Donald Trump Seeks To Discredit Robert Mueller And Investigators | Morning Joe

LOOKING FOR LEVERAGE ON MUELLER'S INVESTIGATION.
>>> PRESIDENT TRUMP EIGHTS APPROVAL RATING IS AT 36%.
THE PRESIDENT IS SAID TO BE LAYING THE GROUND WORK TO
UNDERMINE SPECIAL COUNSEL TASKED TO INVESTIGATE ANY LINKS BETWEEN
THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND "ANY MATTERS
THAT AROSE OR MAY ARISE DIRECTLY FROM THE INVESTIGATION AND ANY
CRIMES COMMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THE INVESTIGATION.
ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON POST, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TOLD
AIDES THAT HE WAS ESSENTIALLY -- ESPECIALLY DISTURBED AFTER
LEARNING THAT SPECIAL COUNSEL BOB MUELLER WOULD BE ABLE TO
ACCESS SEVERAL YEARS OF HIS TAX RETURNS.
HIS LAWYERS ARE SENDING A MESSAGE WITH JAY SAYING THE
SCOPE IS GOING TO HAVE TO STAY WITHIN MUELLER'S MANDATE.
IF THERE'S DRIFTING, WE'RE GOING TO OBJECT.
HE CITED A REPORT IN BLOOMBERG BASED ON A SINGLE SOURCE THAT
SAYS MUELLER IS EXAMINING FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN
TRUMUMP, HIS ASSOCIATES, AND RUSSIA GOING BACK TO AT LEAST
2004. THE WASHINGTON POST REPORTS THAT
TRUMP HAS ASKED HIS ADVISORS ABOUT HIS POWER TO PARDON AIDES,
FAMILY MEMBERS, AND EVEN HIMSELF IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROBE
ACCORDING TO ONE SOURCE. ANOTHER SAID TRUMP'S LAWYERS
HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THE PRESIDENT'S PARDONING POWERS
AMONGST THEMSELVES. AN ADVISOR SAID THE PRESIDENT
HAS SIMPLY EXPRESSED CURIOSITY IN UNDERSTANDING.
YOU CAN COULD GOOGLE THAT, MR. PRESIDENT, OF HIS PARDONING
AUTHORITY AND THE LIMITS OF MUELLER'S INVESTIGATION.
"THIS IS NOT IN THE CONTEXT OF "I CAN'T WAIT TO PARDON MYSELF,"
A CLOSE ADVISOR SAID. >> THE "NEW YORK TIMES" IS
DIGGING DEEPER THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LAWYERS AND AIDES ARE
LOOKING TO DISCREDIT OR EVEN FIRE SPECIAL COUNSEL BOB MUELLER
AND HIS PROSECUTORS. THE EFFORT INCLUDES SCRUTINIZING
DONATIONS TO DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES, INVESTIGATORS PAST
CLIENTS, AND MUELLER'S RELATIONSHIP WITH JAMES COMEY,
WHOSE FIRING AS FBI DIRECTOR IS PART OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL'S
INVESTIGATION. THE PRESIDENT HAD CONSIDERED
MUELLER TO REPLACE COMEY AS FBI DIRECTOR, AND EVEN MET WITH
MUELLER SHORTLY BEFORE HE WAS APPOINTED SPECIAL COUNSEL.
IN TRUMP'S INTERVIEW WITH THE T "NEW YORK TIMES" ON WEDNESDAY,
HE SAID, "TALK ABOUT CONFLICTS. MUELLER WAS INTERVIEWING FOR THE
JOB. THERE WERE MANY OTHER CONFLICTS
THAT I HAVEN'T SAID, BUT I WILL AT SOME POINT."
NOT CLEAR WHAT THAT IS. WHITE HOUSE ADVISORS TOLD THE
WASHINGTON POST THAT ANOTHER POTENTIAL CONFLICT IS AN
ALLEGATION THAT MUELLER AND TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF CLUB IN
NORTHERN VIRGINIA HAD A DISBUTTE OVER MEMBERSHIP FEES WHEN
MUELLER RESIGNED AS A MEMBER IN 12011.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR MUELLER SAID THERE, IN FACT, WAS NO DISPUTE.
ACCORDING TO "THE TIMES" JUSTICE DEPARTMENT RULES SAY THEY CAN'T
PARTICIPATE IN AN INVESTIGATION IF THEY HAVE A PERSONAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SUNL OF THE CASE.
HOWEVER, SOMETHING LIKE A CAMPAIGN DONATION IS NOT
INCLUDED ON THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WOULD CREATE A POLITICAL
RELATIONSHIP. AND DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL'S
OFFICE -- THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL'S ORDER APPOINTING
MUELLER A SPECIAL COUNSEL ALLOWS FOR A BROAD MANDATE OUT OF THE
RUSSIA PROBE INTO "ANY MATTERS THAT AROSE OR MAY ARISE DIRECTLY
FROM THE INVESTIGATION. ON WEDNESDAY THE DEPUTY ATTORNEY
GENERAL WAS ASKED TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES.
>> SOME OF THE ATTORNEYS THAT HE HAS HIRED THAT SEVERAL OF THEM
HAVE MADE DONATIONS TO HILLARY CLINTON, TO THE CLINTON
CAMPAIGN. DOES THAT BOTHER YOU?
DOES IT MAKE YOU BELIEVE THAT THOSE PEOPLE HAVE ANY REASON TO
BE QUESTIONED IN TERMS OF THEIR IMPARTIALITY IN THIS
INVESTIGATION? >> AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WE JUDGE BY RESULTS, AND SO MY VIEW ABOUT THAT IS WE'LL SEE IF
THEY DO THE RIGHT THING. >> OBVIOUSLY BEFORE WE HAVE THE
POWER HITTING THIRD BASEMAN OF THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES, MIKE
SCHMIDT, HERE WITH US. ONE OF THE AUTHORS OF ONE OF
THESE INCREDIBLE BLOCKBUSTER PIECES.
I WANT TO ASK YOU, THERE'S A LOT IN THIS PIECE, BUT OBVIOUSLY THE
FLASHING RED LIGHT HERE IS THE NOTION THAT THE PRESIDENT IS
TALKING ABOUT TO WHAT EXTENT HE HAS TO PARDON, HIS AIDES, HIS
FAMILY MEMBERS, AND POTENTIALLY HIMSELF.
TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT YOUR REPORTING SHOWS ABOUT WHAT HIS
ATTITUDE IS TOWARDS THAT QUESTION.
HE IS ASKING THE QUESTION WITH WHAT KIND OF DISPOSITION?
>> I THINK THE PRESIDENT CLEARLY UNDERSTANDS THE SERIOUSNESS OF
MUELLER, AND HE CLEARLY GETS THE PROBLEM HERE, WHICH IS THAT AN
INVESTIGATION WHICH STARTS WITH RUSSIA IS JUST GOING TO GO IN A
LOT OF DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS. WHAT HE -- WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE
IS TRYING TO DO IS TRY AND FIND WAYS TO STOP MUELLER FROM GOING
BEYOND THAT AND WHAT CAN THEY DO?
THEY'RE RESEARCHING THE LAWYERS THAT MUELLER HAS HIRED.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT THEIR BACKGROUNDS.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE CASES THAT THEY DEALT WITH.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT WHETHER THEY EVER GOT, YOU KNOW, REBUKED BY
COURTS OR ANYTHING. JUST TRYING TO COME UP WITH ANY
TYPE OF INFORMATION THAT THEY COULD USE TO PUT THESE TO EITHER
DISQUALIFY SOME OF THESE LAWYERS GOING FORWARD OR TO PUT THEM ON
THE DEFENSIVE AND TO CREATE PROBLEMS FOR MUELLER.
THEY ARE CERTAINLY TAKING AN AGGRESSIVE POSTURE HERE.
WHEN KEN STAR WAS APOINTED, THERE WERE FOLKS IN THE CLINTON
WORLD THAT STARTED DEMONIZING HIM FOR POLITICAL REASONS.
THIS SEEMS TO FEEL ALONG THOSE LINES AND BE IF NOT MORE SEVERE.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO BE AGGRESSIVE HERE.
THEY ARE GOING TO FIGHT THIS. INSTEAD OF SAYING, LOOK, YOU
KNOW, OH, WE'LL DO EVERYTHING TO COOPERATE AND WE'LL JUST KIND OF
LEAVE YOU ALONE TO DO WHAT YOU ARE DOING, I THINK THE PRESIDENT
IS REALLY GOING TO GO AFTER THEM.
THE PRESIDENT'S LAWYERS, I THINK, CERTAINLY SOME OF THEM,
DON'T WANT HIM TO DO THIS. >> WHAT IMPACT ARE ANY OF THE
LAWYERS THAT HE HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH HAVING ON THE
PRESIDENT IN THIS REGARD? >> WELL, IT'S OUR SENSE THAT
THEY DON'T WANT HIM TO BE OUT THERE.
AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM DON'T WANT HIM TO BE OUT THERE
BEING SO AGGRESSIVE ON THIS ISSUE.
THEY THINK THAT IT A ANTAGONIZE MUELLER.
IT RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT THE INDEPENDENCE OF MUELLER, AND
IT'S A DISTRACTION, AND IT'S NOT HELPFUL.
AT THE SAME TIME THIS IS A PRESIDENT THAT BELIEVES HE IS
HIS BEST SPOKESMAN AND HAS SHOWN THE WILLINGNESS TO ATTACK THESE
FOLKS, EVEN HIS OWN ATTORNEY GENERAL.
HE SEES THAT AS HIS BEST OFFENSE HERE.
AT THE SAME TIME IT SORT OF RAISES QUESTIONS ABOUT IT IS
PROCESS. HE IS REALLY UNDERMINING MUELLER
IN WAYS, CERTAINLY IN THE PUBLIC'S EYES AND PUTTING THE

Donald Trump Seeks To Discredit Robert Mueller And Investigators | Morning Joe | MSNBC

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