Office of Special Counsel

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Trump Aides Get Subpoenas Over Krebs' Firing

Cybersecurity chief disagreed with his boss about the 2020 election results

(Newser) - White House aides to former President Donald Trump have received subpoenas from special counsel Jack Smith, apparently in connection with the firing of the government cybersecurity official who didn't pronounce the 2020 presidential election rigged. Christopher Krebs, who was the Trump administration's chief cybersecurity official at the time...

Trump Workers Might Have Practiced Moving Boxes of Files

Prosecutors collect evidence indicating classified files were kept in the open in Mar-a-Lago office

(Newser) - Federal investigators have information that two employees of former President Donald Trump moved boxes of papers at Mar-a-Lago the day before FBI agents arrived to seize classified documents. People familiar with the case also said Trump and his aides held a "dress rehearsal" for moving sensitive papers before a...

Special Counsel Subpoenas Pence in Trump Investigations

Jack Smith wants information on interactions with former president

(Newser) - The new special counsel in charge of the investigations of former President Donald Trump has subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence. The office of Jack Smith, who was appointed in November, has been negotiating with Pence's lawyers for months, ABC News reports. Prosecutors want documents and testimony concerning the...

Trump-Era Special Counsel Loses First Test in Court

Former Clinton attorney Sussmann acquitted of lying to the FBI in regard to Russia probe

(Newser) - A lawyer for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign was acquitted Tuesday of lying to the FBI when he pushed information meant to cast suspicions on Donald Trump and Russia in the run-up to the 2016 election. The case against Michael Sussmann was the first courtroom test of special counsel...

13 Trump Aides Broke Law By Mixing Politics, Jobs: Report

Meadows, Kushner are included as violators after investigation

(Newser) - At least 13 former Trump administration officials violated the law by mingling campaigning with their official government duties, according to a new federal investigation, the AP reports. The report from the Office of Special Counsel says the officials broke the law without consequence and with the administration's approval as...

Psaki Says Sorry for Possible Breach: 'Words Certainly Matter'

Ethics watchdog says press secretary shouldn't have promoted Va. gubernatorial contender McAuliffe

(Newser) - President Biden's camp is going all in for support of Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, but one member of that team is now getting dinged for not lying low. Reuters reports that the nonprofit watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has called for an...

Trump Mulls Sidney Powell for Top Job at 'Raucous Meeting'

Trump considered naming her special counsel to probe voter-fraud allegations

(Newser) - Sidney Powell, special counsel to oversee voter-fraud allegations? Trump discussed the idea at a raucous White House meeting Friday night and met with some resistance, insiders tell the New York Times . Rudy Giuliani, who attended by phone, spoke out against it. So did White House counsel Pat Cipollone and chief...

Hunter Biden Says He Is Facing Federal Investigation

US Attorney's office in Delaware is looking into his tax affairs

(Newser) - Hunter Biden, son of President-elect Joe Biden, confirmed Wednesday that his tax affairs are under federal investigation. "I learned yesterday for the first time that the US Attorney's Office in Delaware advised my legal counsel, also yesterday, that they are investigating my tax affairs," he said in...

Ousted Official Says Trump Wanted to 'Flood' NY With Drug

Rick Bright has filed a whistleblower complaint

(Newser) - America's fight against the coronavirus has been hindered by incompetence and corruption, according to the ousted head of the government unit in charge of preparing for pandemics. Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, filed a whistleblower complaint Tuesday, alleging that he was demoted...

Trump: 'I Saw What He Did to People'

To no one's surprise, Trump says Mueller was 'not very good'

(Newser) - President Trump responded to Robert Mueller's congressional testimony shortly after it wrapped up on Wednesday, CNN reports. One hot topic: Mueller saying he agreed that most of the president's written answers to the probe were untrue. "I don't know whose answers weren't—I guess his...

Justice Dept. Tells Mueller to Limit Testimony to His Report

His official statement 'will be the Mueller report itself'

(Newser) - Robert Mueller is due to testify before Congress in nationally televised hearings Wednesday—but America may not hear anything new from the former special counsel. A Justice Department official tells Politico that the department has told Mueller to restrict his testimony to the portions of his 448-page report on Russian...

White House Won't Allow Kellyanne Conway to Testify

House committee is reviewing her alleged Hatch Act violations

(Newser) - The White House said Monday it will not allow presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway to appear before a House committee looking into allegations that she repeatedly violated a federal law that limits political activity by government workers. The White House refusal, outlined in a letter from White House lawyer Pat Cipollone,...

What to Expect When the Mueller Report Drops

Democrats are already seething that document will be 'lightly redacted'

(Newser) - Lawmakers will finally get their hands on Robert Mueller's report Thursday—and the battle lines have already been drawn. Sources tell the Washington Post that the 400-page report will be only lightly redacted, allowing readers to see a "blow by blow" account of why President Trump was suspected...

Ex-Obama Aide Indicted on Charges Connected to Mueller Probe

Greg Craig accused of lying about Ukraine lobbying work

(Newser) - Former Obama administration White House counsel Greg Craig was indicted Thursday on charges of making false statements and concealing information in a Justice Department foreign lobbying investigation that intersected with the Russia probe, the AP reports. Craig was charged in a two-count indictment that accuses him of willfully concealing material...

'Massive Win' for Trump: 7 Takes on Mueller Report

One big question was unanswered

(Newser) - Attorney General William Barr released his summary of Robert Mueller's findings Sunday, and reactions split predictably along party lines. According to Barr, Mueller found no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, but did not exonerate him on allegations of obstruction of justice. President Trump and his...

House Unanimously Votes for Mueller Report to Be Released

House passes non-binding resolution calling for report to be made public

(Newser) - In a unanimous 420-0 vote Thursday, the House passed a resolution calling for special counsel Robert Mueller's report to be made public once it is complete. Though Democrats and Republicans alike overwhelmingly supported the non-binding measure, four Republicans did vote "present," and one explains to the Hill...

Here's the Latest Sign Mueller Probe May Be Wrapping Up

Top prosecutor Andrew Weissmann is leaving, sources say

(Newser) - A top prosecutor on Robert Mueller's team is stepping down from the special counsel's office and the Justice Department, the latest sign that the Russia probe may be nearing its end, NPR reports. Andrew Weissmann, who took the lead on Paul Manafort's prosecution, will go back to...

Mueller Report Could Come as Early as Next Week: Sources

Sources say DoJ is preparing to receive the report soon

(Newser) - The special counsel's Russia investigation is wrapping up after nearly two years. Sources tell CNN the Justice Department is preparing for Robert Mueller's report to come in as early as next week, after which Attorney General Bill Barr will submit a summary of the confidential report to Congress....

Mueller Triple Whammy Involves 2 Old Names, Plus a New One

News from special counsel's probe on Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and now Sarah Sanders

(Newser) - How long will Paul Manafort go to prison for? If Robert Mueller has his way, a "long, long time," Vox notes, per a "harsh" sentencing memo filed by the special counsel's office Friday. In the memo, Mueller agreed with a probation department's recommendation that the...

Mueller: Files Given to Russian Firm Were Leaked Online

His office says hackers tried to discredit probe

(Newser) - Robert Mueller's office says materials it provided to the defense team of a Russian company ended up being altered and leaked online as part of a disinformation campaign to discredit his investigation. In a court filing Wednesday, the office said more than 1,000 files posted in October by...

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