity will not be rebounding anytime soon.
Related: Revealed: Kushner 'challenged on conflicts of interest by Trump aides'
Continue reading...Congress awaits Mueller conclusions as Democrats push for report’s release
- Attorney general William Barr to release ‘principal conclusions’
- Trump, playing golf near Mar-a-Lago, said to be in ‘good’ mood
- Support the Guardian’s journalism. Make a contribution
Washington and America waited with bated breath on Saturday for the next stage in the Trump-Russia drama: the communication to Congress of the “principal conclusions” of special counsel Robert Mueller.
Related: Mueller report: Trump camp celebrates but danger is not past yet
Continue reading...Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris react to completion of Trump-Russia inquiry – video
Following the submission of special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia investigation findings to the attorney general, William Barr, high-profile senators including Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Chuck Schumer are demanding that the report is made public. Speaking at a rally in San Diego on Friday night, Sanders said: 'Nobody, including the president of the United States, is above the law'
Continue reading...Mueller report: special counsel delivers findings of Trump-Russia inquiry
- Submission to attorney general signals end of criminal inquiry
- Barr: ‘I remain committed to as much transparency as possible’
- Robert Mueller submits report – live updates
- Support the Guardian’s independent journalism and make a contribution
Robert Mueller has completed his Trump-Russia investigation without prosecuting additional associates of the president, and has reported his findings to William Barr, the US attorney general.
Related: What does the Mueller report say and what does it mean for Trump?
Continue reading...Kurdish forces dispute White House claim Isis is eliminated in Syria
Announcement appeared to catch US allies off-guard as SDF spokesman says its fighters clashed overnight with Islamic State militants
The Trump White House has declared that the Islamic State no longer holds any territory inside Syria, but the claim was disputed by Kurdish-led forces on the ground who said clashes were continuing.
Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, told reporters that the acting defence secretary, Patrick Shanahan, had briefed Donald Trump and that the Pentagon had confirmed that the last vestiges of the Isis “caliphate” had been eliminated.
Continue reading...Trump warns ‘people will not stand’ for Mueller report if it portrays him badly – live
President insisted ‘there’s no collusion’ in interview with Fox as Washington braces for release of Trump-Russia investigation findings
Former Vice President Joe Biden may wait until the end of April to announce a run for president, CNN reports.
Biden is expected to make a decision about whether to run in the next week or so, but if he decides to run, his team may take another three weeks to plan a launch.
Iowa Rep. Steve King criticized the victims of Hurricane Katrina at a town hall Thursday, suggesting they sat around waiting for government help.
King has a history of controversial remarks and was stripped of his committee assignments for comments about white supremacy.
These comments are disgusting and disheartening. When communities are affected by disasters, we come together to help each other, not tear each other down. https://t.co/APpg8a82hW
Continue reading...James Comey says he hopes Trump will not be impeached after Mueller report
Ex-FBI director wrote in a New York Times op-ed he wants the president to suffer a ‘resounding’ loss in the 2020 election
James Comey has said he hopes Donald Trump will not be impeached following the completion of the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Instead the former FBI director wants the president to suffer a “resounding” loss at the ballot box in 2020.
Related: Trump looks good for 2020, experts say, because 'economy is so damn strong'
Continue reading...US judge halts hundreds of drilling projects in groundbreaking climate change ruling
In a rebuke of the Trump administration’s ‘energy-first’ agenda, a judge rules greenhouse gas emissions must be considered
In the first significant check on the Trump administration’s “energy-first” agenda, a US judge has temporarily halted hundreds of drilling projects for failing to take climate change into account.
Drilling had been stalled on more than 300,000 acres of public land in Wyoming after it was ruled the Trump administration violated environmental laws by failing to consider greenhouse gas emissions. The federal judge has ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which manages US public lands and issues leases to the energy industry, to redo its analysis.
The decision stems from an environmental lawsuit. WildEarth Guardians, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Western Environmental Law Center sued the BLM in 2016 for failing to calculate and limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from future oil and gas projects.
Continue reading...Trump is cornered, with violence on his mind. We must be on red alert | Robert Reich
As investigators close in, the president invokes the support of the military, police and vigilantes. This is a perilous moment
What does a megalomaniacal president of the United States do when he’s cornered? We’ll soon find out.
Related: 'It's a small group of people': Trump again denies white nationalism is rising threat
Continue reading...‘Pay-for-access to Trump club’: Mar-a-Lago faces renewed ethics concerns
With the winding down of the ‘Winter White House’ comes another season of controversy and scandal that swirl around the president’s resort
At Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s waterfront winter retreat, an end-of-term air hangs over the expansive verandas and perfectly manicured lawns. In barely a month’s time, following the traditional season-closing Easter Sunday brunch gala, the private members’ club will be scrubbed and shuttered for the summer, its wealthy clientele dispersing to residences in the Hamptons or boarding their mega-yachts to cruise the Mediterranean.
Related: Trump's four 2017 Mar-a-Lago trips cost taxpayers nearly $14m, watchdog says
Continue reading...US to deny visas for ICC members investigating alleged war crimes
Washington also threatened economic sanctions if war crimes court goes ahead with inquiry into US troops in Afghanistan
The United States has announced it will revoke or deny visas to members of the International Criminal Court involved in investigating the actions of US troops in Afghanistan or other countries.
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said Washington was prepared to take further steps, including economic sanctions, if the war crimes court goes ahead with any investigations of US or allied personnel.
Continue reading...Trump’s legacy: conservative judges who will interpret US law for decades
Senate Republicans have confirmed 89 Trump-nominated judges to serve at all levels of the federal court system
Many Americans watching the turmoil in US institutions and political norms are yearning for the day when Donald Trump is no longer president. But whether he leaves after 2020 or 2024, Trump has built a legacy in one vital area that can be expected to stand for decades, long after his Twitter feed has fallen silent, analysts across the political spectrum agree.
That legacy comprises the 89 judges, and rapidly counting, that Trump has nominated, and Senate Republicans have confirmed, to serve at all levels of the federal court system. They are taking up posts from the district courts (53 Trump nominees confirmed out of 677 total) to the appellate courts (34 out of 179) to the US supreme court (two out of nine). Put together they form a kind of conservative judicial revolution that could impact all aspects of American life.
Continue reading...Trump attacks ‘Wacky Nut Job’ Ann Coulter over border wall criticism
- President insults hard-right commentator and former ally
- Official: budget to include request for more wall money
Donald Trump will be making a significant request for border wall funds and seeking money to stand up his “Space Force” as a new branch of the military in the White House budget being released next week, an administration official said on Saturday.
Related: SXSW: Warren tells tech audience plan to break up giants is 'like baseball'
Continue reading...Trump’s private talks with Putin may contain clues to his Russia romance
Democrats say Trump’s attempts to conceal his conversations with the Russian leader raise questions about his motivations
Since Donald Trump was sworn in as president he has met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, five times. The details of their conversations remain unknown to the public, and in most cases even to senior administration officials.
Related: Trump inauguration took money from shell companies tied to foreigners
Continue reading...Bill Shine: ex-Fox News executive resigns as top Trump aide – live
- Shine to join Trump re-election campaign as senior adviser
- President tweets that Cohen ‘directly asked me for pardon’
- Sign up for the US briefing and get a new perspective
Donald Trump will host the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, at the White House on 19 March, press secretary Sarah Sanders just announced.
The pair will discuss “how to build a more prosperous, secure and democratic Western Hemisphere,” according to the White House statement, as well as “opportunities for defense cooperation, pro-growth trade policies, combatting transnational crime and restoring democracy in Venezuela”.
"President Donald J. Trump will welcome President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil to the White House on Tuesday, March 19, 2019" pic.twitter.com/YIIwZc4axH
Senator Kamala Harris, a leading Democratic presidential candidate, weighed in on Paul Manafort’s controversial 47 month sentence while campaigning in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina today.
“We are looking at further evidence in America’s judicial system of absolute unfairness,” Harris said in video captured by CNN. “People who commit white collar crimes – they should be prepared to bring their tooth brush and spend as much time behind bars as anybody else.”
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris responds to Manafort sentencing: "Absolute unfairness" in the judicial system https://t.co/nMyXQjVbke pic.twitter.com/f2BpAB4ksz
Continue reading...John Kelly says working for Trump was his ‘least enjoyable job’ – live
- Ex-chief of staff said Mulvaney should tell president ‘what he needs to hear’
- Paul Manafort to be sentenced Thursday afternoon
- Sign up for the US briefing and get a new perspective
Here’s our man! Trump offers a stout defense of his repeated payments to Michael Cohen, made after the latter paid two women “hush” money to not talk about alleged affairs with Trump.
Cohen has already been convicted of violating campaign finance laws by paying off actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
It was not a campaign contribution, and there were no violations of the campaign finance laws by me. Fake News!
So Michael Cohen could have talked himself into trouble with that very definite “no pardon” statement to the House oversight committee last week.
During the hearing Cohen was asked if he had requested a pardon from Donald Trump.
I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from Mr Trump.
During that time period, he directed his attorney to explore possibilities of a pardon at one point with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President Trump.
Continue reading...Michael Cohen gives new documents to House lawmakers
House intelligence chief hails ‘productive’ hearing as materials reportedly show edits by Trump’s legal team to Cohen’s past statement
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer provided the US House intelligence committee with new documents and may hand over more, the panel’s chairman said after a day-long hearing behind closed doors.
The Democratic representative Adam Schiff told reporters that Michael Cohen was cooperative and the eight-hour hearing was “very productive”. He did not say what the new documents related to and declined to comment on the substance of Cohen’s testimony.
Continue reading...Democrats target Trump Jr, Weisselberg and more as investigations grow
- Cohen hearing and co-operation turns up heat on Trump
- Nadler aims at ‘obstruction of justice’ and ‘abuse of power’
- If Trump loses, we know what to expect: anger, fear, disruption
Democrats in the House of Representatives are stepping up investigations into Donald Trump’s potentially impeachable acts of corruption, obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
Related: Democratic oversight is 'bullshit': Trump goes off-script at CPAC
Continue reading...