Even with all the redactions it is fascinating, well-organized, clearly written, and, most surprising to me, a real page-turner. The final, four-page version faulted Comey's judgment and conduct, his handling of the Clinton email investigation, and his failure to more aggressively prosecute leakers. We've spent too much time fixating on whether Trump is guilty and not enough time being like holy shit the Russians systematically spread misinformation and there's literally nothing in place to stop them from doing it again ok I'm done with political postingI’m not going to rate or review this one because of the political nature of this document. "To back this up, Rosenstein was asked that evening to prepare a letter, in essence, confirming the official tale. On August 22, in another Trump would eventually admit in November 2018 that discussions about the Moscow Tower deal had continued throughout his campaign.

Headed by Michael Cohen, the organization's executive vice president and Trump's personal lawyer, these discussions had continued through much of 2016, even as Trump had repeatedly denied any business dealings with Russia.

He made two copies, one for his senior leadership team and the other for his own files. The White House released a statement saying that while he had the power to fire the special counsel, he had "no intention to do so. The lawyer advised her not to do it. He tapped the Russian agent Konstantin Kilimnik to serve as a go-between with Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire with whom he had a legal dispute over unpaid fees, and several Ukrainian oligarchs, offering them the campaign's internal polling data and promising a sympathetic ear in a Trump White House. "What do you want to do?" It had been a last-minute invitation, which Comey felt improper. Rogers' deputy later said it was the most unusual thing he had experienced in four decades of public service, peculiar enough for him and Rogers to do what Comey and others had begun doing; they wrote a memo about the call and locked it in a safe.As with most of the others, Rogers had not been given an order. The attorney general said he intended to follow his ethics lawyers' recommendation.

"When Flynn and McFarland spoke, she told him the incoming administration did not want Russia to escalate the situation. Comey's status was under review at the Justice Department anyway, and Trump had a meeting scheduled with Sessions and Rod Rosenstein, his deputy, that very evening. He called Cohen's years of service to him "a liability" and branded him a "Rat. Robert Mueller and his team write clearly and thoroughly. A Princeton-educated decorated Vietnam veteran, he had served as a US attorney and successfully prosecuted the bombers who downed Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega.

If they largely failed, it is not owing to any lack of willingness on Trump's side. He had been warned months earlier by Trump's transition team about premature contacts with Kislyak.He texted someone who was with the president-elect in Mar-a-Lago — an aide to K.T.

His step back was unequivocal. Even with the redactions it is terrifying and damning.A very long legal memorandum. The Russian government engaged in a large-scale disinformation and hacking campaign to disrupt America’s 2016 election. He passed a typed copy of the statement to Rick Dearborn, a senior White House aide, and asked Meanwhile, Sessions had changed his mind: He would not resign. "Denial hadn't worked. Please put those doubts aside and READ THIS REPORT. "Their second meeting took place at a White House reception for law-enforcement officials two days after the president took his oath. This is the end of my presidency. They had met on two previous occasions.

Hillary's emails also play a role in this, as the report indicates the Russians promised the Trump campaign access to her emails. But now, in late December, a new problem appeared.Obama, serving out the last weeks of his second term, had leveled severe punitive sanctions on Russia.