Trump reportedly tried to oust both Jeff Sessions and Robert Mueller. Now Mueller may have the documents to prove it.
The Justice Department has given Special Counsel Robert Mueller a new treasure trove of documents, ABC News reported Wednesday. Thought to be included in the handover are internal department communications from when Attorney General Jeff Sessions reportedly offered to resign, as well as from when President Trump reportedly tried to dismiss Mueller.
These documents could illuminate how Trump may have tried to block the FBI's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Sessions recused himself from the Russia inquiry last March, but ABC News notes that Sessions was one of two Justice Department officials who wrote memos justifying the firing of former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump abruptly dismissed while he was leading the bureau's Russia probe.
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.
Sessions ultimately did not quit, though he did reportedly go so far as to write a letter of resignation. A month later, Trump reportedly sought to fire Mueller but was talked out of it. ABC News reported Wednesday that Mueller possesses communications "produced within the Justice Department during that time, including emails with White House officials."
-
Syria’s Kurds: abandoned by their US allyTalking Point Ahmed al-Sharaa’s lightning offensive against Syrian Kurdistan belies his promise to respect the country’s ethnic minorities
-
The ‘mad king’: has Trump finally lost it?Talking Point Rambling speeches, wind turbine obsession, and an ‘unhinged’ letter to Norway’s prime minister have caused concern whether the rest of his term is ‘sustainable’
-
5 highly hypocritical cartoons about the Second AmendmentCartoons Artists take on Kyle Rittenhouse, the blame game, and more
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
