The stories you want. The opinions that matter.
No, thanks
Tag: michael dowd
Trump Lawyer’s Newly Released Voicemail Was Evidence In Obstruction Probe

Trump Lawyer’s Newly Released Voicemail Was Evidence In Obstruction Probe

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

A voicemail from President Donald Trump’s attorney John Dowd to one of Michael Flynn’s lawyers was presented as evidence in the obstruction of justice probe conducted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and on Thursday, the government finally made the recording public.

In the voicemail to lawyer Robert Kelner, which Flynn handed over to Mueller as part of his cooperation agreement, Dowd seems to suggest that the former national security adviser and aide to the president might have damaging information about Trump. Dowd also reminds Flynn of the “feelings” the president has for him.

Read the transcript:

Hey, Rob, uhm, this is John again. Uh, maybe, I-I-I-‘m-I’m sympathetic; I understand your situation, but let me see if I can’t … state it in … starker terms,” the message to Rob Kelner said. “If you have … and it wouldn’t surprise me if you’ve gone on to make a deal with, and, uh, work with the government, uh … I understand that you can’t join the joint defense; so that’s one thing. If, on the other hand, we have, there’s information that … implicates the President, then we’ve got a national security issue, or maybe a national security issue, I don’t know … some issue, we got to-we got to deal with, not only for the President, but for the country. So … uh … you know, then-then, you know, we need some kind of heads up. Um, just for the sake of … protecting all our interests, if we can, without you having to give up any … confidential information. So, uhm, and if it’s the former, then, you know, remember what we’ve always said about the President and his feelings toward Flynn and, that still remains, but — Well, in any event, uhm, let me know, and, uh, I appreciate your listening and taking the time. Thanks, Pal.

Dowd has denied that the voicemail shows any wrongdoing on his part. However, it could be viewed as part of a string of instances in which the president seemed to dangle pardons and help to witnesses in the Mueller probe in an effort to prevent them from testifying, which may constitute a crime.

Listen to the voicemail below:

Mueller Warned Trump’s Legal Team He Can Subpoena The President

Mueller Warned Trump’s Legal Team He Can Subpoena The President

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Special counsel Robert Mueller warned President Donald Trump’s legal team that he could subpoena the president to testify before a grand jury if he refuses to appear voluntarily, according to a report from the Washington Post.

The remarks reportedly came in early March at a meeting described — unsurprisingly — as “tense.” Carol Leonnig and Robert Costa report that Trump’s legal team said the president had no obligation to answer Mueller’s questions — which were published in summary Monday by the New York Times.

“You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States,” Trump’s lawyer John Dowd reportedly said. Dowd since resigned from the president’s legal team.

Shortly after the Post broke the story, Reuters confirmed that Mueller raised the possibility of a subpoena, citing Dowd as the source for the story.

If Mueller attempts to subpoena the president and Trump tries to resist, the conflict could lead to a historic legal battle over the prerogatives of the presidency.

Most legal experts believe that a president can be forced to testify. However, the Supreme Court has never directly answered the question, and Trump may be inclined to fight it out in the courts. If push comes to shove, Trump might think he’s better off trying to fire Mueller — or perhaps even to defy the Supreme Court.

Cody Fenwick is a reporter and editor. Follow him on Twitter @codytfenwick.

IMAGE: A view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Was Leaking Mueller’s Questions Another Obstruction By Trump Team?

Was Leaking Mueller’s Questions Another Obstruction By Trump Team?

Reprinted with permission from Shareblue.com.

Is this what happens when the White House is reduced to hiring the C-team for legal defense?

Rocked by the resignation of his lead criminal defense attorney, Trump recently spent weeks being rejected by would-be legal hires who wanted nothing to do with having Trump as a client.

Trump finally got Rudy Giuliani to come aboard, even though he’s never been a defense attorney and hasn’t practiced courtroom law in decades.

In what some are suggesting may be one of Giuliani’s first acts on Trump’s behalf, dozens of questions that special counsel Robert Mueller allegedly wants to ask Trump in person were leaked to the New York Times.

The questions, which focus on the Russia investigation and potential obstructions of justice, paint a devastating portrait in terms of the legal jeopardy Trump faces on so many fronts.

“This is obviously a very extensive obstruction of justice investigation,” noted CNN analyst Jeffrey Toobin about the leaked questions on Tuesday.

But making them public may have only added to the White House’s woes.

John Dean, Richard Nixon’s former White House counsel, told CNN he thought the move represented an obstruction of justice as an attempt to “try to disrupt the flow of information” or tip off a witness.

“The very fact that the questions are out there, my first reaction, suggesting it could be an act of obstruction to just have released these questions,” Dean said.

There’s a growing consensus that Trump’s side leaked the questions. They may have done it to try to create an image of an investigation that was out of control, allowing Trump to rail against it — which of course he did.

Or it may have been leaked to send a public signal to Trump that the investigation is deadly serious and that he faces enormous legal peril if he agrees to sit down with Mueller.

Publicly, Trump has bragged he has nothing to hide. But most legal analysts think Trump agreeing to answer Mueller’s questions for hours on end would be madness, since Trump has a well-earned reputation as a unstable liar.

Trump’s former defense attorney, John Down, reportedly opposed any effort by Trump to meet with Mueller. Dowd abruptly resigned in March, upset that Trump would not listen to his legal advice.

The Times reports that Dowd quit one week after seeing Mueller’s now-leaked laundry list of questions.

Smart move.