Republican congressman confirms Mueller will investigate White House interference into the Russia probe


After a briefing with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on Friday, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told the press that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will review the possibility of White House interference in the ongoing investigation into Russia's influence on the presidential election. "The scope ... of Director Mueller includes any questions about referrals related to any misconduct, any interference. And there were questions well outside the Russian scope in there," Issa said.
Questions have swirled since it was discovered earlier this week in a memo written by former FBI Director James Comey that President Trump attempted to convince the FBI to drop its probe into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who is at the heart of the Russia investigations. Earlier Friday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said that there is "mounting evidence" of the obstruction of justice in the investigation. "We have to be careful. We don't want to say there is proof," he added.
President Trump has lashed out over the appointment of a special prosecutor, claiming he is the subject of the "single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
To that, at least, Issa responded blankly: "I don't personally believe in witches."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Israel: Losing the American public
Feature A recent poll finds American support for Israel's military action in Gaza has fallen from 50% to 32%
-
Unmaking Americans
Feature Trump is threatening to revoke the citizenship of foreign-born Americans. Could he do that?
-
EPA: A bonfire of climate change regulations
Feature The Environmental Protection Agency wants to roll back its 'endangerment finding,' a ruling that lets the agency regulate carbon emissions
-
Trump sends FBI to patrol DC, despite falling crime
Speed Read Washington, D.C., 'has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world,' Trump said
-
Trump officials reinstating 2 Confederate monuments
Speed Read The administration has plans to 'restore Confederate names and symbols' discarded in the wake of George Floyd's 2020 murder
-
Trump nominates Powell critic for vacant Fed seat
speed read Stephen Miran, the chair of Trump's Council of Economic Advisers and a fellow critic of Fed chair Jerome Powell, has been nominated to fill a seat on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
-
ICE scraps age limits amid hiring push
Speed Read Anyone 18 or older can now apply to be an ICE agent
-
Trump's global tariffs take effect, with new additions
Speed Read Tariffs on more than 90 US trading partners went into effect, escalating the global trade war
-
House committee subpoenas Epstein files
Speed Read The House Oversight Committee has issued a subpoena to the Justice Department for its Jeffrey Epstein files with an Aug. 19 deadline
-
India rejects Trump threat over Russian oil
Speed Read The president said he would raise tariffs on India for buying and selling Russian oil
-
NY's Hochul vows response to Texas gerrymander
Speed Read Gov. Kathy Hochul has promised to play ball with redistricting that favors the Democrats