Trump’s Call To Whitaker Strengthens Mueller’s Obstruction Case

From Left: President Donald Trump, Ranking House Intelligence Committee Member Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), House Freedom Caucus Members Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) – (AP Photo)

Rantt Rundown, Day 761 of Trump’s presidency – Today’s top stories:

1. The case for obstruction of justice: Over the last two years, the American people have watched as President Trump and House Republicans publicly and brazenly attempted to obstruct Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s attack on US democracy. Today, The New York Times published a must-read report that laid out the sequence of events in the most detailed manner we’ve seen thus far. In the piece, they also included new details that reveal President Trump’s early obsession with who would run the Southern District of New York’s attorney’s office didn’t end. Here are the key highlights from the report:

• Whitaker revelation: President Trump reportedly called then-Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and tried to see if he could get Trump ally Geoffrey S. Berman to be placed at the head of the Southern District of New York’s (SDNY) investigation into Trump. Berman had already recused himself. Even Fox News’ legal analyst Judge Napolitano said that this request appears to be “an attempt to obstruct justice” and demonstrates “corrupt intent.” This is important because one of President Trump’s first moves as POTUS was to fire then-SDNY prosecutor Preet Bharara after he denied Trump’s attempts to befriend him. The SDNY’s probe into Michael Cohen and Trump’s hush money payments, as well as New York’s other probes into the Trump Organization and Inaugural Committee, have now become some of Trump’s chief legal worries. House Democrats are reportedly looking into whether Whitaker committed perjury by telling the House Judiciary Committee he was never pressured over investigations concerning the president.
• A chronological look at obstruction: The New York Times outlined the last two years of obstructive moves on the part of President Trump and his allies. From Trump’s efforts to end the FBI’s investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, his firing of FBI Director James Comey, his efforts to fire Mueller, to his attacks on former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, it’s all covered. The piece also discusses the conduct of Trump’s allies in the House who helped Trump take his assault on the rule of law to the next level. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) were especially key congressional allies in the President’s perpetuation of endless conspiracy theories that were subsequently debunked. The Times also made a potentially damning mention of Trump’s TV lawyer Rudy Giuliani coordinating with Paul Manafort’s lawyer and discussions of a potential pardon.
• More than 1,100 attacks on the Russia investigation: The New York Times counted up the number of times President Trump has publicly attacked the Russia investigation and the total was staggering.

Whether or not you are a supporter of President Trump or, in spite of all the mounting evidence, believe he has committed no crimes, it is indisputable that he has conducted himself like a guilty man.

2…

This is only a partial version of our Rantt Rundown newsletter. To get the full newsletter breaking down the top 5 stories of the day in your inbox every weeknight, please subscribe below.

Rantt Media’s comprehensive articles source reporting from top news organizations, but they’re also built on brilliant analysis from our team. We are independently-owned and strive for quality, not clicks. But the only way to truly have a media for the people is for media to be funded by the people. We take pride in being reader-funded so that we are beholden to you, not corporate interests. If you like the work we do, please consider supporting us by signing up for a monthly subscription.