How Trump's tweets hold a 'trove of evidence' in the Russia investigation
President Trump's Twitter habit might make Special Counsel Robert Mueller's job easier. Politico reported Friday that Trump's Twitter feed "offers a trove of evidence" to Mueller and his team as they investigate the Trump team's potential ties to Russia:
Like emails, handwritten notes, or transcribed Oval Office conversations, the @realdonaldtrump account gives investigators a detailed timeline of Trump's thoughts and opinions — including where they might differ from official accounts — and can also be used to establish intent, which can be critical in a criminal investigation.Trump is not a target of the FBI or congressional probes, but his tweets could all be used by investigators as they seek to establish whether the president and his associates are being truthful in the explanations they give under oath about the nature of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. [Politico]
Trump has taken to Twitter to call the investigation into ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn "a witch hunt" and to advise Flynn to "ask for immunity." In another instance, Trump warned fired FBI Director James Comey in a tweet that he'd "better hope that there are no tapes" of their conversations. Michael Forde, a trial lawyer who represents Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, told Politico that Trump's message to Comey "could well be interpreted as an effort to intimidate a witness."
"They're a gold mine," Peter Zeidenberg, who once served on the Justice Department's special prosecution team, said of Trump's tweets. "They help paint a picture."
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.
Read more on how Trump's tweets could factor into the Russia investigation over at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangsIn the Spotlight The ‘defence operation’ killed 132 suspected gang members, but could spark ‘more hatred and revenge’
-
The John Lewis ad: touching, or just weird?Talking Point This year’s festive offering is full of 1990s nostalgia – but are hedonistic raves really the spirit of Christmas?
-
Sudoku hard: November 15, 2025The daily hard sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
-
Trump pardons 2020 fake electors, other GOP alliesSpeed Read The president pardoned Rudy Giuliani and more who tried to overturn his 2020 election loss
-
Supreme Court to decide on mail-in ballot limitsSpeed Read The court will determine whether states can count mail-in ballots received after Election Day