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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 14 January 2019

Trump dodges question on whether he has worked for Russia

Friday cited unnamed for- sia than anybody else, any sians, as well as possible
mer law enforcement of- other ... probably any other obstruction of justice by
ficials and others familiar president, period, but cer- Trump. The Times says it's
with the investigation. tainly the last three or four unclear whether Mueller is
Trump responded to the presidents." still pursuing the counterin-
story Saturday during a Trump's claim was disputed telligence angle.
telephone interview broad- by Virginia Sen. Mark War- Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.,
cast on Fox News Channel ner, the top Democrat on said the report "may well
after host Jeanine Pirro, a the Senate Intelligence suggest what it was that
personal friend, asked the Committee. He said almost helped start this investiga-
Russia question. all the sanctions on Rus- tion in the first place." He
"I think it's the most insulting sia arose not in the White and other Democratic sen-
thing I've ever been asked," House but in Congress, ators said this report and
Trump said. "I think it's the due to concerns by mem- others within the past week
President Donald Trump leads a roundtable discussion on bor-
der security with local leaders, Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, in the Cabi- most insulting article I've bers of both parties about questioning Trump's behav-
net Room of the White House in Washington. ever had written, and if you Moscow's actions. Warner ior toward Russia give new
Associated Press read the article you'll see accused the White House urgency to the need for the
that they found absolutely of being very slow to put in Mueller investigation to be
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- his behavior after he fired nothing." place the penalties. allowed to run its course.
dent Donald Trump avoid- FBI Director James Comey Trump never answered The Times reported that FBI A new report in The Wash-
ed directly answering when in 2017, had begun investi- Pirro directly, but went on agents and some top offi- ington Post said Trump went
asked whether he currently gating that possibility. to assert that no president cials became suspicious of to extraordinary lengths to
is or has ever worked for Trump said it was the "most has taken a harder stance Trump's ties to Russia during conceal details of his con-
Russia after a published re- insulting" question he'd ever against Russia than he has. the 2016 presidential cam- versations with Russian Pres-
port said law enforcement been asked. "If you ask the folks in Russia, paign but didn't open an ident Vladimir Putin even
officials, concerned about The New York Times report I've been tougher on Rus- investigation at that time from high-ranking officials
because they weren't sure in his own administration.
how to approach such a The report cited unnamed
sensitive probe. current and former U.S. of-
Trump's behavior in the ficials.
days around Comey's May In the Fox News interview,
2017 firing helped trigger Trump questioned why the
the counterintelligence newspaper made such
part of the probe, accord- a "big deal" out of his dis-
ing to the newspaper. cussions with Putin in Hel-
In the inquiry, counterintelli- sinki last summer. "Anybody
gence investigators sought could have listened to that
to evaluate whether Trump meeting, that meeting is up
was a potential threat to for grabs."
national security. They Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.,
also sought to determine defended the president,
whether Trump was delib- who he said was "burned
erately working for Russia or earlier by leaks of other pri-
had unintentionally been vate conversations."
influenced by Moscow. Trump's lawyer Rudy Giu-
Trump tweeted early Satur- liani told the Times he
day that the report showed had no knowledge of the
that the FBI leadership counterintelligence inquiry
"opened up an investiga- but said that since it was
tion on me, for no reason & opened a year and a half
with no proof" after he had ago and they hadn't heard
fired Comey. anything, apparently "they
Robert Mueller took over found nothing."
the investigation when he Republican Sen. Lindsey
was appointed special Graham, who is close to
counsel soon after Comey's Trump and chairs the Judi-
firing. The overall investiga- ciary Committee, said he
tion is looking into Russian intends to ask the FBI direc-
election interference and tor if there was a counterin-
whether Trump's campaign telligence investigation into
coordinated with the Rus- the president. q