Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation is reportedly taking a hard look at whether President Donald Trump obstructed justice when he fired former FBI Director James Comey in the middle of the FBI’s probe of the Trump campaign’s ties to Russian interference in last year’s election. A source told ABC News that Mueller’s team is asking the Department of Justice to turn over emails related to Comey’s firing.
The records request, reportedly made within the last month, seeks records of communications between DOJ employees, but also communications between DOJ officials and White House officials. This could shed light on whether Trump or his office tried to impact the investigation, which could be against the law.
Mueller’s investigation is also reportedly looking into records related to Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Early on, Sessions said he would not involve himself with the probe due to his own ties to the Trump campaign. Nevertheless, he was said to have input on President Trump’s decision to fire Comey. Any records related to this could show to what degree Sessions was involved in the decision, and whether or not it broke his recusal.
With Sessions on the sidelines, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the Acting AG for the Russia investigation. As such, Rosenstein is the only one with the power to fire Mueller, should he deem it appropriate. He has gone on record saying he would not do so, absent good cause. Rosenstein also wrote a recommendation to Trump supporting Comey’s dismissal.
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