President Donald Trump's attorney John Dowd says it is time to “bring an end” to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The call, which was made Saturday to CNN, follows the firing of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe one day prior.
"I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe's boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt dossier," Dowd said in a statement reacting to McCabe’s firing.
While Dowd told CNN he was speaking on his own behalf, he reportedly told The Daily Beast he was speaking on behalf of President Donald Trump. Betsy Woodruff, a reporter from the outlet, wrote on Twitter, “I asked if he gave me the statement on POTUS' behalf. His reply: "Yes, as his counsel.”
"He later emailed me to walk that back,” she tweeted.
On Friday night, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe, rejecting an appeal for him to retire that would have granted the department veteran pension rights. Trump later praised his firing on Twitter.
Sessions released a statement following the firing saying, “The FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity and accountability.”
McCabe told the New York Times that the claim he was dishonest is “just wrong.” “This is part of an effort to discredit me as a witness,” he added.
Trump alleged in a tweet on Saturday that the “Fake News” is “beside themselves" that “McCabe was caught.”
Comey responded to Trump's tweet writing, "Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Dowd’s comment is yet “another indication” that Trump's first instinct is to not cooperate with Mueller.
“Mr. Dowd's comments are yet another indication that the first instinct of [President Trump] and his legal team is not to cooperate with Special Counsel Mueller, but to undermine him at every turn,” Schumer wrote on Twitter. “The president, the administration and his legal team must not take any steps to curtail, interfere with or end the special counsel's investigation or there will be severe consequences from both Democrats and Republicans.”
CNN is also reporting that Mueller has reviewed memos written by McCabe, who allegedly documented his conversations with the president.
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