Mueller is reportedly using Trump's tweets as evidence in his probe
President Trump is not known for keeping his thoughts to himself. Over the years, he has dispatched more than 38,000 tweets from his personal Twitter account, which he now uses to make official policy announcements.
That treasure trove of tweets is of interest to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, The New York Times reported Thursday, as he looks for information to determine whether Trump and his campaign aided in Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
Trump's tweets about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former FBI Director James Comey are reportedly part of Mueller's investigation, and Mueller wants to ask the president about his 140-character statements in an eventual sit-down interview. Advisers have warned Trump that his tweeting could be a liability, the Times reports, and now it appears that the missives are being regarded as official evidence to determine whether Trump tried to obstruct the investigation.
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While each tweet on its own wouldn't constitute obstruction, the series of tweets alongside other evidence could be pieced together to paint a larger picture, sources said. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said that Mueller's interest in Trump's Twitter feed shows that he has no real evidence to accuse the president of wrongdoing. "If you're going to obstruct justice, you do it quietly and secretly, not in public," Giuliani told the Times, apparently in defense of Trump.
Even though Mueller is interested in Trump's tweets about Sessions, Comey, and other officials, he's sure to get a very clear picture of what the president makes of his investigation along the way — Trump has tweeted the words "witch hunt" more than 80 times. Read more at The New York Times.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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