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216ac9fde2cbf70f4ae17b0c7c4adb57
US Mueller Politics Analysis (Lon NR)
AP Analysis: At the end of the Mueller process
Adam Schiff , Robert Mueller , Donald Trump , Eric Swalwell , Jerrold Nadler , Nancy Pelosi , Jair Bolsonaro , Michael Cohen
Elaine Kamarck, of the Brookings Institution says "we're pretty much at the end of this process" as she discussed the next steps in the special prosecutors Russia probe.
Kamarack, Senior fellow in the Governance Studies program as well as the Director of the Center for Effective Public Management , said on Tuesday that "The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors."
In a related story The Associated Press reports that President Donald Trump has been calling the Russia probe a witch hunt for two years.
But now, Trump and his allies are starting to see it as something potentially very different: a political opportunity.
Trump has grown increasingly confident that special counsel Robert Mueller's report will produce no clear evidence of a conspiracy between Russia and his election campaign.
A change is also underway among congressional Democrats, who had believed the report would offer damning evidence
Kamarack says "We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment."
1.Wide shot of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro walking out of White House into Rose Garden
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:
"It's not often that a president is subject to a special counsel and that means often that the findings of a special counsel could lead to something very dramatic like impeachment. Or it could just turn out to be a bunch of nothing. And so everybody was interested in this. Everybody was excited about it. The president himself was furious about it. But this is a big deal. We don't generally have investigations like this of sitting presidents."
3. Side shot of Trump speaking
"The only thing that really seems to remain is whether or not the president himself is guilty of some crimes and do those crimes constitute in the minds of the members of Congress, high crimes and misdemeanors, which is the constitutional issue for impeachment, and so we're sort of down to the end game here. I mean it looks like there was a rapid string of indictments, trials, etc. It's possible that one or more of the president's children or in-laws could get indicted but it's, we're pretty much at the end of this process."
5. Trump speaking
"The issue, though, is did the House and Senate, did the intelligence committees when they were controlled by Republicans ignore important pieces of evidence? The Democrats think they did. And so the Democrats will have to start their own investigation. They may find nothing as well."
7. STILL - The Capitol is seen in Washington as Congress returns to work following a week-long recess. A top House Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has threatened to call special counsel Robert Mueller to Capitol Hill, subpoena documents and sue the Trump administration if the full report on Mueller's Russia investigation is not made public.
8. STILL - House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, of California, left, and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., return to hear Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, testify before a closed-door session of the House Intelligence Committee, on Capitol Hill
"We're at a point where this is about to move unless there's some you know smoking gun. This is this investigation is about to move from the legal to the political and there, the Democrats are going to have to decide do we move forward with impeachment? Now, Nancy Pelosi has said, wisely I think, that probably not that. There's just not unless there's some blockbuster finding in the Muller report or someplace else. Probably not because bet we're almost at 2020. Let, it's cleaner, easier for democracy to let the voters decide."
10. STILL - House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., with Ranking Member Doug Collins
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow Brookings Institution:
"This investigation has taken place simultaneously with a very chaotic presidency and with a separate investigation into Donald Trump's business empire. Now it may not be impeachable to be a corrupt businessman. All you have to do is look at the Deutsche Bank story in today's (New York) Times and you can see that that's that's going to be a big story. But maybe it's not impeachable but it sure isn't desirable."
12. STILL - President Donald Trump walks along the Colonnade of the White House, towards the Rose Garden with visiting Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
Think tanks , Political organizations , Government and politics , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , Political corruption , Political issues , 2020 United States presidential election , United States general election , 2020 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order , Legislature , Impeachments , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , General elections
United States Congress, United States government, United States House of Representatives
555a72c87ec0cf716a63d9be8d269113
US Mueller Politics Analysis (CR)
Robert Mueller , Adam Schiff , Donald Trump , Jerrold Nadler , Eric Swalwell , Nancy Pelosi , Michael Cohen , Jair Bolsonaro
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , General elections , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , Impeachments , Political issues , Government and politics , Think tanks , Political organizations , Legislature , Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order , 2020 United States presidential election , United States general election , 2020 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Political corruption
d12a34a7d4aff70977814798c78508e7
US FL Trump Mueller Russia (Lon NR)
Trump: Radical Democrats 'want to destroy you'
Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton , Robert Mueller
President Donald Trump kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for the next four years.
Trump spent much of the first portion of his speech attacking the press, the political establishment and Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into Russian election interferrence.
Trump complained he had been "under assault from the very first day" of his presidency by a "fake news media" and "illegal witch hunt" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down.
And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of "un-American conduct" and telling the crowd that Democrats "want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it."
The apocalyptic language and finger-pointing made clear that Trump's 2020 campaign is likely to look a whole lot like his improbably successful runs four years ago.
And he appeared eager for a re-run of 2016, spending considerable time focused on his former Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who elicited ""Lock her up!" chants, even though she is not on the ballot.
Orlando, Florida - 18 June 2019
1. Wide shot of Trump on stage at rally
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:
"For the last two and a half years. We have been under siege. And with the Mueller report we won and now they want a do over. They want a do over. Let's do it again. Didn't work out too well. Let's do it again. They want to do over."
3. Cutaway of Trump supporters
"We went through the greatest witch hunt in political history. The only collusion was committed by the Democrats, the fake news media and their operatives and the people who funded the phony dossier, crooked Hillary Clinton and the DNC. It was all an illegal attempt to overturn the results of the election, spy on our campaign which is what they did and subvert our democracy. Remember the insurance policy just in case Hillary Clinton lost, remember the insurance policy."
5. Cutaway of Trump supporters chanting "Lock her up..."
"After two years, one point four million pages of documents, five hundred search warrants, five hundred witnesses, two thousand eight hundred subpoenas and 40 FBI agents working round the clock, what did they come up with? No collusion and the facts that led our great attorney general to determine no obstruction. No collusion, no obstruction and they spent 40 million dollars on this witch hunt, 40 million dollars."
7. Wide shot of Trump speaking
"The Democrats don't care about Russia. They only care about their own political power. They went after my family, my business, my finances, my employees almost everyone that I've ever known or worked with but they are really going after you, that's what it's all about. They tried to erase your vote, erase your legacy of the greatest campaign and the greatest election probably in the history of our country. And they wanted to deny you the future that you demanded and the future that America deserves and that now America is getting. Our radical Democrat opponents are driven by hatred, prejudice and rage. They want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it. Not acceptable. It's not going to happen."
9. Cutaway of Trump supporters applauding
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , General elections , 2020 United States presidential election , United States general election , 2020 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Political parties , Political organizations , Government and politics
Orlando , Florida , United States
45a2ca0f833d5e6f2d66a60b10659689
US FL Trump Mueller Russia
Donald Trump , Robert Mueller , Hillary Clinton
US President Donald Trump kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for the next four years.
Trump spent much of the first portion of his speech attacking the press, the political establishment and Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into Russian election interference.
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , General elections , 2020 United States presidential election , United States general election , 2020 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Government and politics , Political parties , Political organizations
8f37819731b7aa83f193f637bc953e92
US Manafort 2 (CR)
AP Debrief: Judge Jails Ex-Trump Campaign Chair
Paul Manafort , Donald Trump , Robert Mueller
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus099197
President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is going to jail.
On Friday, Manafort was ordered into custody after a federal judge revoked his house arrest, citing newly filed obstruction of justice charges. The move by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson made Manafort the first Trump campaign official to be jailed as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
"So this is a first Trump campaign aide to actually be put in jail as part of the special counsel's investigation, said Chad Day, a reporter with The Associated Press.
"Now, of course, this case doesn't deal directly with Russian election interference but still, this is the first time that we've seen someone who was close with Donald Trump during the campaign, as Paul Manafort was, and who actually led the campaign during several key months, and be sent to jail, Day said.
Already under intense pressure to cooperate with prosecutors in hopes of securing leniency, Manafort now loses the relative freedom he enjoyed while he prepared for two criminal trials in which he faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
In issuing her ruling, Jackson said she had "struggled" with the decision but she couldn't "turn a blind eye" to his conduct.
"Manafort's attorneys had argued that these were innocuous contacts, and that he actually didn't know that the people he had contacted were witnesses," Day said.
"The prosecution had countered that that's actually not a defense to witness tampering, and that it was, as they said, inconceivable that he didn't know that these people would be people that the prosecution would want to talk with," he said.
A federal grand jury indicted Manafort and a longtime associate, Konstantin Kilimnik, last week on charges of obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Manafort, 69, and Kilimnik are accused of attempting to tamper with witnesses in the case by trying to get them to lie about the nature of their Ukrainian political work. Prosecutors say Manafort and Kilimnik tried to get the two witnesses to say that lobbying work carried out by clandestinely paid former politicians only occurred in Europe and not the U.S., a contention the two witnesses said they knew to be false.
The distinction matters because unregistered foreign lobbying in the U.S. is a crime, while lobbying solely in Europe would be outside the special counsel's jurisdiction.
Manafort also pleaded not guilty to the latest indictment on Friday. Kilimnik, who prosecutors say is living in Russia, did not appear in court. Mueller's team has said that Kilimnik has ties to Russian intelligence agencies, a claim he has previously denied.
Manafort will remain in jail while he awaits trial in both Washington and Virginia over the next few months. He faces several felony charges - including tax evasion, bank fraud, money-laundering conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent - related to his Ukrainian political work, money he funneled through offshore accounts and loans he took out on property in the U.S.
Washington, DC - 15 June 2016
+++SOTS PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL PHOTOS+++
1. Still of Paul Manafort entering federal courthouse
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL PHOTO+++
"So we're here at the federal courthouse in Washington where a federal judge just issued an order that jailed Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman. Now the reason for this was that last week a federal grand jury here in Washington returned an indictment against him that accused him of obstruction of justice, particularly witness tampering. And so today the judge ruled that she could not find or craft any kind of order that would ensure that he would not continue to commit crimes while he was remaining out on house arrest. And so during this hearing today she took a brief recess considered it and came out and said that he in fact has to go to jail."
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chad Day, Associated Press +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED WITH STILL PHOTOS+++
"Manafort's attorneys had argued that these were innocuous contacts, and that he actually didn't know that the people he had contacted were witnesses. The prosecution had countered that that's actually not a defense to witness tampering, and that it was, as they said, inconceivable that he didn't know that these people would be people that the prosecution would want to talk with."
5. Still of Paul Manafort being scanned by security inside courthouse
6. Still of Paul Manafort at security checkpoint inside courthouse
"This is the first Trump campaign aide to actually be put in jail as part of the special counsel's investigation. Now of course this case doesn't deal directly with Russian election interference but still, this is the first time that we've seen someone who was close with Donald Trump during the campaign, as Paul Manafort was, and who actually led the campaign during several key months and be sent to jail."
Cleveland, Ohio - 17 July 2018
8. Still of Paul Manafort speaking to reporters at Republican National Convention
+++WHITE FLASH+++
10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Chad Day, Associated Press
"The main thing that this does is it ratchets up the pressure on Paul Manafort to cooperate with prosecutors. At this point, you know he's been fighting this case pretty vigorously, both here and also in a subsequent case in Virginia. And so, you know it's yet to be seen what, what impact this will have on his calculus of whether or not he should reach out to prosecutors and perhaps try to make some kind of deal."
Washington, DC - 14 February 2018
11. Still of Paul Manafort walking out of federal courthouse
Political parties , Political organizations , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , National courts , Courts , Judiciary , Government and politics , National courts , National governments , Obstruction of justice , Crime , General news , Republican National Convention , Law and order , United States presidential election , Political conventions , Elections , Presidential elections , National elections , Prisons , Correctional systems
1fe7ebbfc298096156f86f5d99baaa8f
US House Russia Investigation (Lon NR)
House GOP: Obama FBI 'prejudged' Trump's guilt
Hillary Clinton , Donald Trump , George Papadopoulos , Mark Meadows , John Ratcliffe , Robert Mueller
Republican congressional members say their meeting with former Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, backs up their belief that partisan bias has affected investigations at the Justice Department.
"These facts continue to lend themselves to the narrative that there were folks in the Obama FBI and Justice Department that prejudged Hillary Clinton's innocence, and prejudged Donald Trump's guilt or involvement with the Russian government and potential collusion," said Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe was one of a few lawmakers who attended an interview on Thursday with George Papadopoulos on Capitol Hill. Congress is currently on recess in the weeks before the November election. Republican and Democratic staffers were also in the room.
Papadopoulos, who triggered the Russia investigation, made his first appearance Thursday before congressional investigators.
Papadopoulos was sentenced in September to two weeks in prison as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe, was meeting in closed session with two GOP-led House committees. It is one of several interviews the GOP-led House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform panels are conducting as part of their investigation into partisan bias at the Justice Department.
Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries during the 2016 campaign. Since he was sentenced, he has been eager to talk publicly. He has spent many nights on Twitter, along with his wife, venting anger with the FBI and implying that he was set up in the investigation.
Papadopoulos, who served as a foreign policy adviser to Trump's campaign, has been a central figure in the Russia investigation dating back before Mueller's May 2017 appointment. He was the first person to plead guilty in Mueller's probe and the first Trump campaign adviser to be sentenced. His case was also the first to detail a member of the Trump campaign having knowledge of Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election while it was ongoing.
According to a sweeping indictment, Russian intelligence had stolen emails from Hillary Clinton's campaign and other Democratic groups by April 2016, the same month Papadopoulos was told by the professor, Joseph Mifsud, that Russian officials had told him they had "dirt" on Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails." According to a New York Times report last year, Papadopoulos then told the Australian diplomat, Alexander Downer, who tipped off the FBI.
Democrats have said the GOP investigation is an attempt to discredit Mueller's investigation.
Washington - 25 October 2018
1. Various of George Papadopoulos entering meeting with Congressional investigators
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. John Ratcliffe, (R) Texas:
"Justice is a blindfolded lady holding a set of scales. No one's finger is supposed to be on the scales and these facts continue to lend themselves to the narrative that there were folks in the Obama FBI and Justice Department that prejudged Hillary Clinton's innocence, and prejudged Donald Trump's guilt or involvement with the Russian government and potential collusion."
++SOTS SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Mark Meadows, (R) North Carolina:
"The facts that we are finding in here are astounding that we would allow this type of investigation to be embarked upon without any real solid foundation of collusion."
5. Meadows walks away
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , Crime , General news , Political parties , Political organizations , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , Campaigns , Law enforcement agencies , Legislature , Criminal investigations , Criminal investigations , Law and order , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election
Russia government, U.S. Republican Party, U.S. Department of Justice, United States government, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Congress
148c201414b10b30437e578349bedd66
US House Russia Investigation
Donald Trump , Hillary Clinton , Robert Mueller , John Ratcliffe , Mark Meadows , George Papadopoulos
Washington DC - 25 October 2018
Political parties , Political organizations , Government and politics , Crime , General news , United States presidential election , Legislature , Law enforcement agencies , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , Campaigns , Criminal investigations , Criminal investigations , Law and order , 2016 United States presidential election
Russia government, United States Congress, United States government, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Republican Party, U.S. Department of Justice
7839e15470687f1d0dfff68ca3fbf48d
US IN Trump Rifle Association
Trump: Angry Democrats want to take away your guns
Donald Trump , Robert Mueller , Melania Trump
President Donald Trump is launching his speech to the National Rifle Association with a recitation of grievances about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.
Speaking to the gun rights group's annual convention Friday, Trump said his political enemies "tried for a coup, didn't work out so well. And I didn't need a gun for that one, did I?'
The friendly audience applauded the quip, but Trump wasn't done. He said he's seen "corruption at the highest levels. A disgrace. Spying. Surveillance trying for an overthrow."
Mueller's probe found no evidence that Trump and his campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election.
But his report contained damning detail about Trump's efforts to shut down the investigation, fire Mueller and lie. Some Democrats say there's ample evidence of obstruction of justice.
Trump said Democrats are "obsessed with hoaxes, delusions and witch hunts." And in a pre-emptive attack against his 2016 Democratic challengers, Trump also claimed that Democrats "want to take away your guns.
And he told the thousands in the crowd: "You better get out there and vote," saying of the 2020 election, "It seems like it's a long ways away. It's not."
Trump also wished his wife, First Lady Melania Trump a happy birthday.
Indianapolis, Indiana - 26 April 2019
1. Donald Trump on stage, walking up to podium
"Well I want to thank Chris and Wayne. I'm thrilled to be here in Indiana with the men and women of the NRA. You are a great American patriots."
++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++
"And you see it now better than ever, with all of the resignations of bad apples, they're bad apples. They tried for a coup, didn't work out so well. And I didn't need a gun for that one, did I? All was taking place at the highest levels in Washington D.C. You've been watching, you've been seeing it. You've been looking at things that you wouldn't have believed possible in our country. Corruption at the highest level. A disgrace. Spying, surveillance, calling for an overthrow and we caught 'em. We caught em."
"America's future has never been brighter and yet Democrats have never been angrier. Especially now that their collusion delusion has been exposed to the world as a complete and total fraud."
"Democrats are obsessed with hoaxes, delusions and witch hunts, that's what they're obsessed with, that's what they want to do. And we can play the game just as well or better than they do. Far left radicals in Congress want to take away your voice, your jobs, your rights and they especially want to take away your guns, you know that. They want to take away your guns. You better get out there and vote. You better get out there and vote. It seems like it's a long ways away it's not. I was saying to Melania, our great first lady whose birthday it is today. Happy birthday Melania."
"In recent days, leading Democrats have proposed banning new guns and confiscating existing guns from law abiding citizens. What they don't tell you is the bad guys aren't giving up their guns. And you're not going to be giving up your guns, either."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
Political conventions , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , Political parties , Political organizations , Weapons laws and regulations , Government regulations , Gun politics , Human rights and civil liberties , Social issues , Social affairs , Gun politics , Political issues , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election
Indianapolis , Indiana , United States
70bb9e7903018e8f8c68f20e29720c77
US Mueller Republicans
Republicans react to Mueller testimony
Robert Mueller , Donald Trump , Devin Nunes , John Durham , Jim Jordan
House Republicans say Robert Mueller's testimony Wednesday uncovered no meaningful new information and that it's time to move on.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told press on Wednesday that "this should be the end of the chapter that we put America through."
The former special counsel testified before two Democratic-led committees that his two-year probe into Russian election interference did not exonerate President Donald Trump on obstruction.
The report described in detail 11 instances of potential obstruction, including Trump's attempts to restrain the investigation and have Mueller removed as special counsel.
But Republicans say Mueller did not find guilt, either.
Ohio Republican Jim Jordan also called for the continuous investigation to stop at the press conference in Wednesday.
Washington - 24 July 2019
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Kevin McCarthy, Republican Minority Leader:
"Good evening. Today was a historical day, I listened to the Speaker. It was a historical day because today is the day that we close the book on this investigation. It is time that America turns the page. It is time for America to move forward. The Democrats have to stop wasting time in trying to have a do-over of the 2016 Presidential election. For more than two years Democrats have obsessed about the Mueller investigation. Going as far as falsely accusing that they had evidence of collusion, which we found not to be true today."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Doug Collins, Republican Judiciary:
"I challenge the Democratic colleagues, get over the election of 2016. Run in 2020 if you want. This President has put forward a great economy. This President has put forward great ideas. Run on this, quit trying to dredge up a picture that today got painted, that said your investigation is over. Mr Mueller has done his job. He presented a report. Someone asked did you find out anything new? The answer is no. We've had the report for three months. And Mr Mueller simply said what was in the report."
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Devin Nunes, Republican Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence:
"I think what you see today is collusion between the Republican Party and the Trump campaign is over. There was no evidence. There was a dossier that was built and paid for by the Clinton campaign. That was the real collusion. You've had collusion through a British former MI6 agent who was working supposedly with Russian sources. We didn't get any new information on that today. But the Democrats have refused to accept reality, they live in an alternative universe."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jim Jordan, Republican Oversight and Government Reform:
"The investigation that matters, and I said this in today's hearing, actually the two investigations that matter most now, the one that Mr Horowitz is going to have completed here in a couple of months, and of course the one that the Attorney General has tasked John Durham the US Attorney to do, which is to look into how this whole three year saga began, that our country has now lived through for these three years. So those are the things that matter, and I look forward to hearing from that. But let's stop the continuous investigation into something that we've already spent three years on."
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
Political parties , Political organizations , Government and politics , Elections , Presidential elections , National elections , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Political conventions
U.S. Republican Party
76dc0e4e8af13f9feeddd55b7c7403a9
US House Amash Trump
GOP's Amash stands firm on Trump impeachment call
Donald Trump , Robert Mueller , Justin Amash
He was known in the Michigan statehouse as "Mr. No" for voting against some Republican legislation.
But now in Congress, on the question of whether President Donald Trump should be impeached, Rep. Justin Amash is the lone Republican saying "Yes."
In tweeted remarks over the weekend, Amash wrote that he's read special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Trump's conduct during and after the 2016 presidential election.
Mueller did not find evidence of conspiracy with Russia, but he revealed startling details about Trump's efforts to shut down the probe and made no recommendation on obstruction.
Amash did, becoming the only Republican in Congress to call for the House to formally charge the president.
Outside the Capitol Building Tuesday, Amash said he is "defending the Constitution."
The backlash from Republicans was swift and sharp against a congressman from a key state that Trump swiped from Democrats — by less than a percentage point — for the first time since the Reagan administration.
But Amash says the other members of his party should join him,
"I first want to make sure that everyone's read the report carefully and I'm not sure everyone has. So, you know in fact I'm confident that most of them have not. So I'd like to I'd like to have them do that first," Amash said Tuesday.
In his bid to keep the state in his column next year, Trump launched a weaponized tweet that could serve as a warning to other Republicans considering defying him.
Washington - 21 May 2019
1. Rep. Justin Amash walking outside U.S. Capitol
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Reporter, off camera:
"What do you think of other libertarians thinking that you should run for president now that you've spoken out against Donald Trump?"
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Justin Amash, R-Michigan:
"I'm not thinking about that right now. I'm defending the Constitution. That's, that's my job."
"Do you feel like you've kind of been left out from your other colleagues who aren't following your call for impeachment?"
"No I don't feel left out."
"Do you think that other people should be joining with you, others of your colleagues. What have your discussions been..."
"I think, I think I think they should. But, yeah I first want to make sure that everyone's read the report carefully and I'm not sure everyone has. So, you know in fact I'm confident that most of them have not. So I'd like to I'd like to have them do that first."
"What led you to speak out about this? I mean it has been at least a few weeks since the Mueller report came out. What made you decide to talk out now?"
"Well I took my time to review it carefully and analyze it carefully and I thought it was the appropriate time to make a comment."
Political conventions , Political parties , Political organizations , Government and politics , Impeachments , Political issues , Legislature , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , United States presidential election , 2016 United States presidential election , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections
United States Congress, United States government, U.S. Republican Party
3f89c1c832fe165769b7633b4e4ece29
US House Amash Trump (Lon NR)
Political conventions , Impeachments , Political issues , Government and politics , Political parties , Political organizations , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Legislature
U.S. Republican Party, United States Congress, United States government
602127f90f276e64d3986d0f0c5f3eae
US House Amash Trump (CR)
Robert Mueller , Donald Trump , Justin Amash
1. Re. Justin Amash walking outside U.S. Capitol
"What do you think of other libertarians thinking that you should run for president now that you've spoken out against Donald Trump."
"What led you to speak out about this. I mean it has been at least a few weeks since the Mueller report came out. What made you decide to talk out now."
Political conventions , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , Legislature , Impeachments , Political issues , United States presidential election , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , 2016 United States presidential election , Political parties , Political organizations
202c5dd065f7d3fd86bd9ec561380a5f
US House Mueller Reax (CR)
Republicans and Democrats: 2 takes on Mueller
Robert Mueller , Nancy Pelosi , Donald Trump , Jerrold Nadler , Kevin McCarthy , Adam Schiff , Doug Collins , Devin Nunes , Richard Nixon
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, following Mueller's testimony, is making some of her strongest comments yet about the House possibly proceeding with impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
Pelosi says a "cone of silence" from the White House that's not providing documents and witness testimony "will not prevent us from going forward." She adds, "In fact, it's even more grounds to go forward."
Pelosi tells reporters she wants "the strongest possible hand" by continuing the House's court actions aimed at forcing White House cooperation.
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House:
"We want to have the strongest possible case to make a decision as to what path we will go down and that does, is not endless in terms of time or endless in terms of the information that we want. But if it comes to a point where the cone of silence and the obstruction of justice and the cover-up in the White House prevents us from getting that information, that will not prevent us from going forward. In fact, it's even more grounds to go forward."
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Republican Minority Leader:
"It was a historical day because today is the day that we close the book on this investigation. It is time that America turns the page. It is time for America to move forward. The Democrats have to stop wasting time in trying to have a do-over of the 2016 Presidential election."
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York:
"Today was a watershed day in telling the facts to the American people. With those facts we can proceed and we face a time of great danger. Richard Nixon said he thought that the president was a dictator. He said if the president does it, that means it's not illegal. President Trump echoed that yesterday. He said under Article 2 'I' that is he can do anything I want. That is a totalitarian picture, not a democratic picture. The United States must be saved from this."
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Doug Collins, (R) Georgia:
"I challenge the Democratic colleagues, get over the election of 2016. Run in 2020 if you want. This President has put forward a great economy. This President has put forward great ideas. Run on this, quit trying to dredge up a picture that today got painted, that said your investigation is over. Mr Mueller has done his job. He presented a report. Someone asked did you find out anything new? The answer is no."
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California:
" But there are two juries in an impeachment there is the jury which is the Senate which decides removal from office. And then there is the jury that is the American people and I'm most concerned about the jury that is the American people. And before we embark on a course as significant to the country as the impeachment of a president I want to make sure that we can make that case to the jury of the American people."
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Devin Nunes, (R) California:
Political conventions , Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Political corruption , Political issues , Legal proceedings , Law and order , General news , Impeachments , Political parties , Political organizations
U.S. Democratic Party, U.S. Republican Party
8695fffc623dc40186517ff36226fccd
US House Election Report 2
US Democrats and Republicans battle over inspector general's election report
Donald Trump , Elijah Cummings , Robert Mueller , Christopher Wray , Trey Gowdy , Rod Rosenstein , Bob Goodlatte , Jerrold Nadler , Hillary Clinton , James Comey
House Democrats and Republicans battled over the recently released Justice Department's IG report on the FBI and the 2016 election during a Capitol Hill hearing Tuesday.
The report, authored by Michael Horowitz, blasted FBI actions during the 2016 investigation into whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, had mishandled classified information on her private email server when she was secretary of state.
Republicans have become increasingly skeptical of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Trump's Republican presidential campaign.
They've been saying they're not convinced by the report's conclusion that the decision to spare Clinton from criminal charges was free from bias, or by reassurances that the problems were limited to just a handful of employees
"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second," said Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina.
"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation," said Republican colleague Bob Goodlatte of Virginia.
"It confirms that Mrs Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation," Goodlatte said.
Democrats, however, battled back.
"Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we opened an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?" said Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler.
"The Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this," added Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland.
Monday, Horowitz appeared with FBI Director Christoper Wray before a senate panel.
Wray said that the FBI is determined to not repeat any of the mistakes identified in the watchdog report.
Days earlier, President Donald Trump asserted the report exonerated him.
"There was no collusion. There was no obstruction," the president told reporters. "And I think that the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited."
Although the report criticized former FBI Director James Comey for multiple decisions that investigators said broke from protocol. But the inspector general said it found no evidence that political bias affected the outcome of the investigation.
And the report focused only on the FBI's actions during the 2016 election, not the Mueller investigation.
1. Wide of House lawmakers on dais at hearing
2. Mid of Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz at witness table
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina
"There were FBI agents and attorneys who decided to prejudge the outcome of the Hillary Clinton case before the investigation ended. I want you let that sink in for a second. They prejudged the outcome of the Hillary Clinton investigation before the investigation ended, and these exact same FBI agents and attorneys prejudged the outcome of the Russian investigation before it even began."
4. Mid of lawmakers on dais
5. Mid of Horowitz at witness table
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York
"Why is it that after the Department of Justice and the FBI concluded they should not charge Secretary Clinton with a crime, rather than accepting the conclusion as we would in most criminal cases, the judiciary and oversight majorities launched an investigation into the Department of Justice and the FBI? Why is it that after you released this report, Mr. Horowitz, some of my colleagues seriously suggested that we open an investigation into your investigation, of the investigation?"
8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Bob Goodlatte, (R) Virginia
"The IG's report has spawned more questions and more theories about the FBI and DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation. It confirms that Mrs. Clinton did in fact receive special treatment from the Obama Justice Department and FBI during their investigation."
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland:
"The Republicans point to some individual expressions of bias, and these are facts the inspector general already revealed. Instead the Republicans are now tripling down threatening to impeach Rod Rosenstein and Christopher Wray for somehow obstructing their efforts to get to the bottom of all of this."
11. Wide of lawmakers on dais
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order , Impeachments , Political issues , Judicial elections , Judiciary , Judicial elections , Political parties , Political organizations , House elections , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections
U.S. Department of Justice, United States government, U.S. Democratic Party, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Republican Party
ce78be4d1326d086953ac654c2bb9922
US House Election Report 2 (CR)
House Dems, GOP Battle Over IG's FBI Report
James Comey , Elijah Cummings , Bob Goodlatte , Trey Gowdy , Donald Trump , Jerrold Nadler , Rod Rosenstein , Robert Mueller , Christopher Wray , Hillary Clinton
+++WHITE FLASHES BETWEEN SOUNDBITES+++
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Trey Gowdy, (R) South Carolina +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED WITH BROLL+++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D) New York +++SOT PARTIALLY COVERED WITH BROLL+++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Elijah Cummings, (D) Maryland:
Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , House elections , Elections , Government and politics , Impeachments , Political issues , Judicial elections , Judiciary , Judicial elections , Political parties , Political organizations , Presidential elections , National elections
U.S. Department of Justice, United States government, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Republican Party
11995cd6ba4e8e07c77bf73ae90e5a47
US House Election Report 2 (Lon NR)
Trey Gowdy , Elijah Cummings , Robert Mueller , Christopher Wray , Jerrold Nadler , James Comey , Donald Trump , Bob Goodlatte , Hillary Clinton , Rod Rosenstein
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , Political parties , Political organizations , Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order , Special Counsel investigation into Russia's interference in 2016 U.S. Elections , Impeachments , Political issues , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , House elections , Judicial elections , Judiciary , Judicial elections
U.S. Department of Justice, United States government, U.S. Republican Party, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of State
a8e5e4b4664594b4e4e34f81de9c6aac
US Trump House Reaction
Dems slam Giuliani, push for Trump's tax returns
Robert Mueller , Joe Biden , Donald Trump , Rudolph Giuliani , Richard Neal , Kevin Brady , Adam Schiff
Democrats denounced on Friday a plan by President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, to urge Ukraine to open investigations that could benefit Trump politically.
Giuliani is expected to travel to Kiev to push for two investigations. One is the origin of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference. The other is the involvement of 2020 rival Joe Biden's son in a gas company owned by a Ukrainian oligarch.
"It's stunning that the Trump administration is going down the same tragic path they did in 2016 seeking help from a foreign government again to influence an American presidential election. It's appalling," said Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Schiff said Trump allies were indicating, "'We're going to do everything short of what's downright criminal. Ethics don't matter. Patriotism doesn't matter.'
Giuliani has pushed back against the criticism. Meanwhile, Congress continues to debate a number of investigations targeting the Trump administration, which are being led by Democrats in the House of Represenatives.
House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal suggested that he would make his next move in his push to acquire Trump's tax returns soon. Neal's demand for the returns is about to head to federal court.
The top republican on the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady said he wrote to Rep. Neal "cautioning him against trying to compel the president's private tax returns either by subpoena or by lawsuit."
1. Schiff walking to reporters
2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Adam Schiff, (D) California
"It's stunning that the Trump administration is going down the same tragic path they did in 2016. Here you have the president's lawyer seeking help from a foreign government, again to influence an American presidential election. It's just appalling. And his defense that he's not seeking a foreign government's help in the election, just an investigation -- yes, it's an investigation designed to affect one of the candidates they fear the most, Joe Biden, and I think it's reprehensible. Giuliani said, 'Well, some people may think it's improper', all Americans should think this is improper. Do we really want to take the country down this path again of getting a foreign government involved in our presidential politics? And it seems to me that what Giuliani is saying and what others, Brad Parscale, and others in the Trump campaign are saying is we're going to do everything short of what's down right criminal. Ethics don't matter anymore. Patriotism doesn't matter anymore. And if that's where we are as a country then we're in deep trouble."
3. Rep. Richard Neal walks down US Capitol Steps as he responds to questions from reporters UPSOUND: (English) Rep. Richard Neal, (D) Massachusetts (Responding to reporter question on if he's informed his members about how he plans to proceed on obtaining Trump's tax returns) "They will all know this afternoon. I've given some hints to them but I've been careful until House Counsel finishes the documents that you'll know in the next couple of hours. (Reporter: Since the subpoenas haven't been going well do you think you'll go straight to the courts?) I can't control that. The attorney said, no a reporter said to me 'can't you tell the courts what to do?' Well it doesn't work that way."
4. Neal walking down steps of Capitol
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Kevin Brady, (R) Texas:
"I sent a letter to Chairmen Neal today essentially cautioning him against trying to compel those, the president's private tax returns either by subpoena or by lawsuit. Again, this is a very dangerous precedent to be setting. The president's exactly right to be fighting this because if Democrats can obtain the president's tax returns for purely political reasons, nothing can stop them in obtaining any American that they view as a political enemy in obtaining and making public those returns as well. That's why this is dangerous."
(Reporter: Do they have any legal standing to do this?) "The question is how do you compel them. So, I don't know what their legal strategy is going to be. My letter was to essentially caution them and basically request that they stop this compulsory process because I think it leads ultimately to a Supreme Court fight and, frankly, distracts from the work we ought to be doing on drug pricing, on surprise billing, on retirement security, a number of those issues."
Political conventions , Government and politics , Elections , Presidential elections , National elections , 2016 United States presidential election , United States presidential election , Personal taxes , Personal finance , Business , Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order , Political parties , Political organizations
92d31627c5959508bdb8e10be2c356e4
US House FBI Strzok (Lon NR)
GOP Grills FBI Agent who said he'd 'Stop' Trump
Mark Meadows , Robert Mueller , Hillary Clinton , Donald Trump
An FBI agent who worked on separate investigations into Democrat Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump's campaign testified behind closed doors to two House committees Wednesday as GOP lawmakers stepped up efforts to highlight what they say is bias at the Justice Department.
Peter Strzok exchanged anti-Trump texts with a colleague, FBI attorney Lisa Page, as both worked on the Clinton investigation and briefly on special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into ties between Trump's campaign and Russia. House Republicans have seized on the texts as part of investigations into the Justice Department, the FBI and decisions that both made during the 2016 presidential election.
In one of the texts, from August 2016, Strzok wrote, "We'll stop it," in reference to a potential Trump election win.
Mark Meadows, one of the most vocal critics of the Justice Department, said as he walked into the interview that he had several questions about the beginning of the Russia investigation in 2016 and informants used to question Trump campaign staff.
"Ultimately you cannot have bias within the FBI and DOJ and expect justice to be meted out equally," Meadows said.
The barrage of GOP criticism against the Justice Department comes just a few months before the midterm elections, and amid intense sparring between the parties over the FBI's role in the Russia probe. The House could vote as soon as Thursday on a resolution demanding the department hand over thousands of documents that Congress has requested by July 6. The resolution was approved by the House Judiciary Committee.
1. FBI Agent Peter Strzok walks through Rayburn House office building
"Well, I think that we should have actually been a little bit more deliberate bringing him here. We've had to collect documents. One of the problems is we're still getting documents from DOJ (Department of Justice) that really are a predicate to this interview. We have documents that we've requested from DOJ that they continue to hold onto, that they will not give us. You know that we got text messages the day of the IG (Inspector General) hearing. Now it's time for DOJ and FBI to be transparent. But it's also time for the American people to see the truth. Hopefully, they will be able to do that. We'll have hours of interviews today to get to the bottom line. But, ultimately, you cannot have bias within the FBI and DOJ and expect justice to be meted out equally. And so hopefully we'll rid the FBI of any inherent bias."
3. Various of meadows speaking with reporters
4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rep. Mark Meadows, (R) North Carolina: (referring to texts between Strzok and Lisa Page)
"If you have intimate personal conversations between two people, that normally would show the intent more so than perhaps something that would be said out in public."
5. Reporter asking Meadows question
Presidential elections , National elections , Elections , Government and politics , United States presidential election , Political parties , Political organizations , Judicial elections , Judiciary , Judicial elections , 2016 United States presidential election , Criminal investigations , Crime , General news , Criminal investigations , Law and order
U.S. Department of Justice, United States government, U.S. Republican Party, United States House of Representatives, United States Congress, U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation