President Donald Trump's attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Joe diGenova and Jay Sekulow are showing confidence the Mueller reporter will yield favorable results if a summary is available this weekend. Trump is pictured at the Palm Beach International Airport on his way to spend time at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Friday
On the night that special counsel Robert Mueller delivered his final report from his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to Attorney General William Barr, President Donald Trump's closest advisers called it a win.
Mueller has not recommended any new criminal indictments at this time, according to a senior Justice Department official, deflating what some Democrats hoped would be a bad-news day for the White House.
Barr indicated it was possible that key members of Congress could know the report's bottom line by the end of the weekend.
'This is a grand slam for President Trump,' Joe diGenova, a former U.S. attorney who has advised Trump on the probe, said.
'If Barr says he can brief Congress by this weekend, that means he has nothing.'
Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow told Fox News on Friday that they are 'pleased that the Office of Special Counsel has delivered its report.'
Even with all the apparent joy over recent developments, Giuliani also said on Friday that Trump's legal team would like to see the report before any portions of it are made public, while members of Congress have urged Barr not to allow it.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller (left) handed over the report to Attorney General William Barr on Friday, and Barr said he may be able to brief Congress over the next couple of days. This prompted Joe diGenova (right), a former U.S. attorney who has advised Trump on the probe, to say, 'This is a grand slam for President Trump. If Barr says he can brief Congress by this weekend, that means he has nothing'
If there are no more indictments filed with federal courts, that means the president, his inner circle of present and former confidants and his family members are out of immediate legal jeopardy.
'This marks the end of the Russia investigation. We await a disclosure of the facts,” Giuliania said.
'We are confident that there is no finding of collusion by the president and this underscores what the president has been saying from the beginning -- that he did nothing wrong.'
'We are confident that there is no finding of collusion by the president and this underscores what the president has been saying from the beginning -- that he did nothing wrong,' attorney Rudy Giuliani (pictured) said on Friday
Trump attorney Jay Sekulow (pictured) joined Giuliani in telling Fox News on Friday that they are 'pleased that the Office of Special Counsel has delivered its report.' Sekulow is pictured in a file photo from October 2015
Without charges filed against additional people, the biggest pelts on Mueller's wall will remain former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, along with former Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen and former National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn.
The news of Mueller's final official actions swept through Washington in the flash of thousands of tweets just before 5:00 p.m. Friday, launching a political battle over what's in the report and how much will be made public.
The Justice Department notified leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees before announcing the end of a 22-month-long saga focused on still-unproven allegations that Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with agents of Russia to improve his chances in the election.
Trump, according to White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, has not seen any results from Mueller's investigation. White House lawyers Pat Cipollone and Emmet Flood were with the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort club in Palm Beach, Florida when news wires lit up.
How the news broke: This is the letter Bill Barr, the attorney general, sent to the chairs and ranking members of the Judiciary Committees, revealing the Mueller probe is over
In his hands: Attorney General Bill Barr now has the results of the almost two-year long Mueller probe into the 2016 election and whether Russia helped elect Donald Trump
What the White House says: Sarah Sanders said the president knows nothing of the contents of Mueller's probe
'The next steps are up to Attorney General Barr,' Sanders wrote in a tweet, 'and we look forward to the process taking its course.'
'The White House has not received or been briefed on the Special Counsel’s report,' she added.
Despite the reports Mueller would bring no additional indictments, there remained the possibility of indictments already sealed, or that another body such as the Southern District of New York wold bring indictments.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, told MSNBC there was a 'high probability' that could happen.
'I think there is a strong possibility of additional indictments, including president Trump's family,' Blumenthal said Friday evening.
'Maybe not by the Department of Justice, main Justice. But by other offices. I know that you want to stick to the Mueller report. But the Mueller report cannot be viewed in isolation,' the former prosecutor and Trump nemesis continued. 'Any more than an investigation, even though it may end, cannot lead to additional investigative leads and actions. And so I think there's a high probability of additional indictments.'
The president himself said Friday morning as he left Washington for Florida that he had no information about when Mueller might finish his work.
'I have no idea about the Mueller report,' he said, adding his standard assurance that 'there was no collusion,' between Trumpworld and the Kremlin, and that 'there was no obstruction' of justice in the White House.
'Everybody knows it. It's all a big hoax. ... I call it the witch hunt,' he said.
The 'highly respected' Barr, he added, 'ultimately will make a decision.'
Trump has said for more than two years that the Mueller probe was a politically motivated operation inspired by an unverified opposition-research dossier funded by the Democratic National Committee and his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton's campaign.
The special counsel's office has filed nearly 200 charges against 34 individuals — including six former Trump advisers and 26 Russians.
Seven of them have pleaded guilty to federal crimes. Judges have sentenced five of them.
The Mueller report promises to be the year's biggest partisan football in a city known for for tribal mudfights.
Senate Intelligence Committee ranking Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia pointed a finger at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and warned that '[a]ny attempt by the Trump Administration to cover up the results of this investigation into Russia's attack on our democracy would be unacceptable.'
Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Trump ally who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee until two months ago, said Friday that the Mueller report should end speculation about whether or not the president's campaign partnered with the Kremlin to deny Clinton the presidency.
'[T]hroughout this prolonged investigation, which cost tens of millions in taxpayer dollars and included aggressive surveillance tools, we still haven’t seen any evidence of collusion,' Grassley said.
He also called on Barr to 'provide Congress and the American people with the findings to finally put an end to the speculation and innuendo that has loomed over this administration since its earliest days.'
No let up: Trump repeated his anti-Mueller mantra on the White House lawn saying: 'There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. Everybody knows it. It's all a big hoax. It's all a witch hunt.'
Attack in the morning: Trump used an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network to claim that Mueller was the 'best friend' of James Comey, the FBI director the president fired
On Wednesday Trump told reporters that he would have no objection to the public release of Mueller's findings.
'I don't mind,' he said.
'Let it come out,' Trump declared. 'Let people see it.'
In his letter to Judiciary Committee chairs and ranking minority members, Barr said he is 'committed to as much transparency as possible.'
'I am reviewing the report and anticipate that I may be in a position to advise you of the Special Counsel's principal conclusions as soon as this weekend,' he wrote.
Barr added that he plans to consult with Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein to decide what information 'can be released to Congress and the public.'
The president's lawyers said they were happy to see Mueller bring the Trump administration's longest nettling saga to an end.
'We're pleased that the Office of Special Counsel has delivered its report to the Attorney General pursuant to the regulations. Attorney General Barr will determine the appropriate next steps,' Giuliani and Jay Sekulow said.
Mueller's report followed a series of signals that his expansive probe, which accumulated costs of $25 million through the end of 2018, was entering its final stages.
As Trump ramped up his rhetorical war on his own Justice Department, Mueller's prosecutors had begun to hand off critical cases to other jurisdictions, including the Southern District of New York and the District of Columbia — both of which can continue their work long after Mueller's office is shuttered.
Andrew Weissmann, one of Mueller's top prosecutors, took a job at New York University. The special counsel's office confirmed that Assistant U.S. Attorney Zainab Ahmad, another key Mueller deputy, had concluded his detail. And the senior FBI agent that was part of the team, David Archey, took a job overseeing the FBI field office in Richmond.
Rosenstein, who had planned to leave his post in mid-March, decided to remain a 'little longer.'
Mueller, a former FBI director, has been a quiet force in Washington since accepting the mission from Rosenstein in May 2017.
Rosenstein was the top DOJ official empowered to appoint him: Jeff Sessions, who was then the attorney general, unexpectedly recused himself from the Russia matter shortly after taking office because he had been a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign.
Trump shoved Sessions out the door in November.
Barr, who was previously the attorney general in the George H.W. Bush administration, took the reins of the Justice Department barely five weeks ago.
He now has the momentous responsibility of deciding which portions of Mueller's output can be released in a way that's consistent with federal law.
Mueller, a DOJ employee, is obligated only to submit his report to Barr. Congressional Democrats have consistently said they want to see his work in its entirety, however.
It's possible Barr could delicately thread a political needle by sending an executive summary to Capitol Hill and keeping the rest private.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell framed the Mueller probe as a broad look at Russia's documented attempts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, and sidestepped possible implications for the White House on Friday.
'Many Republicans have long believed that Russia poses a significant threat to American interests. I hope the Special Counsel’s report will help inform and improve our efforts to protect our democracy,' he said.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, both Democrats, were more aggressive.
'It is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress,' they said in a joint statement.
'Attorney General Barr must not give President Trump, his lawyers or his staff any "sneak preview" of Special Counsel Mueller's findings or evidence, and the White House must not be allowed to interfere in decisions about what parts of those findings or evidence are made public.'
'The American people have a right to the truth. The watchword is transparency,' they said.
Schumer told reporters that since 'the president himself has called without qualification for the report to be made public, there is no reason on God’s green earth why Attorney General Barr should do any less.'
Asked if Democrats will owe the president an apology if Mueller hasn't found any evidence of improper election-year behavior, Schumer hedged.
'I think we should wait for the full report to be made public before jumping to any conclusions,' he said.
Hand in your phones! How Robert Mueller leak-proofed his investigation by turning his entire D.C. office into a secret fortress and even kept its address away from prying eyes
By: Reuters
When members of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team investigating Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election arrived for work each day, they placed their mobile phones in a locker outside of their office suite before entering.
Operating in secrecy in a nondescript glass-and-concrete office, the team of prosecutors and investigators since May 2017 has unearthed secrets that have led to bombshell charges against several of President Donald Trump's aides, including his former national security adviser, campaign chairman and personal lawyer, who have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury.
To protect those secrets from prying ears, the whole of the office suite in southwest Washington was designated a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF), U.S. spy speak for an area that has restrictions to ensure secret information stays secure.
One common restriction in SCIFs is to keep out smartphones and other electronic devices, which can be turned into covert listening devices or spy cameras. Visitors were also required to turn these over before entering.
Ground zero: This is one of the buildings which house the offices used by the Robert Mueller team. The building is in Washington D.C. just southwest of the White House. Witnesses interviewed by Mueller said they were picked up at their lawyers' offices and whisked into a parking garage before being taken for questioning
The restrictions, while not surprising given the team was investigating whether a hostile foreign power tried to help Trump win the 2016 election and whether his campaign conspired in the effort, have not been previously reported.
Accounts of witnesses interviewed by the special counsel's team, their lawyers and others familiar with the investigation reveal the lengths to which Mueller, a former FBI director, went to ensure his high-profile probe safeguarded its secrets.
In a city known for its leaks, Mueller pulled off a rare feat. He kept a tight lid on both his office and the evidence he was amassing in his highly sensitive investigation that has cast a cloud over Trump's presidency. And he did it even as Trump relentlessly criticized him, calling the probe a 'witch hunt' and the special counsel's team 'thugs.'
When former Trump campaign adviser Michael Caputo agreed to an interview with Mueller in May 2018, he was told he would be picked up at the hotel where he was staying in Washington.
On the lookout for a black government SUV, Caputo and his lawyer were surprised when an FBI agent drove up in his personal car, a white Dodge Charger.
'Then he drove us 15 blocks to their location and we went in through the garage so that nobody would see,' Caputo said in an interview.
Caputo was questioned about former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, Manafort's aide Rick Gates and long-time Trump adviser Roger Stone. When the interview was over, Mueller's team told him they would take him back to his hotel. Caputo said Mueller's team was not happy with what he said next.
'I said I'm meeting a TV crew downstairs so I won't need a ride,' Caputo said. 'They weren't upset that I was talking to the media, they were disturbed that I was doing it in (front of) the office.'
'They were concerned ... that would put their agents and attorneys at risk,' Caputo said, adding that he agreed to meet the news crew at a different location nearby.
Former Trump campaign advisor Sam Nunberg said an FBI agent picked him up at the train station to take him to the office.
'You put your phone and any electronic devices and leave them in a compartment out front,' Nunberg added. 'It was a very plain office.'
Caught on camera: Andrew Goldstein, Mueller's lead prosecutor, was pictured outside the office used by the special counsel during a rainstorm on Thursday
Nunberg said he went into a conference room with three tables, and prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky, a member of Mueller's team, came in with three FBI agents, one female and two males.
The office's location was not publicly revealed but was discovered by journalists. Still, it has not been widely publicized. Mueller's team has asked media outlets not to publish the exact location for security purposes.
'We are working in a secure location in Southwest DC,' Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, has said.
'In a town where everybody and their mother is trying to get on the front page, Bob Mueller was always trying to stay out of the news,' said Mark Corallo, a former Justice Department spokesman. 'He wanted to be judged on actions, not press conferences.'
Corallo, who was briefly a spokesman for Trump's legal team, was interviewed by Mueller's team in February 2018.
Corallo and other witnesses summoned for interviews by Mueller's team said they were picked up from their lawyers' offices and taken to a secure parking garage in the building in southwest Washington.
The team's office suite was anonymous with no plaque on the door to identify its occupants, said Washington lawyer A. Joseph Jay, who represented a witness he declined to identify.
More than once, Jay recalled, members of Mueller's team expressed their commitment to confidentiality. 'They made it clear on a number of occasions, 'We don't leak. You don't have to worry about that with us.''
'By keeping to their code of silence, they were professionals,' Jay said. 'They weren't reacting to the spin. They were doing their jobs. They spoke through a number of indictments. They spoke through a number of sentencing memos.'
Mueller has remained silent throughout the investigation and his office has issued only one statement.
In that statement, issued this past January, spokesman Carr labeled as 'not accurate' a BuzzFeed News account describing evidence collected by the special counsel that allegedly showed that Trump had directed his former lawyer Michael Cohen to lie to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal. BuzzFeed has stood by its story.
Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, himself a former federal prosecutor, also remarked on Mueller staying out of sight.
'Whenever we talk to them, they say, 'We'll take it to Bob.' He's like the Wizard of Oz,' Giuliani said.
Giuliani said although he was suspicious of leaks to the news media, he acknowledged he knew of none for sure from the special counsel's team and that nothing he told Mueller's office was leaked.
'Mueller doesn't talk to us. I don't know why he'd talk to the press,' the former New York mayor added.
Joseph Campbell, a former assistant director of the FBI's Criminal Investigative Division who worked at the agency when Mueller headed it, said the special counsel knows how to handle sensitive investigations and ignores the attacks on him.
'He went through 12 years starting with 9/11 of extremely critical and sensitive investigations around the world,' said Campbell, referring to the 2001 attacks on the United States. 'This is right in his wheelhouse.'
'He is not affected by external criticism or speculation,' Campbell added.
Robert Litt, former general counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said any leaks about the investigation appeared to have come from witnesses or their lawyers.
'There's nothing he can do about that,' Litt said, referring to Mueller.
Litt said Mueller, the 74-year-old former U.S. Marine Corps officer and architect of the modern FBI, probably 'cares little about the public perception of him.'
'He cares,' Litt said, 'about doing the job right.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2019/03/23/presidents-closest-aides-say-they-are-confident-robert-muellers-report-will-find-no-collusion/
Main photo article
President Donald Trump’s attorneys Rudy Giuliani, Joe diGenova and Jay Sekulow are showing confidence the Mueller reporter will yield favorable results if a summary is available this weekend. Trump is pictured at the Palm Beach International Airport on his way to spend time at his ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/03/23/01/11348980-6841271-image-a-21_1553305888657.jpg
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