The New York Times has reported that a Donald Trump official asked an Israeli company for proposals to disrupt the campaigns of Trump's Republican rivals campaigns and that of Hillary Clinton.&nbsp;

The Times report however added that there was no evidence to prove the Trump campaign made use of the proposals.&nbsp;

It added that these efforts seemed unrelated to Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential elections. US intelligence agencies have said they have come to the conclusion that Russia meddled in the elections, trying to help Trump beat his Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.&nbsp;

Trump as president has been astonishingly soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has also constantly said there was <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-dubs-robert-muellers-russia-probe-illegal-166051">no collusion</a> between his presidential campaign and Russia.&nbsp;

The allegations of collusion with Russia are being investigated by the Special Counsel Robert S Mueller who has so far indicted over 30 former Trump officials.&nbsp;

One of those officials is Rick Gates, Trump's deputy campaign manager, and the man the New York Times report accuses of asking the Israeli company Psy-Group for the proposals.&nbsp;

The Times reported that Gates sought a proposal to use bogus personas to target and sway delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention by attacking Senator Ted Cruz, Trump's main opponent at the time.

Another proposal described opposition research and "complementary intelligence activities" about Clinton, according to the report.

A third proposal by the company Psy-Group, staffed by former Israeli intelligence operatives, outlined a plan to help Trump using social media to reinforce divisions among rivals, the report said.

Mueller's team has obtained copies of the proposals and questioned Psy-Group, the Times added.&nbsp;

(With inputs from AFP)

The New York Times has reported that a Donald Trump official asked an Israeli company for proposals to disrupt the campaigns of Trump's Republican rivals campaigns and that of Hillary Clinton.

The New York Times has reported that a Donald Trump official asked an Israeli company for proposals to disrupt the campaigns of Trump's Republican rivals campaigns and that of Hillary Clinton. The Times report however added that there was no evidence to prove the Trump campaign made use of the proposals. It added that these efforts seemed unrelated to Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential elections. US intelligence agencies have said they have come to the conclusion that Russia meddled in the elections, trying to help Trump beat his Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump as president has been astonishingly soft on Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has also constantly said there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia. The allegations of collusion with Russia are being investigated by the Special Counsel Robert S Mueller who has so far indicted over 30 former Trump officials. One of those officials is Rick Gates, Trump's deputy campaign manager, and the man the New York Times report accuses of asking the Israeli company Psy-Group for the proposals. The Times reported that Gates sought a proposal to use bogus personas to target and sway delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention by attacking Senator Ted Cruz, Trump's main opponent at the time. Another proposal described opposition research and "complementary intelligence activities" about Clinton, according to the report. A third proposal by the company Psy-Group, staffed by former Israeli intelligence operatives, outlined a plan to help Trump using social media to reinforce divisions among rivals, the report said. Mueller's team has obtained copies of the proposals and questioned Psy-Group, the Times added. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump official sought Israeli help to disrupt rival campaigns: New York Times

A furious Donald Trump blasted the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller as a "disgrace" and a "witch hunt" Monday after FBI agents raided the New York offices of the president`s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen.

Agents seized files relating to Cohen's work, which included making a $130,000 payment before the 2016 election to an adult film actress who says she had a tryst with the Trump.&nbsp

Cohen's own attorney Stephen Ryan said agents were working in part on the request of Mueller, the independent prosecutor investigating links between Russia and the Trump campaign.

At the White House, Trump angrily denounced the raid on Cohen, whom he called "a good man."

"It's a disgraceful situation. It's a total witch-hunt, I have been saying it for a long time," he told reporters.

"It's an attack on our country in a true sense. It's an attack on what we all stand for," he said.

The raid came as Mueller's probe intensifies its focus on Trump's inner circle. Mueller's team is examining possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow, allegations of corrupt behavior by Trump campaign lieutenants, and of White House efforts to obstruct the investigation.

So far 19 people have been indicted, including the chairman of Trump's campaign and his former national security advisor.

Trump accused Mueller Monday of overseeing a biased investigation staffed by Democrats, "a pure and simple witch-hunt." After having turned over what he called a million pages of documents, Trump said the investigation is "now getting ridiculous. They found no collusion whatsoever with Russia."&nbsp

"This is the most biased group of people, these people have the biggest conflicts of interest I've ever seen. Democrats all, or just about all."

Asked if he wants to fire Mueller, Trump replied: "Many people have said you should fire him. Again they found nothing and in finding nothing that`s a big statement," he said. "So we'll see what happens."

The veteran prosecutor, a former FBI director, is seeking to interview Trump, but has not said the president is a target in the investigation.

The raid on Cohen though takes the probe close to the Oval Office. Cohen has been Trump's personal lawyer and confidant for years, helping him on real estate and personal matters, as well as informally advising him since he became president.

He is also known as a rough-and-tumble "fixer" for Trump, dedicated to protecting his boss's interests. US media said documents seized in the raid related to the surreptitious payment Cohen made to porn actress Stormy Daniels that, according to Daniels, aimed to keep her quiet about her earlier relationship with Trump.

The Washington Post reported that Cohen is under examination for possible bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is one of several women who claim to have had affairs with Trump in the past and were pressured or paid to keep quiet about them.

Last month Daniels told 21 million TV watchers that she had unprotected sex with Trump after meeting with him at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, California in July 2006. That was shortly after Trump`s wife Melania gave birth to their son.

Trump has skirted questions about the relationship, and last week denied any knowledge of Cohen's $130,000 payment, which was made to secure Daniels's signature in October 2016 on a secret agreement to not talk about the affair.&nbsp

But since then media reports have made it public, and last month she sued in a California court to have the hush deal annulled. Cohen countersued, demanding some $20 million in penalties for her violating the non-disclosure pact.

Cohen has said that neither the Trump Organization, the president`s real estate group, nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Daniels.

"Neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly," Cohen said.

After the raid Monday, Cohen`s attorney Ryan accused prosecutors of seizing privileged communications between Cohen and his clients.

"The decision by the US attorney`s office in New York to conduct their investigation using search warrants is completely inappropriate and unnecessary," Ryan said.

"It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected attorney-client communications between a lawyer and his clients."

A furious Donald Trump blasted the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller as a 'disgrace' and a 'witch hunt' Monday after FBI agents raided the New York offices of the president`s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen

A furious Donald Trump blasted the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller as a "disgrace" and a "witch hunt" Monday after FBI agents raided the New York offices of the president`s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Agents seized files relating to Cohen's work, which included making a $130,000 payment before the 2016 election to an adult film actress who says she had a tryst with the Trump. Cohen's own attorney Stephen Ryan said agents were working in part on the request of Mueller, the independent prosecutor investigating links between Russia and the Trump campaign. At the White House, Trump angrily denounced the raid on Cohen, whom he called "a good man." "It's a disgraceful situation. It's a total witch-hunt, I have been saying it for a long time," he told reporters. "It's an attack on our country in a true sense. It's an attack on what we all stand for," he said. The raid came as Mueller's probe intensifies its focus on Trump's inner circle. Mueller's team is examining possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow, allegations of corrupt behavior by Trump campaign lieutenants, and of White House efforts to obstruct the investigation. So far 19 people have been indicted, including the chairman of Trump's campaign and his former national security advisor. Trump accused Mueller Monday of overseeing a biased investigation staffed by Democrats, "a pure and simple witch-hunt." After having turned over what he called a million pages of documents, Trump said the investigation is "now getting ridiculous. They found no collusion whatsoever with Russia." "This is the most biased group of people, these people have the biggest conflicts of interest I've ever seen. Democrats all, or just about all." Asked if he wants to fire Mueller, Trump replied: "Many people have said you should fire him. Again they found nothing and in finding nothing that`s a big statement," he said. "So we'll see what happens." The veteran prosecutor, a former FBI director, is seeking to interview Trump, but has not said the president is a target in the investigation. The raid on Cohen though takes the probe close to the Oval Office. Cohen has been Trump's personal lawyer and confidant for years, helping him on real estate and personal matters, as well as informally advising him since he became president. He is also known as a rough-and-tumble "fixer" for Trump, dedicated to protecting his boss's interests. US media said documents seized in the raid related to the surreptitious payment Cohen made to porn actress Stormy Daniels that, according to Daniels, aimed to keep her quiet about her earlier relationship with Trump. The Washington Post reported that Cohen is under examination for possible bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is one of several women who claim to have had affairs with Trump in the past and were pressured or paid to keep quiet about them. Last month Daniels told 21 million TV watchers that she had unprotected sex with Trump after meeting with him at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, California in July 2006. That was shortly after Trump`s wife Melania gave birth to their son. Trump has skirted questions about the relationship, and last week denied any knowledge of Cohen's $130,000 payment, which was made to secure Daniels's signature in October 2016 on a secret agreement to not talk about the affair. But since then media reports have made it public, and last month she sued in a California court to have the hush deal annulled. Cohen countersued, demanding some $20 million in penalties for her violating the non-disclosure pact. Cohen has said that neither the Trump Organization, the president`s real estate group, nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Daniels. "Neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly," Cohen said. After the raid Monday, Cohen`s attorney Ryan accused prosecutors of seizing privileged communications between Cohen and his clients. "The decision by the US attorney`s office in New York to conduct their investigation using search warrants is completely inappropriate and unnecessary," Ryan said. "It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected attorney-client communications between a lawyer and his clients."

FBI raids offices of Trump's personal lawyer

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump&#39;s lead lawyer for the federal special counsel probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election resigned on Thursday, the New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with the matter.

John Dowd stepped down after concluding Trump was increasingly ignoring his advice, one of the people said, according to the Times.

Dowd has been the lead lawyer since last summer, when longtime Trump personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz stepped down, but the latest shakeup to the legal team has been rumored for several days.

Earlier this week, Trump beefed up his legal team with a lawyer who accuses the FBI and US&nbsp;Justice Department of trying to frame Trump with false charges of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, possibly signaling a more aggressive drive to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Washington lawyer Joseph diGenova will join the legal team this week, according to attorney Jay Sekulow, who also represents Trump.

Last week, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that veteran Washington lawyer Emmet Flood is under consideration for a White House job assisting Trump with the Russia probe.

Mueller is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election. Moscow denies any interference and Trump has said there was no collusion.

US President Donald Trump's lead lawyer for the federal special counsel probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election resigned on Thursday

US President Donald Trump's lead lawyer for the federal special counsel probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election resigned on Thursday, the New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. John Dowd stepped down after concluding Trump was increasingly ignoring his advice, one of the people said, according to the Times. Dowd has been the lead lawyer since last summer, when longtime Trump personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz stepped down, but the latest shakeup to the legal team has been rumored for several days. Earlier this week, Trump beefed up his legal team with a lawyer who accuses the FBI and US Justice Department of trying to frame Trump with false charges of colluding with Russia during the 2016 election campaign, possibly signaling a more aggressive drive to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Washington lawyer Joseph diGenova will join the legal team this week, according to attorney Jay Sekulow, who also represents Trump. Last week, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters that veteran Washington lawyer Emmet Flood is under consideration for a White House job assisting Trump with the Russia probe. Mueller is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the 2016 election. Moscow denies any interference and Trump has said there was no collusion.

Trump's lead lawyer John Dowd for federal Russia probe resigns: Report

Rudy Giuliani said on Friday that he knew&nbsp;the FBI planned to review more emails in connection with Hillary Clinton before FBI Director James Comey made a public&nbsp;announcement about the investigation last week,&nbsp;confirming&nbsp;that the agency leaked information to Donald Trump&#39;s presidential campaign.

&quot;Did I hear about it? Darn right I heard about it&quot;, he said.

Watch the clip below to hear Giuliani&#39;s admission:

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
WATCH: Rudy Giuliani admits that Trump campaign had advanced warning from the <a href="https://twitter.com/FBI">@FBI</a> about Comey&#39;s letter. <a href="https://t.co/7AOJopgQOB">pic.twitter.com/7AOJopgQOB</a>
&mdash; Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) <a href="https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/794539625348038658">November 4, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The former mayor of New York City had recently dropped hints that he had advance knowledge that the FBI was going to look at emails potentially connected to Clinton&#39;s private server. The FBI had discovered more Clinton-related emails in a separate investigation targetting the former congressman Anthony Weiner for allegedly sexting a minor.

Giuliani said he felt Comey&#39;s annoucement was going to be made &quot;three or four weeks ago&quot;, meaning the FBI was sitting on this knowledge but, controversially, Comey decided to release it only 11 days before the election.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rudy-giuliani-fbi-clinton-emails_us_581c9e3fe4b0e80b02c93d6b">Huffington Posts</a> reports that for months Giuliani had bragged that &quot;outraged FBI agents&quot; told him that they&#39;re frustrated by the handling of the Clinton investigation. Just days before FBI Director James Comey announced that they would be reviewing newly uncovered&nbsp;emails, Giuliani said that Trump&#39;s campaign had a &quot;couple of surprises left&quot;.

A day before Comey&#39;s announcement about the investigation, Giuliani told&nbsp;Fox News,&nbsp;&quot;We got a couple things up our sleeve&nbsp;that should turn this around&quot;.

<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/28/politics/fbi-reviewing-new-emails-in-clinton-probe-director-tells-senate-judiciary-committee/">CNN&nbsp;</a>reports that Comey decided to make the announcement regarding Clinton&#39;s emails despite concerns from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that doing so only 11 days before the US presidential&nbsp;election would affect the outcome. One source told CNN that it was contrary to department polices and procedure to comment so close to the November 8 election. While there was no direct contact between Comey and both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the (DOJ), the disagreement was communicated to him via DOJ staff.&nbsp;

Comey decided to ignore this concern. This comes nearly four months after the FBI chief said he woudn&#39;t recommend criminal charges over Clinton&#39;s use of the private server for emails.

(WION)

'Did I hear about it? You're darn right I heard about it'

Rudy Giuliani said on Friday that he knew the FBI planned to review more emails in connection with Hillary Clinton before FBI Director James Comey made a public announcement about the investigation last week, confirming that the agency leaked information to Donald Trump's presidential campaign. "Did I hear about it? Darn right I heard about it", he said. Watch the clip below to hear Giuliani's admission: WATCH: Rudy Giuliani admits that Trump campaign had advanced warning from the @FBI about Comey's letter. pic.twitter.com/7AOJopgQOB — Correct The Record (@CorrectRecord) November 4, 2016 × The former mayor of New York City had recently dropped hints that he had advance knowledge that the FBI was going to look at emails potentially connected to Clinton's private server. The FBI had discovered more Clinton-related emails in a separate investigation targetting the former congressman Anthony Weiner for allegedly sexting a minor. Giuliani said he felt Comey's annoucement was going to be made "three or four weeks ago", meaning the FBI was sitting on this knowledge but, controversially, Comey decided to release it only 11 days before the election. Huffington Posts reports that for months Giuliani had bragged that "outraged FBI agents" told him that they're frustrated by the handling of the Clinton investigation. Just days before FBI Director James Comey announced that they would be reviewing newly uncovered emails, Giuliani said that Trump's campaign had a "couple of surprises left". A day before Comey's announcement about the investigation, Giuliani told Fox News, "We got a couple things up our sleeve that should turn this around". CNN reports that Comey decided to make the announcement regarding Clinton's emails despite concerns from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) that doing so only 11 days before the US presidential election would affect the outcome. One source told CNN that it was contrary to department polices and procedure to comment so close to the November 8 election. While there was no direct contact between Comey and both Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates in the (DOJ), the disagreement was communicated to him via DOJ staff. Comey decided to ignore this concern. This comes nearly four months after the FBI chief said he woudn't recommend criminal charges over Clinton's use of the private server for emails. (WION)

Rudy Giuliani confirms FBI leaked information to him, Trump campaign