Trump being probed for possible obstruction of justice: Report
US President Donald Trump is currently under investigation for possible obstruction of justice, according to a report published in a leading American newspaper.
The Washington Post, citing unnamed US officials, reported on Wednesday the special counsel, Robert Mueller, overseeing a probe into the alleged Russian interference in the US presidential election is now investigating whether the US president tried to obstruct justice, which is a criminal offense.
According to the Post report, senior US intelligence officials have agreed to be interviewed by investigators working for the special counsel.
Daniel Coats, the director of national intelligence, Admiral Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, and his recently departed deputy, Richard Ledgett, are among those to be interviewed as early as next week.
Mueller, who was appointed to lead the FBI investigation into Russia’s alleged ties to the 2016 US presidential election, briefed Senators on Wednesday on his work.
“I’m going to acknowledge we had a meeting with the special counsel Mueller, but I’m not going to get into the contents,” Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters later.
The shift toward probing Trump began days after Trump forced former FBI chief James Comey to quit last month. Comey was fired by the president on May 9 while he was overseeing the investigation into potential Russian interference into last year’s election and potential collusion with the Trump presidential campaign.
The stated focus of the investigation into Trump has been Russia’s alleged efforts to sway last November’s presidential election.
Trump has vehemently denied any collusion between himself or any of his associates and Russia.
In a statement issued in response to the report, Trump’s personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz accused the FBI of leaking the material to the newspaper and called it “outrageous, inexcusable and illegal.” But the attorney did not deny the story.
Meanwhile, Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel denounced the Post report and called it unfounded, claiming it “changes nothing.”
“There’s still no evidence of obstruction, and current and former leaders in the intelligence community have repeatedly said there’s been no effort to impede the investigation in any way. The continued illegal leaks are the only crime here,” McDaniel said in a statement.
According to a report published on Monday, Trump is considering firing special counsel Mueller, who was appointed on May 17 by the Justice Department as special counsel overseeing the investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US elections and related matters.
