![]() ![]() “We thus weighed the costs of potentially lengthy constitutional litigation, with resulting delay in finishing our investigation, against the anticipated benefits for our investigation and report,” the report states. Why there wasn't a subpoena: The special counsel said it considered a subpoena, but ultimately decided against it because the investigation had already “made significant progress.” “The written responses, we informed counsel, ‘demonstrate the inadequacy of the written format, as we have had no opportunity to ask follow-up questions that would ensure complete answers and potentially refresh your client's recollection or clarify the extent or nature of his lack of recollection,’” the special counsel added. Other answers were ‘incomplete or imprecise,'" the report states. "We noted, among other things, that the President stated on more than 30 occasions that he ‘does not 'recall' or 'remember' or have an 'independent recollection' of information called for by the questions. Why this matters: The footnote raises the matter in the context of explaining that former FBI Director James Comey had briefed the President-elect in January 2017 on a dossier compiled by retired British spy Christopher Steele, including that “the Russians had compromising tapes of the President involving conduct when he was a private citizen during a 2013 trip to Moscow for the Miss Universe Pageant.”Ībout the dossier: The controversial 35 pages of intelligence memos compiled by Steele paint a picture of widespread conspiracy of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. ![]() ![]() Scott Balber, a lawyer for Aras Agalarov, founder of Crocus Group, said the allegation that “compromising tapes rumored to be held by persons associated with the Russian real estate conglomerate Crocus Group,” is “total nonsense.” He added that Crocus Group does not have any compromising tapes. Rtskhiladze, however, told prosecutors that he was told the tapes were fake, but that he didn’t convey that to Cohen. Cohen told the special counsel that he spoke to Trump about the issue after receiving Rtskhiladze’s text. Rtskhiladze told the special counsel that "tapes" referred to “compromising tapes of Trump rumored to be held by persons associated with the Russian real estate conglomerate Crocus Group,” which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant, according to the report. The special counsel examined whether President Trump learned during the presidential campaign of the rumored existence of compromising tapes made of him years earlier when he visited Moscow.Īccording to a footnote in the special counsel’s report, in October 2016, prior to the election, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen received a text from Russian businessman, Giorgi Rtskhiladze, that said: "Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there's anything else. Hicks later denied knowing about the meeting in advance, and Kushner said he did not recall knowing about it. Ivanka Trump and Kushner attended late, according to Gates, Mueller wrote.Īccording to the report, Gates said Manafort, however, cautioned the group to be careful and raised doubts the upcoming meeting would actually yield vital information. Mueller wrote that, according to Gates, Trump Jr., Eric Trump, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, then-White House communications director Hope Hicks, Ivanka Trump and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner all attended the meeting. believed the information would come from a group in Kyrgyzstan - potentially a reference Aras Agalarov, the Azerbaijani-Russian who helped to orchestrate the meeting, according to the special counsel. Then-deputy campaign manager Rick Gates, a top Mueller cooperator, recounted that Trump Jr. Donald Trump Jr., at a morning meeting with top campaign and Trump campaign members, announced "that he had a lead on negative information about the Clinton Foundation" in the days before the Trump Tower meeting, special counsel Robert Mueller wrote. ![]()
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