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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOh, FFS. NYT: Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins
President Trump pushed the Australian prime minister during a recent telephone call to help Attorney General William P. Barr gather information for a Justice Department inquiry that Mr. Trump hopes will discredit the Mueller investigation, according to two American officials with knowledge of the call.
The White House restricted access to the calls transcript to a small group of the presidents aides, one of the officials said, an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of House Democrats impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump. Like that call, the discussion with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia shows the extent to which Mr. Trump sees the attorney general as a critical partner in his goal to show that the Mueller investigation had corrupt and partisan origins, and the extent that Mr. Trump sees the Justice Department inquiry as a potential way to gain leverage over Americas closest allies.
And like the call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the discussion with Mr. Morrison shows the president using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests.
President Trump initiated the discussion in recent weeks with Mr. Morrison explicitly for the purpose of requesting Australias help in the Justice Department review of the Russia investigation, according to the two people with knowledge of the discussion. Mr. Barr requested that Mr. Trump speak to Mr. Morrison, one of the people said. It came only weeks after Mr. Trump seemed to make military aid to Ukraine contingent on Mr. Zelensky doing him the favor of helping Mr. Barr with his work.
https://nyti.ms/2oJL1jT
The White House restricted access to the calls transcript to a small group of the presidents aides, one of the officials said, an unusual decision that is similar to the handling of a July call with the Ukrainian president that is at the heart of House Democrats impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump. Like that call, the discussion with Prime Minister Scott Morrison of Australia shows the extent to which Mr. Trump sees the attorney general as a critical partner in his goal to show that the Mueller investigation had corrupt and partisan origins, and the extent that Mr. Trump sees the Justice Department inquiry as a potential way to gain leverage over Americas closest allies.
And like the call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, the discussion with Mr. Morrison shows the president using high-level diplomacy to advance his personal political interests.
President Trump initiated the discussion in recent weeks with Mr. Morrison explicitly for the purpose of requesting Australias help in the Justice Department review of the Russia investigation, according to the two people with knowledge of the discussion. Mr. Barr requested that Mr. Trump speak to Mr. Morrison, one of the people said. It came only weeks after Mr. Trump seemed to make military aid to Ukraine contingent on Mr. Zelensky doing him the favor of helping Mr. Barr with his work.
https://nyti.ms/2oJL1jT
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Oh, FFS. NYT: Trump Pressed Australian Leader to Help Barr Investigate Mueller Inquiry's Origins (Original Post)
StarfishSaver
Sep 2019
OP
Grifters are going to grift. This must be a sign that foreign govts are ready to send him packing
ffr
Sep 2019
#5
I think Trump wanted Barr to find out more about what Papadopoulos learned
The Velveteen Ocelot
Sep 2019
#11
Johnny2X2X
(18,745 posts)1. Infuriating
He's supposed to represent all Americans to world leaders, and he's pulling this corrupt garbage?
And Barr needs to go now.
DUgosh
(3,052 posts)2. Australia can release recording?
And end this all right now
peggysue2
(10,811 posts)3. It just goes on and on and on
In this case, it seems they (Trump and his crew) misread Morrison who from what I've read recently is not a Trump fan.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)4. Lots of shit is hitting the fan today.
ffr
(22,649 posts)5. Grifters are going to grift. This must be a sign that foreign govts are ready to send him packing
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)7. Sweet revenge?
brooklynite
(93,878 posts)6. UPDATE: confirmed by Justice...
Jeffersons Ghost
(15,235 posts)8. here's a 5th recommendation
Jarqui
(10,110 posts)9. What would Australia know about the firing of James Comey that
Trump does not already know himself?
That is what got the Mueller investigation launched.
More of Trump using the government for his personal political purposes - to spin up dirt to cover his illegal tracks
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)11. I think Trump wanted Barr to find out more about what Papadopoulos learned
from an Australian diplomat, which started the whole thing:
During a night of heavy drinking at an upscale London bar in May 2016, George Papadopoulos, a young foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, made a startling revelation to Australias top diplomat in Britain: Russia had political dirt on Hillary Clinton.
About three weeks earlier, Mr. Papadopoulos had been told that Moscow had thousands of emails that would embarrass Mrs. Clinton, apparently stolen in an effort to try to damage her campaign.
Exactly how much Mr. Papadopoulos said that night at the Kensington Wine Rooms with the Australian, Alexander Downer, is unclear. But two months later, when leaked Democratic emails began appearing online, Australian officials passed the information about Mr. Papadopoulos to their American counterparts, according to four current and former American and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians role.
The hacking and the revelation that a member of the Trump campaign may have had inside information about it were driving factors that led the F.B.I. to open an investigation in July 2016 into Russias attempts to disrupt the election and whether any of President Trumps associates conspired.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/30/us/politics/how-fbi-russia-investigation-began-george-papadopoulos.html
About three weeks earlier, Mr. Papadopoulos had been told that Moscow had thousands of emails that would embarrass Mrs. Clinton, apparently stolen in an effort to try to damage her campaign.
Exactly how much Mr. Papadopoulos said that night at the Kensington Wine Rooms with the Australian, Alexander Downer, is unclear. But two months later, when leaked Democratic emails began appearing online, Australian officials passed the information about Mr. Papadopoulos to their American counterparts, according to four current and former American and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians role.
The hacking and the revelation that a member of the Trump campaign may have had inside information about it were driving factors that led the F.B.I. to open an investigation in July 2016 into Russias attempts to disrupt the election and whether any of President Trumps associates conspired.
mcar
(42,210 posts)10. Has he shaken down all our allies?