Giuliani: Mueller’s team told Trump’s lawyers…

Special counsel Robert Mueller III's team told President Donald Trump 's lawyers recently that prosecutors do not believe they can charge a sitting president with a crime under Justice Department guidelines, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday. The special counsel's conclusion signals that it would be left to Congress to address any finding of wrongdoing by Trump in the investigation.

From the desk of… Trumpa s options narrow as the show reaches its climax

The ongoing made-for-TV spectacle of the Trump administration has more shocks and plot reverses than the most elaborate professional wrestling extravaganza. An endless parade of louche, comic-opera figures out of New York tabloids - Michael Cohen, Roger Stone, Rudy Giuliani, The Mooch! - keeps millions of Americans awake nights, wondering what absurdities Trump will bring us next.

Who Lost Russia?’ Isn’t Just an Academic Debate

These days, Russia is merely a big football for Americans. There's little demand for nuance, as some old Russia hands complained to Keith Gessen for his excellent article  published in the New York Times Magazine over the weekend.

Letitia James avoids interim AG spot after Schneiderman firing

While the Legislature this week will consider candidates to fill out the remaining term of disgraced former Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, the bigger fight promises to be over which candidates will appear on the ballot. New York City Public Advocate Letitia James was believed to be the favorite of the Legislature for the interim appointment, but she ultimately didn't apply.

News 9 Mins Ago Democrats decry Trump plan to cut $15B in unused funds

House Democrats are criticizing Republicans for rushing to vote on President Donald Trump's plan to roll back $15 billion in previously approved spending for children's health insurance and other programs. GOP leaders say lawmakers could vote as soon as next week on the plan to "rescind" funding leftover from previous years.

EXCLUSIVE: Email Debunks A Key Detail Of NYT’s Profile On Scott Pruitt’s Security Head

An email casts doubt on a key detail of The New York Times's profile on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's former head of security - a detail that impugned the impartiality of a top official in the EPA inspector general's office. Pruitt's former security head Nino Perrotta and Assistant Inspector General Patrick Sullivan were "spotted drinking beers together at Elephant & Castle, a bar across the street from the EPA headquarters," despite "concerns" raised over Perrotta's "oversight of Mr. Pruitt's security," The New York Times reported in April.

Rage, then hope, over Eric Schneiderman: #MeToo is working – at least on the left

It's been seven months since a New York Times story about movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's long history of sexual abuse kicked off the movement that pushed Tarana Burke's #MeToo campaign to prominence, but the outing of powerful men for sexual harassment and abuse shows no real signs of slowing down. Despite claims from some , such as liberal writer Jonathan Chait, that seeing stories of such treatment reported is a "big win" for women because of all the attention it brings them, the reality is that for most women, supporting #MeToo brings a large amount of stress.

White House defends Melania Trump’s ‘Be Best’ plan in copying Obama-era booklet

White House swings back at critics who say her Be Best campaign to promote kids' well-being copied a booklet by the Obama administration. White House defends Melania Trump's 'Be Best' plan in copying Obama-era booklet White House swings back at critics who say her Be Best campaign to promote kids' well-being copied a booklet by the Obama administration.

President Trump Is Growing Increasingly Frustrated With Rudy Giuliani, Report Says

President Donald Trump is growing increasingly irritated with lawyer Rudy Giuliani's frequently off-message media blitz, in which he has muddied the waters on hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels and made claims that could complicate the president's standing in the special counsel's Russia probe. Trump has begun questioning whether Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, should be sidelined from television interviews, according to two people familiar with the president's thinking but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.

Giuliani fails to impress pro-Trump media

Laura Ingraham was in the midst of a vigorous defense of White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday night when the Fox News host said this: "Trump needs a legal spokesperson, which he doesn't have at this point." Giuliani is President Trump's lawyer and has been speaking for Trump - or trying to - almost nonstop since last Wednesday, when he appeared on Sean Hannity's Fox News show and disclosed that the president reimbursed attorney Michael Cohen for a $130,000, pre-election payment to silence porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims to have had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago.

Giuliani not ruling out chance of Trump taking the Fifth

President Donald Trump's new attorney, Rudy Giuliani, won't rule out the possibility that the president would assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in the swirling Russia investigation. "How could I ever be confident of that?" the former New York City mayor and U.S. attorney said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

President Trump knew about Stormy Daniels payment months before he denied it, report says

Questions about the payment resurfaced after Rudy Giuliani said the president repaid Michael Cohen for money given to Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump. President Trump knew about Stormy Daniels payment months before he denied it, report says Questions about the payment resurfaced after Rudy Giuliani said the president repaid Michael Cohen for money given to Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

President Trump knew about Stormy Daniels payment months before…

Questions about the payment resurfaced after Rudy Giuliani said the president repaid Michael Cohen for money given to Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump. President Trump knew about Stormy Daniels payment months before denial, 'New York Times' reports Questions about the payment resurfaced after Rudy Giuliani said the president repaid Michael Cohen for money given to Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump.

President Trump’s Changing Story on the Stormy Daniels Payment Blindsides White House Aides

President Donald Trump insisted Thursday his reimbursement of a 2016 hush payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels had nothing to do with his election campaign. But the surprise revelation of the president's payment clashed with his past statements , created new legal headaches and stunned many in the West Wing.

Best of Late Night: Jimmy Fallon Says Maybe Rudy Giuliani Should Be Paid Hush Money

Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night's highlights that lets you sleep - and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If you're interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

Trump’s new ‘Stormy’ story stuns many in West Wing

But the surprise revelation of the president's payment clashed with his past statements, created new legal headaches and stunned many in the West Wing. White House aides were blindsided when Trump's recently added attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said Wednesday night that the president had repaid Michael Cohen for $130,000 that was given to Daniels to keep her quiet before the 2016 election about her allegations of an affair with Trump.

Trump says – retainer’ to lawyer covered porn star payment

President Donald Trump said Thursday reimbursement to his personal lawyer for hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels was done through a monthly retainer and "had nothing to do with the campaign." On Twitter, Trump says his personal attorney Michael Cohen received a monthly retainer "from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA."

Trump reimbursed Cohen for $130K payment to Stormy Daniels: Giuliani

Former New York City Mayor and Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani told Fox News on Wednesday night that the president has reimbursed his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Add Donald Trump as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Donald Trump news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

Ex-lobbyist helped plan scuttled Pruitt trip to Australia, emails show

A Washington consultant who has lobbied for foreign governments in the past helped the Environmental Protection Agency prepare for a trip that administrator Scott Pruitt and his staff were to take last year, according to emails obtained by the Sierra Club and subsequently CBS News. According to those internal EPA emails, first reported by the New York Times , Matthew Freedman, the CEO of the firm Global Impact, Inc., was closely involved in the details of planning the trip, in which Pruitt was supposed to meet with Australian officials about environmental issues.