How Trump's tweets hold a 'trove of evidence' in the Russia investigation

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last updated 2 June 2017

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."