Trump would not intervene if Whitaker moves to curtail Mueller probe

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said in an interview aired on Sunday he would not intervene if Matthew Whitaker, his acting U.S. attorney general, moved to curtail Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

In an interview with the “Fox News Sunday” program taped on Friday, Trump also said he probably would not agree to a sit-down interview with Mueller, who also is investigating whether the Republican president’s campaign conspired with Moscow and whether Trump has unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe.

Whitaker took over supervision of Mueller’s investigation on Nov. 7 after Trump appointed him as the chief U.S. law enforcement official to replace Jeff Sessions, who the president ousted. Whitaker, who Democrats have called a Trump “political lackey,” in the past criticized the scope of the Mueller probe and brought up the possibility of undermining it by slashing Mueller’s funding.

Trump, in the interview, said he was unaware of Whitaker’s past statements about Mueller’s probe and that he would “not get involved” if Whitaker moved to curtail it.

-snip-

POLITICS NOVEMBER 18, 2018 / 10:57 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Amanda Becker
5 MIN READ


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia/trump-would-not-intervene-if-whitaker-moves-to-curtail-mueller-probe-idUSKCN1NN0LN

[empedocles]

1. 'Surprise!'

[Botany]

2. "Trump, in the interview, said he was unaware of Whitaker's past statements about Mueller's probe.."

So Trump doesn't watch Fox News?

[blugbox]

11. Right? Also what about

"Extreme vetting"

[SCantiGOP]

18. The ghost of Nixon needs to visit him

“Donnie, it wasn’t the crime, it was the cover-up.”

[Turbineguy]

3. That's obstruction too

Remember Donnie, "Act guilty!"

Maybe it's all part of the strategery. Donnie lies. Always. Therefore if he acts guilty, everyone will think, "He must be innocent!"

[jalan48]

4. Didn't he intervene when he appointed Whitaker?

[cstanleytech]

12. You mean when he unconstitutionally leapfrogged over others to appoint him

dont you?

[jalan48]

19. Yes-he's accusing others of doing what he does.

[RockRaven]

5. If Whitaker confines or constrains or denies Mueller anything he wants, Congress is notified.

That probably makes things worse for Trump (now that Dems will have the House) than just letting Mueller do his thing.

But Trump didn't get himself into this mess by knowing the rules and procedures and how best to avoid running afoul of them.

[Maeve]

6. Of course not! That's what he hired him to do

he just can't stop digging that hole he's in, can he?

[sandensea]

7. +1

Cheeto would only intervene if Whittaker, by some miracle, decided not to.

[Ccarmona]

8. Ya but McTurtle Said There's Nothing to Worry About Mueller's Future

So everything’s cool 😎

It will be interesting to see if the Supreme Court weighs in since there is a case pending in which Whitaker’s legitimacy was attached to the proceedings.

[red dog 1]

13. What McTurtle really meant was that there's nothing for TRUMP to worry about!

To quote Mike Malloy: "Have I told you how much I hate these people?"

[Iggo]

9. Duh. (n/t)

[malthaussen]

10. Imagine, people get paid to write stuff like this. n/t

[red dog 1]

14. Do the words "Constitutional Crisis" sound familiar?

[Mustellus]

15. Whitaker: "Mueller, stop the Russia Probe".....

Mueller: "Mr Whitaker, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice. You have the right to remain......

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

16. Of course not

[PSPS]

17. Hell, there would be champagne corks flying all over the white house!

[Takket]

20. duh

if fox had any journalistic integrity (they don't) after he said that they would have run the clip of him saying he was willing and anxious to talk to mueller, then ask him why he lied about that.

[olddad56]

21. trump has intervened and obstructed justice from the very beginning...

I'm sure that Chump is under a lot of pressure from his boss, Putin, to get this over before the truth can come out.