The special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election—and the possible involvement of the Trump campaign or associates thereof—continues to move along, and not in the direction the White House would prefer. The Washington Post reported Wednesday night that the investigation, led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, is “widening” to determine whether or not President Trump obstructed justice and interfered in the FBI’s investigation.
“Five people briefed on the interview requests, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said that Daniel Coats, the current director of national intelligence, Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, and Rogers’s recently departed deputy, Richard Ledgett, agreed to be interviewed by Mueller’s investigators as early as this week,” reported the Post.
Then, on Thursday, the Post broke the news (which THE WEEKLY STANDARD has confirmed) that Vice President Mike Pence had hired an outside lawyer to handle any inquiries about the special counsel. “I can confirm that the Vice President has retained Richard Cullen of McGuire Woods to assist him in responding to inquiries by the special counsel,” said Jarrod Agen, Pence’s communications director, in a statement. “The Vice President is focused entirely on his duties and promoting the President agenda and looks forward to a swift conclusion of this matter.”
There’s nothing we know so far to suggest Pence has committed any wrongdoing or is a subject of the investigation. Cullen, Pence’s new lawyer, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
But the fact that the vice president has hired counsel underscores the seriousness of Mueller’s investigation. Any senior White House or administration official with any connection to the probe—Pence was a figure in the decision to fire national security adviser Mike Flynn, who is under investigation—may be reconsidering the advice from President Trump’s own personal counsel, Marc Kasowitz, and lawyering up themselves. That list could very well end up including the president’s own son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
On Twitter Trump Blasts Russia Investigation
President Trump responded to these developments throughout the day Thursday—on Twitter, of course.
“You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history – led by some very bad and conflicted people!” Trump tweeted shortly before 8 Thursday morning.
Later in the day, Trump accused investigators and detractors of operating under a double standard.
“Why is it that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealing with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are?” he tweeted Thursday afternoon. “Crooked H destroyed phones w/ hammer, ‘bleached’ emails, & had husband meet w/AG days before she was cleared- & they talk about obstruction?”
The tweets didn’t seem to be the end of the administration’s defensive response to the latest reports on the Mueller investigation. The Department of Justice issued this statement from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Thursday night: “Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous ‘officials,’ particularly when they do not identify the country – let alone the branch or agency of government – with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated. Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations. The Department of Justice has a long-established policy to neither confirm nor deny such allegations.”
Trump Sued Again Over ‘Emoluments’
And now for a different, more manageable legal problem for the president. 196 Democratic members of Congress filed a federal suit against Trump on Wednesday, accusing him of conflicts of interest relating to his business empire.
The suit follows a similar one filed on Monday by the attorney generals of Maryland and the District of Columbia. Both suits take issue with Trump’s continued association with the Trump Organization, which manages much of the real estate bearing the Trump brand.
The relevant clause in Article I of the Constitution states that “No person holding any Office or Profit or Trust under [the United States] shall, without the Consent of Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” According to an advance copy of the legal complaint obtained by the Washington Post, the suit will attempt to establish a congressional check on Trump’s business contacts by asking the court to prevent the president from “accepting any benefits from foreign states without first obtaining Congressional consent.”
A Presidential Message at the Congressional Baseball Game
Thursday night’s annual congressional baseball game—just one day after House Republican whip Steve Scalise was severely injured by a gunman at the GOP team’s practice in Virginia—had a record-setting crowd at Washington’s Nationals Park. President Trump recorded a message for the charity game, in which he also named the other victims of the shooting: a congressional staffer, a lobbyist, and two Capitol police officers.
The Democratic team won the game, 11-2.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the score of the Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.
