In Interview, Trump Expresses Anger at Sessions and Comey, and Warns Mueller
Source: NYT
WASHINGTON President Trump said on Wednesday that he never would have appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions had he known Mr. Sessions would recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation that has dogged his presidency, calling the decision very unfair to the president.
In a remarkable public break with one of his earliest political supporters, Mr. Trump complained that Mr. Sessionss decision ultimately led to the appointment of a special counsel that should not have happened. Sessions should have never recused himself and if he was going to recuse himself he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else, Mr. Trump said.
In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, the president also accused James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired in May, of trying to leverage a dossier of compromising material to keep his job. Mr. Trump criticized both the acting F.B.I. director who has been filling in since Mr. Comeys dismissal and the deputy attorney general who recommended it. And he took on Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel now leading the investigation into Russian meddling in last years election.
Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned that investigators would cross a red line if they delve into Trump family finances unrelated to Russia. Mr. Trump never said he would order the Justice Department to fire Mr. Mueller, nor would he outline circumstances under which he might do so. But he left open the possibility as he expressed deep grievance over an investigation that has taken a political toll in the six months since he took office.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-interview-sessions-russia.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=65596145&pgtype=Homepage
Vinca
(50,267 posts)FakeNoose
(32,634 posts)I'm sure Robert "Bobby Three Sticks" Mueller is enjoying his job now.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)wishstar
(5,268 posts)both Obama and Trump were briefed back in January before Trump's inauguration about Russian hacking during campaign and that the Steele dossier was being investigated as it alleged compromising info on Trump.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)the dossier filled with trumps "exploits in Russia" and the Russian hookers pp video.
That was turned over to the FBI about a week before the GE. The Republicans knew about that dossier forever, for some reason they didn't use it against their man or turn it over to authorities.
brush
(53,765 posts)not to mention his poor physical condition and bad eating habits.
Bet he's looking for a way out that saves face.
machoneman
(4,006 posts)would be a great way right now for him to go, once again skipping any and all responsibilities, as usual.
brush
(53,765 posts)Amaryllis
(9,524 posts)brush
(53,765 posts)God!
WhiteTara
(29,704 posts)SergeStorms
(19,193 posts)Orin stupid Hatch.
WhiteTara
(29,704 posts)sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)The president is trying to normalize his crimes by releasing progressively more incriminating info, a little at a time. So eventually the bombshell seems normal.
And any news outlet that repeats the president's words unchecked is complicit.
CNN should be putting onscreen "sanctions" and "Magnitsky" every time Trump or Putin says "adoption".
SergeStorms
(19,193 posts)more chocolate cake. The BEST chocolate cake, that is.
Turbineguy
(37,319 posts)After Ken Starr and the Whitewater Investigation, the rules changed. The case can go anywhere.
These things can come back to haunt the GOP.
tinrobot
(10,895 posts)I think "adoptions" is the code word for "money laundering."
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)And it's journalistic malpractice for CNN/NYT not to say "adoptions (restricted by Putin in response to sanctions" every time they repeat the dumb adoption TrumpPutin talking point.
mopinko
(70,082 posts)emulatorloo
(44,116 posts)Trump's so good at letting things slip and exposing himself like that.
I doubt Mueller's intimidated by Mafia Donald's threats. If there are financial crimes, they'll be exposed.
Tanuki
(14,918 posts)of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart."
madaboutharry
(40,208 posts)He thought Sessions was going to serve as his protector and halt any investigation into all things Russia.
That was suppose to be Sessions' job, protecting Donald Trump. And he says it out loud to the NYT.
JenniferJuniper
(4,510 posts)that the moron would say this sort of stuff out loud.
We're in danger every second he's in power.
benfranklin1776
(6,443 posts)These are the comments of an unhinged megalomaniac who is losing whatever tiny threads of mental baling wire there were keeping him from a full scale Captain Queeg meltdown. As the pressure mounts from the revelations of the investigations and his gross personal incompetence laid bare for all to see , his rants grow exponentially in their derangement due to his impotent rage at not being able to lie, thug out, or use his lawyers to intimidate or cover up his way out of his growing Everest like mountain of criminal liability. It will only get worse as he feels constrained by no law or moral principle.
MyOwnPeace
(16,925 posts)Loses it all!
Truly, I see it coming.................
Maeve
(42,279 posts)Or are you...chicken, man-cub? Brawk...brawk....
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)dawnie51
(959 posts)and that made the whole operation bullet proof. He is so stupid he can't shut up. I pray every day that these traitors get what they deserve.
nikibatts
(2,198 posts)PEOPLE PLEASE WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!
iluvtennis
(19,850 posts)PdxSean
(574 posts)Dunno which is better, your chops or your tweets. Leaning towards your chops, 'cause then you don't have to pause to hit "send."
C_U_L8R
(44,998 posts)and he confirmed his tax returns are full of nefariousness.
Go for it, Director Mueller !!
turbinetree
(24,695 posts)"Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned that investigators would cross a red line if they delve into Trump family finances unrelated to Russia."
You are under investigation for TREASON assh*le, your son and "all" of your f*cking associates are under investigation for TREASON .
You really need to get a blackboard and write down 500 times ,yes I am under investigation for TREASON, no hired help but you zippy.
And 65 million and counting want answers to your TREASON, before your worthless do nothing Congress sells off the entire country to the Russians-----------what a d*ck.
Dark n Stormy Knight
(9,760 posts)well enough for me.
However, even though the Rs screamed TREASON about Obama's every move, including his tan suit, we have to remember that we're not at war with Russia, so, technically, it actually isn't treason Trump is being investigated for.
MelissaB
(16,420 posts)Wow. Just wow.
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)The president has identified Haberman as a journalist he can trust to repeat his words unchallenged. That's why he gives all his big interviews to Haberman at the NYT.
Haberman is more responsible for normalizing Trump than any other single journalist. So much for a 'liberal' press.
Haberman's stories should say (lie) and (Russia spy and moneylaunderer met with Jr) and (sanctions) and (Sessions' recusal after lying to Congress is entirely normal).
The stories should say those things after every lie the president tells.
At this point I can't tell if Haberman wants to retain access to 45 (i.e. venality) or whether she's not smart enough to realize how he's using her. (Using her to destroy American democracy, I might add).
kairos12
(12,852 posts)TomSlick
(11,097 posts)I'm also betting on a blanket pardon for the cabal.
Docreed2003
(16,858 posts)Did our Dipshit in Chief really just say that, mere days after the election, he was looking for loyalists to block any Russian investigations???
enough
(13,256 posts)[
.99center
(1,237 posts)If Trump believed the allegations in the dossier were false, why would he worry about it being used as leverage?
GulfCoast66
(11,949 posts)What an arrogant idiot.
It's all about his Russian dirty money ties.
pangaia
(24,324 posts)At that point, people need to stop obeying him.
Mueller and all his team just keeps working.
ginnyinWI
(17,276 posts)that really WILL be crossing a red line. He'll be all alone from then on.
moonscape
(4,673 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,128 posts)Link to tweet
I know she's controversial, and wonder if she mostly likes the attention, but
this is a real doozer
byronius
(7,394 posts)madaboutharry
(40,208 posts)Steven K Bannon has not been charged nor convicted of any crimes. She seems like a nutcase.
Stand and Fight
(7,480 posts)How in the world is she still reported as a source about this? Almost NOTHING she has said has panned out.
Snake Plissken
(4,103 posts)ananda
(28,858 posts)That in itself is a crime and an impeachable offense!
iluvtennis
(19,850 posts)MedusaX
(1,129 posts)His demonstrations of power...
Backhanded message to McCain about HC vote
Threatens senator at the dinner/meeting-
Now a 3 for 1...
Humiliate Sessions ... implying the only reason he was picked was to protect *45 and now he has wimped out
Whine about Comey / Rosenstein causing Mueller to be brought in
Then threatning Mueller with a Red line not to be crossed....
What a fucking insecure little wannabe OG.
FFS
NRaleighLiberal
(60,014 posts)Marcuse
(7,479 posts)Mr. Trump said Mr. Mueller was running an office rife with conflicts of interest and warned that investigators would cross a red line if they delve into Trump family finances unrelated to Russia.
Mrs. Overall
(6,839 posts)benld74
(9,904 posts)enid602
(8,614 posts)...cross a red line if they delve into tRump family finances unrelated to Russia ...
How can you seperate his finances from Russia?
OldRedneck
(1,397 posts)No doubt, immediately upon hearing Trump telling him to "stay away from my finances," Mueller called all his investigators and told them Trump's finances are off limits. Right??
Let's see:
MUELLER: Bronze Star for Valor, two Navy Commendation Medals, Purple Heart.
TRUMP: Bone spurs.
quakerboy
(13,919 posts)Trump family finances that are unrelated to Russia. Perhaps if he'd released his tax returns and financial info, and then had actually put the money into a blind trust, one might think there might be.
But seeing as none of that has happened, the credibility of the implication is very low.
peggysue2
(10,828 posts)Of how the United States Government works. Sessions was left with no alternative but to recuse himself because the Justice Department is suppose to be independent of allegiances/alliances to anyone, including the President. This is the same vow Trump was seeking from Comey and was miffed when he didn't get it. It is why he thinks he can threaten Congress critters and Senators. They Don't Work for Him or His Personal Interests because he's not King, not an Emperor or a frigging CEO.
I strongly believe that at some point, the Trumpster will fire Mueller because, of course, he and his team will be looking at the Trumpster family finances. They're all under investigation and the trail of money laundering and hinky real estate deals is a perfectly legitimate direction to follow wherever it takes the investigative team. That's what investigative teams do--investigate, turn over rocks, expose dark corners, reveal unpleasant facts.
I agree with Charles Pierce who's on with Joy Reid right now. In the end, we're going to find out this was all about money for Trump and his cabal. They sold their souls for cash because it's the only thing they really care about.
Duppers
(28,120 posts)He's forcing Sessions and Rod Rosenstein out. He will fired Mueller and the acting director of the FBI.
Republicans will not do anything in way of standing up to him whatsoever.
Martial Law will be declared if we organize protests.
What can we do? This is Nazi Germany 1932!!
I'm sick.
moonscape
(4,673 posts)election? There was so much WaPo/NYT/Newsweek reporting on his businesses, money laundering, (lack of) charity, missing billions, etc. His whole life was about money, not policy, about grifting, not producing or creating or serving.
There's truly nothing else it could be. No other way it could have turned out. It's all he knows, all he is.
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)paleotn
(17,911 posts)He really doesn't understand what's transpiring. He has no real clue how our government, checks and balances and oversight works. It just doesn't compute in his tiny, pea brain.
Stuart G
(38,419 posts)for whatever reasons.........
sharedvalues
(6,916 posts)45 speaks, Haberman transcribes his lies and prints them. She's more responsible for Trump getting away with crimes than almost any single American outside his campaign.
Here's what the article should say:
Sessions should have never recused himself and if he was going to recuse himself he should have told me before he took the job and I would have picked somebody else, Mr. Trump said.
(Sessions' recusal was for lying to the Senate, and is appropriate given his lies were about meeting an alleged Russian spy)
Stuart G
(38,419 posts)or, it is clear Mueller will expose Trumps financial dealings as part of the investigation to prove it was part of Jared's talk with the Russians...
It won't matter....cause the resulting crisis will destroy Trump. He doesn't know it, but this isn't some business,.. it is top level national politics. If Nixon couldn't find his way out, and he was very experienced in crap, then there is no way Trump will. If Trump would shut up, he might, repeat, might have a chance.
But that is like saying it won't snow ever again any parts of Alaska....
alwaysinflux
(149 posts)...has been asked to turn over all their records on Trump accounts. This is probably what's behind his threat to Mueller regarding his finances.
LudwigPastorius
(9,137 posts)Mr. Mueller, question Trump under oath. It almost doesn't matter what you ask him, he's going to lie. It's simply his nature.
Once he's perjured himself, he's out and we can get this 6-month-long national nightmare behind us.
GP6971
(31,141 posts)with the NYT? After all, they're fake news.
Generic Brad
(14,274 posts)By the end of this week he will fire everyone involved in the investigation and reorganize the government so that everyone answers to him. Putin gave him his marching orders and he is going to execute.
We are entering the most dangerous phase of this presidency.
Leghorn21
(13,524 posts)Stephen Miller, Sessions ex-assistant/Bannon's sidekick/seriously ghoulish minister of propaganda?
Hmmmm
Ccarmona
(1,180 posts)His words sure are leaning towards that fact.
SunSeeker
(51,550 posts)MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...con man and THUG!
PEACE!
Marcuse
(7,479 posts)wherein, post Nixon, the FBI Director really reports directly to the President and that the new FBI Director, Wray, is really good.
This is unsustainable. He's losing it.
gordianot
(15,237 posts)He kicked his old dog Beau his last friend on the porch as he stumbled out the door.
world wide wally
(21,740 posts)NastyRiffraff
(12,448 posts)He's like a wounded animal, lashing out at everyone he perceives is against him. In doing so, he's actually hurting himself. Does anyone think Jeff Sessions, after being publicly humiliated, will risk perjuring himself to save Donald Trump?
MissMillie
(38,553 posts)Of course he's so stupid he doesn't know that
SergeStorms
(19,193 posts)Never give ANY Attorney General a REASON to recuse himself. M'kay......Mr. Trump?
Rule #2. YOU don't decide when an investigation is necessary. Dip shit.
Rule #3. Never accuse or threaten ANY member of ANY United States Security Agency of a "witch hunt". That' s just dumb.
Rule #4. Stop whining and crying like a teething toddler. It's SOOOO un-Presidential, jerk-off.
They must be getting close to the mother-lode. Trump is ramping up his attacks on everything. Again, as is his habit, not ONE WORD about HIS culpability in ANY of this "witch-hunt". Paraphrasing Mr. Shakespeare's Queen Gertrude, "The Orange Dip-Shit doth protest too much, methinks ".
Volaris
(10,270 posts)There ARE no family finances that don't involve russia, that's kinda the whole fucking point of about half the investigation.
Does NO ONE who works for him understand these things?
Fire Three Sticks; see what happens (hot tip--nothing good).
He's going to 'defend himself' right the hell into a federal fucking penetentiary.
Oh well.