US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's lead attorney said that if the special counsel investigating Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US&nbspelection were to subpoena the president, it would set off a legal battle, according to an ABC News report on Saturday.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who became Trump's lead lawyer in April, said the two sides would go to court if US&nbspSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller attempts to subpoena the president.

"If Mueller tries to subpoena us, we're going to court," Giuliani told ABC News.

In addition to fighting a subpoena, Giuliani told ABC that Trump's legal strategy as detailed in a January letter to Mueller and published by the New York Times on Saturday still stands.

Trump's lawyers had argued in the January letter that the president could not have obstructed the probe given the powers granted to him by the US&nbspConstitution, the Times report said.

In the letter penned by Trump lawyers John Dowd and Jay Sekulow, it was argued that president has the power to "order the termination of an investigation by the Justice Department or FBI at any time and for any reason."

In the letter to Mueller, Trump's lawyers had contended that the Constitution gives the president the power to "terminate the inquiry, or even exercise his power to pardon," and that meant he could not illegally obstruct the investigation, the Times reported.

The 20-page letter was a response to repeated requests by Mueller's office asking to interview Trump. Negotiations between Trump's lawyers and the special counsel on a possible interview have continued ever since.

As part of his investigation, Mueller is looking into the possibility the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow and that Trump subsequently tried to obstruct the probe.

Russia has denied any interference and Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion or obstruction of justice.

Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mueller's office declined to comment, while the White House and the two attorneys who wrote the letter - Sekulow and Dowd - did not reply to requests for comment. Dowd left the president's legal team in March.

Giuliani said last month that he wanted any interview of Trump to be limited in scope and length, suggesting it to be only 2-1/2 hours and not under oath.

If the president does not consent to an interview with the special counsel and Mueller does subpoena him, the interpretation by Trump's lawyers of broad executive powers would likely be tested in court if they decided to fight the subpoena.

In arguing that Trump has the power to end an investigation or pardon people, his lawyers left open the possibility that they were referring only to a probe into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and not necessarily an investigation of the president, the Times said.

In an earlier tweet, Trump took what appeared to be a pre-emptive swipe at the Times report shortly before it ran that questioned whether Mueller's office or the Justice Department leaked letters from his lawyers.

"When will this very expensive Witch Hunt Hoax ever end?" Trump tweeted earlier on Saturday.

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who became Trump's lead lawyer in April, said the two sides would go to court if US Special Counsel Robert Mueller attempts to subpoena the president

US&nbspPresident Donald Trump's lead attorney said that if the special counsel investigating Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US&nbspelection were to subpoena the president, it would set off a legal battle, according to an ABC News report on Saturday. Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who became Trump's lead lawyer in April, said the two sides would go to court if US&nbspSpecial Counsel Robert Mueller attempts to subpoena the president. "If Mueller tries to subpoena us, we're going to court," Giuliani told ABC News. In addition to fighting a subpoena, Giuliani told ABC that Trump's legal strategy as detailed in a January letter to Mueller and published by the New York Times on Saturday still stands. Trump's lawyers had argued in the January letter that the president could not have obstructed the probe given the powers granted to him by the US&nbspConstitution, the Times report said. In the letter penned by Trump lawyers John Dowd and Jay Sekulow, it was argued that president has the power to "order the termination of an investigation by the Justice Department or FBI at any time and for any reason." In the letter to Mueller, Trump's lawyers had contended that the Constitution gives the president the power to "terminate the inquiry, or even exercise his power to pardon," and that meant he could not illegally obstruct the investigation, the Times reported. The 20-page letter was a response to repeated requests by Mueller's office asking to interview Trump. Negotiations between Trump's lawyers and the special counsel on a possible interview have continued ever since. As part of his investigation, Mueller is looking into the possibility the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow and that Trump subsequently tried to obstruct the probe. Russia has denied any interference and Trump has repeatedly said there was no collusion or obstruction of justice. Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mueller's office declined to comment, while the White House and the two attorneys who wrote the letter - Sekulow and Dowd - did not reply to requests for comment. Dowd left the president's legal team in March. Giuliani said last month that he wanted any interview of Trump to be limited in scope and length, suggesting it to be only 2-1/2 hours and not under oath. If the president does not consent to an interview with the special counsel and Mueller does subpoena him, the interpretation by Trump's lawyers of broad executive powers would likely be tested in court if they decided to fight the subpoena. In arguing that Trump has the power to end an investigation or pardon people, his lawyers left open the possibility that they were referring only to a probe into his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and not necessarily an investigation of the president, the Times said. In an earlier tweet, Trump took what appeared to be a pre-emptive swipe at the Times report shortly before it ran that questioned whether Mueller's office or the Justice Department leaked letters from his lawyers. "When will this very expensive Witch Hunt Hoax ever end?" Trump tweeted earlier on Saturday.

Trump's lawyer says will fight Russia probe subpoena: Report

US President Donald Trump has said "nobody has been tougher" on Russia than him even as he expressed hope that having a good relationship with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would be a "great thing".

Trump's comments came yesterday during a meeting with leaders of the Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- a day after the White House confirmed the president invited Putin to the Oval Office for a potential meeting.

"I think we'll be able to have great dialogue, I hope. And, if we can't, you'll be the first to know about it. Nobody's been tougher on Russia than I have," he said.

Trump was asked if he considered Putin a friend or a foe.

"It's a real possibility that I could have a good relationship. And remember this: Getting along with Russia is a good thing. Getting along with China is a good thing. Getting along with other countries, including your three countries is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump told reporters at a White House joint news conference with Baltic leaders.

"So I think I could have a very good relationship with Russia and with President Putin. And if I did, that would be a great thing. And there's also a possibility that won't happen. Who knows?" he said.

Trump noted that the US is "very strong" on energy, which he said, is not good for Russia.

"We're essentially now energy-independent. We're an exporter of energy. That is not a positive for Russia. But it's certainly a positive for the United States," he said.

His administration, Trump said, has just passed a USD 700 billion military budget.

"Next year, $716 billion, the largest ever passed. We are going to have a military stronger than we've ever had before, by far. Now, that's not exactly a great thing for Russia. But that's the way it is. We're going to have the strongest military that we ever had," he said.

The US President reiterated the non-payment of bills by some NATO member countries.

"NATO was delinquent. They were not paying their bills. They were not paying, a lot of states, as we discussed. They were not -- they were not paying what they should be paying," he said.

Trump said since he came in, many billions of dollars additional have been paid by countries that weren't paying, and now they're paying.

"And they will have to pay more, frankly. They're going to have to pay more," Trump said.

"So there are many things that I've done, and not only the 60 diplomats. Germany did four, France did four, we did 60. There's nobody been tougher on Russia," he said on the US' expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats in response to a chemical attack on a former Russian spy in the UK.

White House confirmed the president invited Putin to the Oval Office for a potential meeting.

US President Donald Trump has said "nobody has been tougher" on Russia than him even as he expressed hope that having a good relationship with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would be a "great thing". Trump's comments came yesterday during a meeting with leaders of the Baltic states -- Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -- a day after the White House confirmed the president invited Putin to the Oval Office for a potential meeting. "I think we'll be able to have great dialogue, I hope. And, if we can't, you'll be the first to know about it. Nobody's been tougher on Russia than I have," he said. Trump was asked if he considered Putin a friend or a foe. "It's a real possibility that I could have a good relationship. And remember this: Getting along with Russia is a good thing. Getting along with China is a good thing. Getting along with other countries, including your three countries is a good thing, not a bad thing," Trump told reporters at a White House joint news conference with Baltic leaders. "So I think I could have a very good relationship with Russia and with President Putin. And if I did, that would be a great thing. And there's also a possibility that won't happen. Who knows?" he said. Trump noted that the US is "very strong" on energy, which he said, is not good for Russia. "We're essentially now energy-independent. We're an exporter of energy. That is not a positive for Russia. But it's certainly a positive for the United States," he said. His administration, Trump said, has just passed a USD 700 billion military budget. "Next year, $716 billion, the largest ever passed. We are going to have a military stronger than we've ever had before, by far. Now, that's not exactly a great thing for Russia. But that's the way it is. We're going to have the strongest military that we ever had," he said. The US President reiterated the non-payment of bills by some NATO member countries. "NATO was delinquent. They were not paying their bills. They were not paying, a lot of states, as we discussed. They were not -- they were not paying what they should be paying," he said. Trump said since he came in, many billions of dollars additional have been paid by countries that weren't paying, and now they're paying. "And they will have to pay more, frankly. They're going to have to pay more," Trump said. "So there are many things that I've done, and not only the 60 diplomats. Germany did four, France did four, we did 60. There's nobody been tougher on Russia," he said on the US' expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats in response to a chemical attack on a former Russian spy in the UK.

I could have a very good relationship with Russia & Putin: Trump

US President Donald Trump said he was still willing to be interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, refraining from criticism of his Russia election meddling probe.

&quot;I would like to,&quot; Trump told reporters when asked about the interview, which is fraught with danger for the president and expected to come within weeks.

The comment came after the head of Trump&#39;s legal team, John Dowd, resigned.

US President Donald Trump said he was still willing to be interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, refraining from criticism of his Russia election meddling probe

US President Donald Trump said he was still willing to be interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller, refraining from criticism of his Russia election meddling probe. "I would like to," Trump told reporters when asked about the interview, which is fraught with danger for the president and expected to come within weeks. The comment came after the head of Trump's legal team, John Dowd, resigned.

Trump says still willing to talk to Mueller in Russia probe

President Donald Trump Sunday intensified his attacks on Robert Mueller&#39;s Russia investigation as biased against him, but stopped just short of targeting the special counsel &mdash; whose ouster lawmakers warned would cross a &quot;massive red line.&quot;

In a morning flurry on Twitter, Trump insisted that Mueller&#39;s team of investigators is staffed with &quot;hardened&quot; Democrats biased against him.

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Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/975350027169206273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!&quot; Trump wrote. The night before, he had tweeted, &quot;The Mueller probe should never have been started.&quot;

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The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/975163071361683456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The salvo was the latest in a growing confrontation over Mueller`s investigation, which is probing whether Trump`s campaign colluded with Russian attempts to sway the 2016 election in his favour, but also whether the president sought to obstruct justice.

Trump also took aim at former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who was sacked on Friday two days before his retirement, and former FBI director James Comey, who was fired by Trump last year over the Russia probe. McCabe had an early role in the Russia inquiry and has knowledge of Trump and Comey`s interactions.

McCabe`s lawyer, Michael Bromwich, offered a scathing response to the attacks on his client, saying on Twitter, &quot;We will not be responding to each childish, defamatory, disgusting &amp; false tweet by the President... But the tweets confirm that he has corrupted the entire process that led to Mr&nbsp;McCabe`s termination and has rendered it illegitimate.&quot;

It remains unclear when Mueller will conclude his investigation, but as it moves steadily closer to the president, his inner circle, and his business interests, he has lashed out ever more sharply.

Trump had warned last July that if Mueller broadened his inquiry to include the finances of the Trump Organization, it would be a &quot;violation.&quot;

But Mueller`s team has now subpoenaed Russia-related documents from the president&#39;s business, the New York Times reported Thursday.

Until now, the president has steered clear of directly attacking Mueller, the former FBI director who took over the Russia probe after Comey`s firing May 9, 2017.

But he has taken aim at the special counsel`s large team of lawyers, who were selected for their experience in financial fraud, money laundering, corruption, bribery and organized crime.

&quot;Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added,&quot; Trump said.

Republican allies of the president have seized upon the fact that some of Mueller`s team -- seven out of 17 lawyers, according to The Washington Post -- previously donated money to Democratic political candidates. 
The conservative website Daily Caller reported last month that 13 of the team were registered, Democrats.

But Mueller defenders say he, and more broadly the FBI, have safeguards in place to avoid letting any investigation be tainted by politics.

Mueller, who is widely respected in both political camps, was appointed FBI chief by the Republican president George W Bush and kept on under the Democrat Barack Obama.Lawmakers, including heavyweights from Trump`s own Republican Party, issued pointed warnings Sunday that any attempt by the president to oust Mueller as special counsel would have grave consequences.

&quot;He is following the evidence where it takes him and I think it`s very important he be allowed to do his job, without interference,&quot; Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on CNN. &quot;And there are many Republicans who share my view.&quot;

Any move to oust Mueller, Graham said, &quot;would be the beginning of the end of his presidency. Because we`re a rule of law nation.&quot; 
The Republican senator and frequent Trump critic Jeff Flake likewise warned on CNN that ousting Mueller was seen as &quot;a massive red line that can`t be crossed.&quot;

Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC that firing Mueller &quot;would undoubtedly result in a constitutional crisis.&quot;

In earlier tweets, Trump accused Comey of lying under oath in congressional testimony and dismissed as &quot;fake memos&quot; contemporaneous notes McCabe and Comey took of their interactions with the president.

Those memos could be fodder for Mueller`s probe regarding potential obstruction of justice by the US leader.

After reports that Mueller had the memos, Trump tweeted, &quot;Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don`t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey.&quot;

McCabe has said he is the victim of a Trump administration &quot;war&quot; against the FBI and the special counsel.

Comey has pushed back as well. &quot;Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not,&quot; tweeted the former FBI chief, whose memoir is set for release a month from now.

In a morning flurry on Twitter, Trump insisted that Mueller's team of investigators is staffed with 'hardened' Democrats biased against him

President Donald Trump Sunday intensified his attacks on Robert Mueller's Russia investigation as biased against him, but stopped just short of targeting the special counsel — whose ouster lawmakers warned would cross a "massive red line." In a morning flurry on Twitter, Trump insisted that Mueller's team of investigators is staffed with "hardened" Democrats biased against him. Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018 × "Does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!" Trump wrote. The night before, he had tweeted, "The Mueller probe should never have been started." The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2018 × The salvo was the latest in a growing confrontation over Mueller`s investigation, which is probing whether Trump`s campaign colluded with Russian attempts to sway the 2016 election in his favour, but also whether the president sought to obstruct justice. Trump also took aim at former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, who was sacked on Friday two days before his retirement, and former FBI director James Comey, who was fired by Trump last year over the Russia probe. McCabe had an early role in the Russia inquiry and has knowledge of Trump and Comey`s interactions. McCabe`s lawyer, Michael Bromwich, offered a scathing response to the attacks on his client, saying on Twitter, "We will not be responding to each childish, defamatory, disgusting & false tweet by the President... But the tweets confirm that he has corrupted the entire process that led to Mr McCabe`s termination and has rendered it illegitimate." It remains unclear when Mueller will conclude his investigation, but as it moves steadily closer to the president, his inner circle, and his business interests, he has lashed out ever more sharply. Trump had warned last July that if Mueller broadened his inquiry to include the finances of the Trump Organization, it would be a "violation." But Mueller`s team has now subpoenaed Russia-related documents from the president's business, the New York Times reported Thursday. Until now, the president has steered clear of directly attacking Mueller, the former FBI director who took over the Russia probe after Comey`s firing May 9, 2017. But he has taken aim at the special counsel`s large team of lawyers, who were selected for their experience in financial fraud, money laundering, corruption, bribery and organized crime. "Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added," Trump said. Republican allies of the president have seized upon the fact that some of Mueller`s team -- seven out of 17 lawyers, according to The Washington Post -- previously donated money to Democratic political candidates. The conservative website Daily Caller reported last month that 13 of the team were registered, Democrats. But Mueller defenders say he, and more broadly the FBI, have safeguards in place to avoid letting any investigation be tainted by politics. Mueller, who is widely respected in both political camps, was appointed FBI chief by the Republican president George W Bush and kept on under the Democrat Barack Obama.Lawmakers, including heavyweights from Trump`s own Republican Party, issued pointed warnings Sunday that any attempt by the president to oust Mueller as special counsel would have grave consequences. "He is following the evidence where it takes him and I think it`s very important he be allowed to do his job, without interference," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on CNN. "And there are many Republicans who share my view." Any move to oust Mueller, Graham said, "would be the beginning of the end of his presidency. Because we`re a rule of law nation." The Republican senator and frequent Trump critic Jeff Flake likewise warned on CNN that ousting Mueller was seen as "a massive red line that can`t be crossed." Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC that firing Mueller "would undoubtedly result in a constitutional crisis." In earlier tweets, Trump accused Comey of lying under oath in congressional testimony and dismissed as "fake memos" contemporaneous notes McCabe and Comey took of their interactions with the president. Those memos could be fodder for Mueller`s probe regarding potential obstruction of justice by the US leader. After reports that Mueller had the memos, Trump tweeted, "Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me. I don`t believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey." McCabe has said he is the victim of a Trump administration "war" against the FBI and the special counsel. Comey has pushed back as well. "Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not," tweeted the former FBI chief, whose memoir is set for release a month from now.

US President Donald Trump sharpens attacks on Russia probe

Washington lawyer Emmet Flood is under consideration for a White House job to assist US President Donald Trump with the Russia probe, according to some media reports.&nbsp;

Flood, who advised former President Bill Clinton in impeachment proceedings, met with Trump in the White House, but no decision about the job has been made.

The meeting comes as Trump&#39;s outside legal team has been negotiating with US&nbsp;special counsel Robert Mueller over a possible interview with the president, another reports claimed.&nbsp;

Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, whether there was any collusion with the Trump campaign, and possibly obstruction of justice related to the probe.

Meanwhile, Russia has denied interfering in the election campaign. Trump has said there was no collusion between Moscow and his campaign and no obstruction.

White House officials on Saturday expressed concern about news that an impeachment lawyer&nbsp;might join the team at this point, another media report said.

Flood advised Bill Clinton in the late 1990s in impeachment proceedings brought by the U.S. House of Representatives and tried before the U.S. Senate, where he was acquitted.

Flood also spent two years in the White House Counsel&#39;s office, where he handled executive-privilege related disputes for President George W. Bush&#39;s administration to Congressional investigations and other inquiries. He also once clerked for Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

&nbsp;

No decision about the job has been made yet

Washington lawyer Emmet Flood is under consideration for a White House job to assist US President Donald Trump with the Russia probe, according to some media reports. Flood, who advised former President Bill Clinton in impeachment proceedings, met with Trump in the White House, but no decision about the job has been made. The meeting comes as Trump's outside legal team has been negotiating with US special counsel Robert Mueller over a possible interview with the president, another reports claimed. Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, whether there was any collusion with the Trump campaign, and possibly obstruction of justice related to the probe. Meanwhile, Russia has denied interfering in the election campaign. Trump has said there was no collusion between Moscow and his campaign and no obstruction. White House officials on Saturday expressed concern about news that an impeachment lawyer might join the team at this point, another media report said. Flood advised Bill Clinton in the late 1990s in impeachment proceedings brought by the U.S. House of Representatives and tried before the U.S. Senate, where he was acquitted. Flood also spent two years in the White House Counsel's office, where he handled executive-privilege related disputes for President George W. Bush's administration to Congressional investigations and other inquiries. He also once clerked for Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Donald Trump met with Bill Clinton's impeachment lawyer to assist in Russia probe: Source

US president Donald Trump once again termed the probe into the probable coordination between his administration and Russia the &quot;single greatest witch hunt&quot; on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Trump took to Twitter and wrote: &quot;The single greatest Witch Hunt in American history continues. There was no collusion, everybody including the Dems knows there was no collusion, &amp; yet on and on it goes. Russia &amp; the world is laughing at the stupidity they are witnessing. Republicans should finally take control!&quot;

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The single greatest Witch Hunt in American history continues. There was no collusion, everybody including the Dems knows there was no collusion, &amp; yet on and on it goes. Russia &amp; the world is laughing at the stupidity they are witnessing. Republicans should finally take control!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951109942685126656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The president has a number of times stated that the investigation led by FBI Director Robert Mueller a &quot;witch hunt,&quot; which began after his victory in 2016.&nbsp;

In another tweet, the President censured Senator Dianne Feinstein for &#39;illegally&#39; releasing dossier on Trump and Russia.

Senator Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday ignored the objections of her Republican colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee and released the full transcript of Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson&#39;s extensive congressional testimony about Christopher Steele&#39;s famous dossier on Donald Trump and Russia.

&quot;The fact that Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, who has on numerous occasions stated that collusion between Trump/Russia has not been found, would release testimony in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization, is a disgrace. Must have tough Primary!&quot;

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The fact that Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, who has on numerous occasions stated that collusion between Trump/Russia has not been found, would release testimony in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization, is a disgrace. Must have tough Primary!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951106475254059008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Trump also said on Wednesday that it seemed &quot;unlikely&quot; he would need to meet with special counsel Robert Mueller about Mueller&#39;s investigation into the allegations.

Mueller has reportedly indicated to Trump&#39;s attorneys that his team would like to interview the president as part of the investigation. Trump has called the investigation a &quot;Democratic hoax.&quot;

Mueller&#39;s team has interviewed a number of Trump aides, including Trump&#39;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former chief of staff Reince Priebus.

So far, the investigation has resulted in the indictment of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a guilty plea from former national security adviser Mike Flynn.

Meanwhile, Michael Cohen, one of President Donald Trump&#39;s personal lawyers, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the research firm Fusion GPS for producing the infamous Steele dossier that alleged the Trump campaign had ties to Russia.

Cohen also filed a lawsuit against BuzzFeed News for publishing the entire dossier in January 2017.

So far, the investigation has resulted in the indictment of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a guilty plea from former national security adviser Mike Flynn

US president Donald Trump once again termed the probe into the probable coordination between his administration and Russia the "single greatest witch hunt" on Wednesday. Trump took to Twitter and wrote: "The single greatest Witch Hunt in American history continues. There was no collusion, everybody including the Dems knows there was no collusion, & yet on and on it goes. Russia & the world is laughing at the stupidity they are witnessing. Republicans should finally take control!" The single greatest Witch Hunt in American history continues. There was no collusion, everybody including the Dems knows there was no collusion, & yet on and on it goes. Russia & the world is laughing at the stupidity they are witnessing. Republicans should finally take control! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 × The president has a number of times stated that the investigation led by FBI Director Robert Mueller a "witch hunt," which began after his victory in 2016. In another tweet, the President censured Senator Dianne Feinstein for 'illegally' releasing dossier on Trump and Russia. Senator Dianne Feinstein on Tuesday ignored the objections of her Republican colleagues on the Senate Intelligence Committee and released the full transcript of Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson's extensive congressional testimony about Christopher Steele's famous dossier on Donald Trump and Russia. "The fact that Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, who has on numerous occasions stated that collusion between Trump/Russia has not been found, would release testimony in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization, is a disgrace. Must have tough Primary!" The fact that Sneaky Dianne Feinstein, who has on numerous occasions stated that collusion between Trump/Russia has not been found, would release testimony in such an underhanded and possibly illegal way, totally without authorization, is a disgrace. Must have tough Primary! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018 × Trump also said on Wednesday that it seemed "unlikely" he would need to meet with special counsel Robert Mueller about Mueller's investigation into the allegations. Mueller has reportedly indicated to Trump's attorneys that his team would like to interview the president as part of the investigation. Trump has called the investigation a "Democratic hoax." Mueller's team has interviewed a number of Trump aides, including Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and former chief of staff Reince Priebus. So far, the investigation has resulted in the indictment of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and a guilty plea from former national security adviser Mike Flynn. Meanwhile, Michael Cohen, one of President Donald Trump's personal lawyers, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the research firm Fusion GPS for producing the infamous Steele dossier that alleged the Trump campaign had ties to Russia. Cohen also filed a lawsuit against BuzzFeed News for publishing the entire dossier in January 2017.

Trump calls Russia probe the 'greatest witch hunt', denies interview with Robert Mueller

US Special counsel Robert Mueller&#39;s team wants to question President Donald Trump as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, media reports said today.

Mueller is trying to determine if Trump&#39;s campaign advisers colluded with the Russian government to influence the election.

The investigation also reportedly involves a probe into whether the President obstructed justice when he allegedly asked ex-FBI director James Comey to drop an inquiry into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, becoming the first senior White House official to cut a cooperation deal in Mueller&#39;s inquiry.

 
Now Trump&#39;s legal team is pushing for a written question and answer, multiple media reports said.

There was no comment from Muller&#39;s office.

The White House and Trump has been saying that he is ready to cooperate as he has nothing to hide.

&quot;Mr Trump&#39;s lawyers are expected to try to set ground rules for any interview or provide answers to written questions. If Mr Trump were to refuse outright to cooperate, Mr Mueller could respond with a grand jury subpoena,&quot; The New York Times said.

The Wall Street Journal said some members of Trump&#39;s legal team believe a meeting between the president and Mueller would be &#39;gratuitous&#39;.

&quot;The White House does not comment on communications with the Office of the Special Counsel out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process. The White House is continuing its full cooperation with the Office of the Special Counsel in order to facilitate the earliest possible resolution,&quot; an attorney, who heads Trump&#39;s private legal team, said.

The possibility of Muller seeking to interview Trump, another media outlet said is an indication that the investigation is entering its final phase.

&quot;This is moving faster than anyone really realises,&quot; a source told The Washington Post.

Trump is comfortable participating in an interview and believes it would put to rest the questions about whether his campaign coordinated with Russia in the 2016 election, the person added.

So far, Mueller has interviewed several top present and former White House officials. Prominent among them include Trump&#39;s son-in-law Jarred Kushner.

The White House and Trump has been saying that he is ready to cooperate as he has nothing to hide.

US Special counsel Robert Mueller's team wants to question President Donald Trump as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, media reports said today. Mueller is trying to determine if Trump's campaign advisers colluded with the Russian government to influence the election. The investigation also reportedly involves a probe into whether the President obstructed justice when he allegedly asked ex-FBI director James Comey to drop an inquiry into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, becoming the first senior White House official to cut a cooperation deal in Mueller's inquiry. Now Trump's legal team is pushing for a written question and answer, multiple media reports said. There was no comment from Muller's office. The White House and Trump has been saying that he is ready to cooperate as he has nothing to hide. "Mr Trump's lawyers are expected to try to set ground rules for any interview or provide answers to written questions. If Mr Trump were to refuse outright to cooperate, Mr Mueller could respond with a grand jury subpoena," The New York Times said. The Wall Street Journal said some members of Trump's legal team believe a meeting between the president and Mueller would be 'gratuitous'. "The White House does not comment on communications with the Office of the Special Counsel out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process. The White House is continuing its full cooperation with the Office of the Special Counsel in order to facilitate the earliest possible resolution," an attorney, who heads Trump's private legal team, said. The possibility of Muller seeking to interview Trump, another media outlet said is an indication that the investigation is entering its final phase. "This is moving faster than anyone really realises," a source told The Washington Post. Trump is comfortable participating in an interview and believes it would put to rest the questions about whether his campaign coordinated with Russia in the 2016 election, the person added. So far, Mueller has interviewed several top present and former White House officials. Prominent among them include Trump's son-in-law Jarred Kushner.

US Special counsel may question Trump on Russia probe

Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump&#39;s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday.

A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.

It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller&#39;s five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump&#39;s favour and into potential collusion by Trump aides.

Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington.

Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine&#39;s former pro-Russian government.

The judge ordered house arrest for both men, and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and a $5 million unsecured bond for Gates. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday.

The developments in the Mueller probe weighed on the U.S. dollar, which slipped 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies.

Mueller&#39;s investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over Trump&#39;s first nine months in office.

Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against Manafort and Gates. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort&#39;s work for Ukraine.

The indictment includes accusations of conspiracy against the United States, failure to report foreign bank accounts to the U.S. government and conspiracy to launder money, a count that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence.

A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia.

&quot;We&#39;ve been saying from Day One there&#39;s no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all,&quot; spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing.

Manafort&#39;s attorney, Kevin Downing said in a statement that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Downing said Manafort&#39;s work for the Ukrainians ended in 2014, two years before he joined the Trump campaign.

Downing accused Mueller of using a &quot;novel&quot; legal theory to prosecute Manafort under a law requiring lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice when they are doing work for a foreign government.

Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said the charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with the Russia investigation.

&quot;If I were the defence lawyer, I&#39;d be looking into cooperating,&rdquo; he said.

GUILTY PLEA

In a development directly related to Trump&#39;s 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

Mueller&#39;s office said Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since &quot;met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions,&quot; according to a court document.

White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos&#39; campaign role, saying it was &quot;extremely limited&quot; and that he was a volunteer.

&quot;He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way,&quot; she said.

U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton.

Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine.

Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called &quot;a witch hunt.&quot; Moscow also denies the allegations.

&quot;Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren&#39;t Crooked Hillary &amp; the Dems the focus?????,&quot; Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton.

Mueller has been investigating Manafort&rsquo;s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich.

Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from American authorities, the indictment said.

They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a &quot;lavish lifestyle&quot; without paying taxes on the income, it said.

The indictment said Manafort owned properties in Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Hamptons; Arlington, Virginia, and elsewhere.

Prosecutors said Manafort spent almost $1 million on eight rugs in two years and more than $1.3 million on clothes from shops in Beverly Hills, California, and New York City. They also said he had been making payments on four Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz.

Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump&#39;s campaign chairman.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller&#39;s probe.

&quot;The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel&rsquo;s work in any way,&quot; Schumer said.

A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday.

Federal investigators probing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election charged President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another aide, Rick Gates, with money laundering on Monday. A third former Trump adviser, George Papadopoulos, pleaded guilty in early October to lying to the FBI, it was announced on Monday. It was a sharp escalation of U.S. Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller's five-month-old investigation into alleged Russian efforts to tilt the election in Trump's favour and into potential collusion by Trump aides. Manafort, 68, a longtime Republican operative, and Gates were arraigned at a federal courthouse in Washington. Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges against them in a 12-count indictment, ranging from money laundering to acting as unregistered agents of Ukraine's former pro-Russian government. The judge ordered house arrest for both men, and set a $10 million unsecured bond for Manafort and a $5 million unsecured bond for Gates. With unsecured bonds, they are released without having to pay but will owe money if they fail to appear in court. There will be another hearing on Thursday. The developments in the Mueller probe weighed on the U.S. dollar, which slipped 0.5 percent against a basket of currencies. Mueller's investigation and others by congressional committees into alleged Russian efforts to influence the election have cast a shadow over Trump's first nine months in office. Neither Trump nor his campaign was mentioned in the indictment against Manafort and Gates. The charges, some going back more than a decade, centre on Manafort's work for Ukraine. The indictment includes accusations of conspiracy against the United States, failure to report foreign bank accounts to the U.S. government and conspiracy to launder money, a count that carries a 20-year maximum prison sentence. A White House spokeswoman said the indictment had nothing to do with Trump or his campaign and showed no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia. "We've been saying from Day One there's no evidence of Trump-Russia collusion, and nothing in the indictment today changes that at all," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing. Manafort's attorney, Kevin Downing said in a statement that there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government. Downing said Manafort's work for the Ukrainians ended in 2014, two years before he joined the Trump campaign. Downing accused Mueller of using a "novel" legal theory to prosecute Manafort under a law requiring lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice when they are doing work for a foreign government. Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said the charges against Manafort could put pressure on him to cooperate with the Russia investigation. "If I were the defence lawyer, I'd be looking into cooperating,” he said. GUILTY PLEA In a development directly related to Trump's 2016 election campaign, it emerged on Monday that Papadopoulos, a former campaign adviser, pleaded guilty earlier this month to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. Mueller's office said Papadopoulos lied to FBI agents about the timing of contact between him and a professor in London who claimed to have information that would hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Papadopoulos, a little-known former foreign policy adviser in the campaign, made a plea bargain which stated that he has since "met with the Government on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions," according to a court document. White House spokeswoman Sanders played down Papadopoulos' campaign role, saying it was "extremely limited" and that he was a volunteer. "He asked to do things (and) he was basically pushed back or not responded to in any way," she said. U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia interfered in the election, by hacking and releasing embarrassing emails and disseminating propaganda via social media to discredit Clinton. Manafort ran the Trump campaign from June to August of 2016 before resigning amid reports he might have received millions of dollars in illegal payments from a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. Trump on Monday reiterated his frustration with the Mueller probe, which he has called "a witch hunt." Moscow also denies the allegations. "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????," Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to Clinton. Mueller has been investigating Manafort’s financial and real estate dealings and his prior work for a political group, the Party of Regions, which backed former pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. Both Manafort and Gates generated tens of millions of dollars of income from Ukraine work and laundered money through scores of U.S. and foreign entities to hide payments from American authorities, the indictment said. They concealed from the United States their work and revenue as agents of Ukrainian political parties and used their wealth to lead a "lavish lifestyle" without paying taxes on the income, it said. The indictment said Manafort owned properties in Manhattan; Brooklyn; the Hamptons; Arlington, Virginia, and elsewhere. Prosecutors said Manafort spent almost $1 million on eight rugs in two years and more than $1.3 million on clothes from shops in Beverly Hills, California, and New York City. They also said he had been making payments on four Range Rovers and a Mercedes-Benz. Gates was a longtime business partner of Manafort and has ties to Russian and Ukrainian oligarchs. He also served as deputy to Manafort during his brief tenure as Trump's campaign chairman. Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for the Trump administration to avoid interfering with Mueller's probe. "The rule of law is paramount in America and the investigation must be allowed to proceed unimpeded. The president must not, under any circumstances, interfere with the special counsel’s work in any way," Schumer said.

Two former Trump aides charged in Russia probe, third pleads guilty

Paul Manafort, ex-campaign manager for US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, surrendered to the FBI on Monday&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-jr-hires-lawyer-for-russia-investigation-17803">in a probe</a> relating to whether Russia influenced&nbsp;the 2016 US elections.

There were reports of a possible <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-blasts-russia-probe-urges-testimony-from-former-adviser-page-16286">arrest throughout last week as the probe into Russia&#39;s alleged </a>attempt to influence the 2016 presidential elections gathered steam in the&nbsp;ongoing inquiry led by former FBI chief Robert Mueller.&nbsp;

Paul Manafort was charged with conspiracy against the United States and money laundering.&nbsp;

Manafort and business partner Rick Gates were charged with allegedly hiding millions of dollars they earned working for former Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Moscow political party.

Special counsel Robert Mueller announced the 12 charges against the two accused.

Special counsel Robert Mueller said a third person, George Papadopoulos, had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators.

George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the campaign early last year, pleaded guilty on October 5 to making false statements, Mueller said.

&quot;Papadopoulos impeded the FBI&#39;s ongoing investigation into the existence of any links or coordination between individuals associated with the campaign and the Russian government&#39;s efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election,&quot; the indictment stated.

President Trump shot back almost instantly tweeting: &quot;Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren&#39;t Crooked Hillary &amp; the Dems the focus?&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren&#39;t Crooked Hillary &amp; the Dems the focus?????
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925005659569041409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Also, there is no collusion, the President tweeted.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
....Also, there is NO COLLUSION!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925006418989715456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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Trump had denounced the investigation as a &quot;witch hunt&quot; in a series of tweets on Sunday.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
...the Uranium to Russia deal, the 33,000 plus deleted Emails, the Comey fix and so much more. Instead they look at phony Trump/Russia,....
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/924637600094326784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
...&quot;collusion,&quot; which doesn&#39;t exist. The Dems are using this terrible (and bad for our country) Witch Hunt for evil politics, but the R&#39;s...
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/924639422066384896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
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<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
...are now fighting back like never before. There is so much GUILT by Democrats/Clinton, and now the facts are pouring out. DO SOMETHING!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/924641278947622913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

There were reports of a possible arrest throughout last week as the probe into Russia's alleged attempt to influence the 2016 presidential elections gathered steam

Paul Manafort, ex-campaign manager for US President Donald Trump, surrendered to the FBI on Monday in a probe relating to whether Russia influenced the 2016 US elections. There were reports of a possible arrest throughout last week as the probe into Russia's alleged attempt to influence the 2016 presidential elections gathered steam in the ongoing inquiry led by former FBI chief Robert Mueller. Paul Manafort was charged with conspiracy against the United States and money laundering. Manafort and business partner Rick Gates were charged with allegedly hiding millions of dollars they earned working for former Ukrainian politician Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Moscow political party. Special counsel Robert Mueller announced the 12 charges against the two accused. Special counsel Robert Mueller said a third person, George Papadopoulos, had pleaded guilty to lying to FBI investigators. George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the campaign early last year, pleaded guilty on October 5 to making false statements, Mueller said. "Papadopoulos impeded the FBI's ongoing investigation into the existence of any links or coordination between individuals associated with the campaign and the Russian government's efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election," the indictment stated. President Trump shot back almost instantly tweeting: "Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?" Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign. But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus????? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017 × Also, there is no collusion, the President tweeted. ....Also, there is NO COLLUSION! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2017 × Trump had denounced the investigation as a "witch hunt" in a series of tweets on Sunday. ...the Uranium to Russia deal, the 33,000 plus deleted Emails, the Comey fix and so much more. Instead they look at phony Trump/Russia,.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2017 × ..."collusion," which doesn't exist. The Dems are using this terrible (and bad for our country) Witch Hunt for evil politics, but the R's... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2017 × ...are now fighting back like never before. There is so much GUILT by Democrats/Clinton, and now the facts are pouring out. DO SOMETHING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2017 ×

US elections: Paul Manafort, Rick Gates charged in Russia probe; no collusion, tweets Trump

The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked top tech companies Google, Facebook and Twitter to testify about Russian interference in US politics, a Senate aide confirmed on Wednesday.

The three internet and online social media giants are expected to appear on November 1 at an open hearing on the rising evidence that they were covertly manipulated in a campaign to help Donald Trump win the presidency.&nbsp;

Before that they could also testify in the House Intelligence Committee: Representatives Mike Conaway and Adam Schiff, who lead the committee&#39;s Russia probe, announced late Wednesday they too had invited representatives of technology firms to testify on Russian manipulation.

&quot;Congress and the American people need to hear this important information directly from these companies,&quot; they said.

Facebook recently revealed that for just $100,000, apparent Russia-linked buyers placed some 3,000 advertisements on its pages last year that appeared aimed at influencing the election.

Facebook has turned the details of those ads over to investigators. According to reports, the ads sought to boost the Democratic and Republican rivals of then-election frontrunner Hillary Clinton, as well as to sow discord among Americans in ways that would damage Clinton&#39;s voter base.

&quot;The vast majority of ads run by these accounts didn&#39;t specifically reference the US presidential election, voting or a particular candidate,&quot; Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said early this month.

&quot;Rather, the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum -- touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.&quot;

Google, a unit of Alphabet, has said it was not used in the alleged Russian campaign to steer the US election.

According to Buzzfeed, its automated ad-targeting system lets advertisers direct ads to people using racist and anti-Semitic search terms.

Twitter meanwhile has been shown to be a dense thicket of easily faked accounts and news items that allowed alleged Russian operatives to pump out politically divisive and anti-Clinton tweets.&nbsp;

The three internet and online social media giants are expected to appear on November 1 at an open hearing

The Senate Intelligence Committee has asked top tech companies Google, Facebook and Twitter to testify about Russian interference in US politics, a Senate aide confirmed on Wednesday. The three internet and online social media giants are expected to appear on November 1 at an open hearing on the rising evidence that they were covertly manipulated in a campaign to help Donald Trump win the presidency. Before that they could also testify in the House Intelligence Committee: Representatives Mike Conaway and Adam Schiff, who lead the committee's Russia probe, announced late Wednesday they too had invited representatives of technology firms to testify on Russian manipulation. "Congress and the American people need to hear this important information directly from these companies," they said. Facebook recently revealed that for just $100,000, apparent Russia-linked buyers placed some 3,000 advertisements on its pages last year that appeared aimed at influencing the election. Facebook has turned the details of those ads over to investigators. According to reports, the ads sought to boost the Democratic and Republican rivals of then-election frontrunner Hillary Clinton, as well as to sow discord among Americans in ways that would damage Clinton's voter base. "The vast majority of ads run by these accounts didn't specifically reference the US presidential election, voting or a particular candidate," Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos said early this month. "Rather, the ads and accounts appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages across the ideological spectrum -- touching on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights." Google, a unit of Alphabet, has said it was not used in the alleged Russian campaign to steer the US election. According to Buzzfeed, its automated ad-targeting system lets advertisers direct ads to people using racist and anti-Semitic search terms. Twitter meanwhile has been shown to be a dense thicket of easily faked accounts and news items that allowed alleged Russian operatives to pump out politically divisive and anti-Clinton tweets.

Google, Facebook, Twitter asked to testify in Russia probe

A raid on the Virginia home of President Donald Trump&#39;s former 2016 election campaign manager showed an investigation of possible ties between the campaign and Russia is intensifying and focused on the financial dealings of Trump associates, sources familiar with the probe said.

Longtime political consultant and lobbyist Paul Manafort is being investigated for possible money laundering and has been targeted as someone who might testify against former colleagues, said two people familiar with the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Manafort&#39;s spokesman Jason Maloni confirmed on Wednesday that the FBI executed a search warrant at one of Manafort&#39;s homes.

&quot;Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well,&quot; Maloni said in an email.

Manafort&#39;s house in Alexandria, near Washington, was raided in the early morning of July 26, the Washington Post reported. The previous day Manafort had met with Senate Intelligence Committee staff, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the probe.

Tax documents and financial records were sought by agents for Mueller in the raid, the New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Mueller&#39;s team is poring over Manafort&#39;s financial and real estate records in New York and his involvement in Ukrainian politics, the two sources told Reuters last month.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the raid a &quot;highly significant step&quot; and said it was &quot;typical of the most serious criminal investigations dealing with uncooperative or untrusted potential targets.&quot;

The FBI did not immediately return a request for comment. Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for Mueller&#39;s office, declined to confirm the raid.

Trump has been attacking Blumenthal on Twitter this week after the senator urged Mueller to press his inquiry forward.

US&nbsp;intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the presidential race, in part by hacking and releasing emails embarrassing to Trump&#39;s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, to help him get elected in November.

Trump has called Mueller&#39;s investigation a &quot;witch hunt.&quot; Allegations of collusion between Trump associates and Moscow have hounded the Republican president since he took office in January, presenting a major distraction from his policy agenda.

Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the US&nbsp;election.

Finances scrutinised&nbsp;

The Manhattan District Attorney&rsquo;s office has been trying to track money that Manafort used to buy properties in New York, and looking into millions of dollars of loans later taken out on the properties, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The prosecutor issued a subpoena to Federal Savings Bank, a small Chicago bank founded by a former Trump campaign adviser, and is interested in the loan paperwork, the person said.

It is unclear when the subpoena went out, but the first subpoenas in the probe went out months ago, the person said.

Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., declined to comment.

Steve Calk, the bank&rsquo;s chairman and CEO, who was named to Trump&rsquo;s economic advisory council during the campaign, declined to comment through a spokeswoman for the bank.

&quot;Mr. Manafort&#39;s real estate loans are all arm&#39;s length transactions at or above market rates,&rdquo; said Maloni. &ldquo;There is nothing unusual about buying real estate through an LLC.&quot;

The New York Attorney General&rsquo;s office also is looking into Manafort&rsquo;s real estate transactions, another person said.

&#39;Paper Trails&#39;

One question for investigators was whether Manafort had knowledge of any Trump campaign dealings with Russia, including meetings with Russians with government ties, said one source familiar with Mueller&#39;s work.

The same question was relevant to investigators in regard to Trump&#39;s fired former national security adviser, retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the source said.

&quot;Financial matters have paper trails that can be easy to pick up and follow, so that&#39;s a logical place to start,&quot; the source added.

Congressional committees are looking at a June 2016 meeting in New York with a Russian lawyer organised by Trump&#39;s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. Trump Jr. released emails last month that showed he welcomed the prospect of receiving damaging information about Clinton. Manafort attended the meeting.

Legal experts noted that the FBI had enough evidence to get approval for a search warrant concerning Manafort.

&quot;Somewhere, there now exists under seal what is likely a very detailed affidavit laying out criminal allegations involving Paul Manafort, and specifically, there is probable cause to believe he has committed a crime or there is evidence of a crime at his home,&quot; said Alex Little, a former federal prosecutor now with the law firm Bone McAllester Norton.

A Senate Judiciary Committee aide said the panel has received more than 20,000 pages of documents from Trump&#39;s presidential campaign, Manafort and Trump Jr.

Spokesperson for Trump's former 2016 election campaign manager, Paul Manafort, confirmed on Wednesday that the FBI executed a search warrant at one of Manafort's homes

A raid on the Virginia home of President Donald Trump's former 2016 election campaign manager showed an investigation of possible ties between the campaign and Russia is intensifying and focused on the financial dealings of Trump associates, sources familiar with the probe said. Longtime political consultant and lobbyist Paul Manafort is being investigated for possible money laundering and has been targeted as someone who might testify against former colleagues, said two people familiar with the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Manafort's spokesman Jason Maloni confirmed on Wednesday that the FBI executed a search warrant at one of Manafort's homes. "Mr. Manafort has consistently cooperated with law enforcement and other serious inquiries and did so on this occasion as well," Maloni said in an email. Manafort's house in Alexandria, near Washington, was raided in the early morning of July 26, the Washington Post reported. The previous day Manafort had met with Senate Intelligence Committee staff, the Washington Post reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the probe. Tax documents and financial records were sought by agents for Mueller in the raid, the New York Times reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. Mueller's team is poring over Manafort's financial and real estate records in New York and his involvement in Ukrainian politics, the two sources told Reuters last month. Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal called the raid a "highly significant step" and said it was "typical of the most serious criminal investigations dealing with uncooperative or untrusted potential targets." The FBI did not immediately return a request for comment. Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for Mueller's office, declined to confirm the raid. Trump has been attacking Blumenthal on Twitter this week after the senator urged Mueller to press his inquiry forward. US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the presidential race, in part by hacking and releasing emails embarrassing to Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, to help him get elected in November. Trump has called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt." Allegations of collusion between Trump associates and Moscow have hounded the Republican president since he took office in January, presenting a major distraction from his policy agenda. Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the US election. Finances scrutinised The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has been trying to track money that Manafort used to buy properties in New York, and looking into millions of dollars of loans later taken out on the properties, according to a person familiar with the matter. The prosecutor issued a subpoena to Federal Savings Bank, a small Chicago bank founded by a former Trump campaign adviser, and is interested in the loan paperwork, the person said. It is unclear when the subpoena went out, but the first subpoenas in the probe went out months ago, the person said. Joan Vollero, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., declined to comment. Steve Calk, the bank’s chairman and CEO, who was named to Trump’s economic advisory council during the campaign, declined to comment through a spokeswoman for the bank. "Mr. Manafort's real estate loans are all arm's length transactions at or above market rates,” said Maloni. “There is nothing unusual about buying real estate through an LLC." The New York Attorney General’s office also is looking into Manafort’s real estate transactions, another person said. 'Paper Trails' One question for investigators was whether Manafort had knowledge of any Trump campaign dealings with Russia, including meetings with Russians with government ties, said one source familiar with Mueller's work. The same question was relevant to investigators in regard to Trump's fired former national security adviser, retired Army Lieutenant General Michael Flynn, the source said. "Financial matters have paper trails that can be easy to pick up and follow, so that's a logical place to start," the source added. Congressional committees are looking at a June 2016 meeting in New York with a Russian lawyer organised by Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. Trump Jr. released emails last month that showed he welcomed the prospect of receiving damaging information about Clinton. Manafort attended the meeting. Legal experts noted that the FBI had enough evidence to get approval for a search warrant concerning Manafort. "Somewhere, there now exists under seal what is likely a very detailed affidavit laying out criminal allegations involving Paul Manafort, and specifically, there is probable cause to believe he has committed a crime or there is evidence of a crime at his home," said Alex Little, a former federal prosecutor now with the law firm Bone McAllester Norton. A Senate Judiciary Committee aide said the panel has received more than 20,000 pages of documents from Trump's presidential campaign, Manafort and Trump Jr.

FBI raid on ex-Trump aide's home points towards intensifying Russia probe

Investigators probing President Donald Trump&#39;s team for possible connections to Russia have asked the White House to hand over records for what is believed to be the first time, the New York Times said Friday.

Members of the sweeping federal investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller requested the White House submit documents linked to Trump&#39;s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to the paper, citing authorities close to the investigation.

The document request, while not a formal subpoena, was the latest signal that the probe is gathering pace.

The news came one day after reports revealed that Mueller -- a former FBI director -- has empanelled a grand jury to investigate Russia&#39;s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Flynn -- who was ousted mere weeks after being named Trump&#39;s national security adviser over mischaracterizing contacts with Russian officials -- is at the centre of the Russia controversy plaguing the White House.

Asked for comment on the story presidential lawyer Ty Cobb said the White House would not discuss &quot;specific communications&quot; with Mueller but would &quot;continue to fully cooperate with the Special Counsel.&quot;

Trump has repeatedly denied allegations of collusion, saying he is the victim of a political &quot;witch hunt&quot; and &quot;fake news.&quot;

Investigators had also questioned witnesses over whether Flynn received secret payments from the Turkish government at the end of the 2016 presidential campaign -- suggesting the probe&#39;s scope has widened to examine Flynn&#39;s financial dealings.

US media has reported that Mueller is also said to be investigating Trump&#39;s financial records unrelated to Russia or the election.

Trump has publicly warned Mueller that his financial dealings should be out of bounds and investigating them would cross a red line.

The document request, while not a formal subpoena, was the latest signal that the probe is gathering pace

Investigators probing President Donald Trump's team for possible connections to Russia have asked the White House to hand over records for what is believed to be the first time, the New York Times said Friday. Members of the sweeping federal investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller requested the White House submit documents linked to Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to the paper, citing authorities close to the investigation. The document request, while not a formal subpoena, was the latest signal that the probe is gathering pace. The news came one day after reports revealed that Mueller -- a former FBI director -- has empanelled a grand jury to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. Flynn -- who was ousted mere weeks after being named Trump's national security adviser over mischaracterizing contacts with Russian officials -- is at the centre of the Russia controversy plaguing the White House. Asked for comment on the story presidential lawyer Ty Cobb said the White House would not discuss "specific communications" with Mueller but would "continue to fully cooperate with the Special Counsel." Trump has repeatedly denied allegations of collusion, saying he is the victim of a political "witch hunt" and "fake news." Investigators had also questioned witnesses over whether Flynn received secret payments from the Turkish government at the end of the 2016 presidential campaign -- suggesting the probe's scope has widened to examine Flynn's financial dealings. US media has reported that Mueller is also said to be investigating Trump's financial records unrelated to Russia or the election. Trump has publicly warned Mueller that his financial dealings should be out of bounds and investigating them would cross a red line.

Russia probe team asks White House for records: Report

President Donald Trump&#39;s pick to head the&nbsp;FBI, Christopher Wray, on Wednesday said he would refuse to pledge loyalty to Trump, rejected his description of the probe into Russian election meddling as a &quot;witch hunt,&quot; and vowed to quit if asked by the president to do something unlawful.

Wray, nominated by Trump on June 7 to replace the fired James Comey as Federal Bureau of Investigation director, sought to stake out independence from the president and protect the agency from partisan political influence. Wray even said it would be &quot;highly unlikely&quot; he would agree to meet Trump in a one-on-one situation, as Comey reluctantly did.

Wray, who seemed headed for US Senate approval to fill the 10-year post, testified during a 4 1/2-hour hour Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing amid an uproar in Washington over 2016 emails released on Tuesday involving the president&#39;s son, Donald Trump Jr.

The emails showed the Republican president&#39;s son agreeing last year to meet a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have damaging information about Democratic White House rival Hillary Clinton as part of Moscow&#39;s official support for his father.

Wray deflected specific questions from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham about the president&#39;s son&#39;s emails, saying he had not read them. But Wray said, &quot;Any threats or effort to interfere with our election from any nation-state or any non-state actor is the kind of thing the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;would want to know.&quot;

Trump&#39;s son did not notify the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;and wrote &quot;I love it&quot; about the Russian&#39;s offer of information on Clinton.

Trump fired Comey on May 9, igniting a political firestorm, and later cited the &quot;Russia thing&quot; as his reason. The Justice Department eight days later named Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race to help Trump win and potential collusion between Moscow and Trump associates.

The Russia matter has dogged Trump&#39;s first six months in office. Wray said he had no reason to doubt the US intelligence community&#39;s conclusion that Russia interfered in part by hacking and releasing emails damaging to Clinton, a claim Moscow denies.

Wray worked at the Justice Department under Republican former President George W. Bush when Comey was deputy attorney general and Mueller was&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;director. Wray also represented New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in a political scandal.

Trump has called the Russia probe a &quot;witch hunt.&quot;

&quot;I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt,&quot; Wray told Graham.

Wray said he was &quot;very committed&quot; to supporting Mueller&#39;s investigation, calling him a &quot;consummate straight shooter and somebody I have enormous respect for.&quot;

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein asked Wray to inform the committee &quot;if you learn about any machinations to tamper with&quot; Mueller&#39;s probe.

&quot;Understood,&quot; Wray responded.

No loyalty oath

Wray said no one at the White House had asked that he pledge loyalty to Trump, as Comey said the president demanded of him on Jan. 26. Wray said he would not give such an assurance if asked.

&quot;My loyalty is to the Constitution, to the rule of law and to the mission of the&nbsp;FBI. And no one asked me for any kind of loyalty oath at any point during this process, and I sure as heck didn&#39;t offer one,&quot; Wray said.

Comey previously told the same committee Trump pressed him in a one-on-one session to drop the&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn&#39;s ties to Russia. Comey said he felt he was fired in a bid by Trump to undercut the Russia probe.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy asked Wray, &quot;If the president asks you to do something unlawful or unethical, what do you say?&quot;

&quot;First, I would try to talk him out of it. And if that failed, I would resign,&quot; Wray replied.

The allegation involving Trump pressing Comey on February 14 over the Flynn probe raised questions about whether Trump&#39;s behaviour amounted to obstruction of justice, a potential issue in any potential future effort in Congress to impeach the president and remove him from office.

Wray sought to differentiate himself from Comey. Wray was asked about Comey&#39;s July 2016 news conference announcing that no criminal charges were planned against Clinton over her use of a private email server to handle classified information but faulting her conduct.

&quot;I can&#39;t imagine a situation where as&nbsp;FBI&nbsp;director I would be giving a press conference on an uncharged individual, much less talk in detail about it,&quot; Wray testified.

Graham questioned Wray about a January report by the US&nbsp;news organisation Politico that a Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee had met with Ukrainian embassy officials in Washington in a bid to help Clinton and expose links between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia.

Wray said it would be wrong for Ukraine to meddle in the election and &quot;I&#39;d be happy to dig into it.&quot;

Christopher Wray said no one at the White House had asked that he pledge loyalty to Trump, as Comey said the president demanded of him on Jan. 26. Wray said he would not give such an assurance if asked

President Donald Trump's pick to head the FBI, Christopher Wray, on Wednesday said he would refuse to pledge loyalty to Trump, rejected his description of the probe into Russian election meddling as a "witch hunt," and vowed to quit if asked by the president to do something unlawful. Wray, nominated by Trump on June 7 to replace the fired James Comey as Federal Bureau of Investigation director, sought to stake out independence from the president and protect the agency from partisan political influence. Wray even said it would be "highly unlikely" he would agree to meet Trump in a one-on-one situation, as Comey reluctantly did. Wray, who seemed headed for US Senate approval to fill the 10-year post, testified during a 4 1/2-hour hour Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing amid an uproar in Washington over 2016 emails released on Tuesday involving the president's son, Donald Trump Jr. The emails showed the Republican president's son agreeing last year to meet a woman he was told was a Russian government lawyer who might have damaging information about Democratic White House rival Hillary Clinton as part of Moscow's official support for his father. Wray deflected specific questions from Republican Senator Lindsey Graham about the president's son's emails, saying he had not read them. But Wray said, "Any threats or effort to interfere with our election from any nation-state or any non-state actor is the kind of thing the FBI would want to know." Trump's son did not notify the FBI and wrote "I love it" about the Russian's offer of information on Clinton. Trump fired Comey on May 9, igniting a political firestorm, and later cited the "Russia thing" as his reason. The Justice Department eight days later named Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race to help Trump win and potential collusion between Moscow and Trump associates. The Russia matter has dogged Trump's first six months in office. Wray said he had no reason to doubt the US intelligence community's conclusion that Russia interfered in part by hacking and releasing emails damaging to Clinton, a claim Moscow denies. Wray worked at the Justice Department under Republican former President George W. Bush when Comey was deputy attorney general and Mueller was FBI director. Wray also represented New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in a political scandal. Trump has called the Russia probe a "witch hunt." "I do not consider Director Mueller to be on a witch hunt," Wray told Graham. Wray said he was "very committed" to supporting Mueller's investigation, calling him a "consummate straight shooter and somebody I have enormous respect for." Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein asked Wray to inform the committee "if you learn about any machinations to tamper with" Mueller's probe. "Understood," Wray responded. No loyalty oath Wray said no one at the White House had asked that he pledge loyalty to Trump, as Comey said the president demanded of him on Jan. 26. Wray said he would not give such an assurance if asked. "My loyalty is to the Constitution, to the rule of law and to the mission of the FBI. And no one asked me for any kind of loyalty oath at any point during this process, and I sure as heck didn't offer one," Wray said. Comey previously told the same committee Trump pressed him in a one-on-one session to drop the FBI investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn's ties to Russia. Comey said he felt he was fired in a bid by Trump to undercut the Russia probe. Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy asked Wray, "If the president asks you to do something unlawful or unethical, what do you say?" "First, I would try to talk him out of it. And if that failed, I would resign," Wray replied. The allegation involving Trump pressing Comey on February 14 over the Flynn probe raised questions about whether Trump's behaviour amounted to obstruction of justice, a potential issue in any potential future effort in Congress to impeach the president and remove him from office. Wray sought to differentiate himself from Comey. Wray was asked about Comey's July 2016 news conference announcing that no criminal charges were planned against Clinton over her use of a private email server to handle classified information but faulting her conduct. "I can't imagine a situation where as FBI director I would be giving a press conference on an uncharged individual, much less talk in detail about it," Wray testified. Graham questioned Wray about a January report by the US news organisation Politico that a Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee had met with Ukrainian embassy officials in Washington in a bid to help Clinton and expose links between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia. Wray said it would be wrong for Ukraine to meddle in the election and "I'd be happy to dig into it."

Russia probe not witch hunt: Trump FBI pick

Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;has hired a lawyer to represent him in Russia-related investigations, his office and the lawyer said on Monday, as Republicans voiced concern about a meeting between the US&nbsp;president&#39;s son and a Russian.

Trump Jr&nbsp;hired New York lawyer Alan Futerfas, who specializes in criminal defence.

Futerfas would not say when he was retained or whether he played any part in the statements Trump Jr&nbsp;made over the weekend about a meeting with a Russian lawyer.

Trump Jr&nbsp;met the Russian, Natalia Veselnitskaya, in June 2016, during the presidential election campaign, at Trump Tower in New York.

He has said he agreed to meet Veselnitskaya, described by the New York Times as having links to the Kremlin, after being promised damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Trump&#39;s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump&#39;s then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also attended, the Times said. It called the encounter the first confirmed private meeting of members of Donald Trump&#39;s inner circle with a Russian national during the campaign.

Congressional committees and a federal special counsel, Robert Mueller, are investigating whether Russia interfered in the election and colluded with the Trump campaign.

Moscow denies interfering, and Trump, who became president on January&nbsp;20, says there was no collusion.

Futerfas told Reuters: &ldquo;I look forward to assisting Donald Jr&nbsp;and, quite frankly, there is nothing to all of the media buzz about the June 9th, 2016 meeting. That will be proven to be the case.&rdquo;

A Republican member of the US&nbsp;Senate Intelligence Committee, Susan Collins, called on Trump Jr. to testify before the panel, which is looking into accusations of Russian meddling in the election.

&quot;Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting,&quot; Senator Susan Collins told reporters at the US&nbsp;Capitol.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the panel &quot;absolutely&quot; wants to speak to Trump Jr. about the meeting. Warner said he and the Republican committee chairman, Richard Burr, will decide later whether to ask Trump Jr. to testify in public or in a classified setting.

&quot;Rest assured, Donald Trump Jr&nbsp;will be someone that we&#39;ll want to talk to,&quot; Warner told reporters outside his Senate office.

Allegations of the Trump campaign&#39;s ties to Russia have cast a shadow over the Republican president&#39;s first months in office.

&nbsp;

White House defends meeting

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting with lawyer Veselnitskaya. &quot;Don Junior took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up,&quot; Sanders told reporters.

But Republican Senator Pat Toomey said it was not appropriate for presidential campaigns to solicit or accept negative information about a rival from a Russian.

&quot;It encourages countries to come in and undermine our democratic process. And these countries have great capabilities to do that sort of thing,&quot; he told MSNBC. &nbsp;

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the Kremlin did not know the identity of the Russian lawyer.

&quot;No, we don&#39;t know who it is and, certainly, we cannot track down all movements of all Russian lawyers both within Russia and abroad,&quot; Peskov said.

A publicist who arranged the meeting with the lawyer last year said he did so at the request of singer and businessman Emin Agalarov, a Moscow-based client of his. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

US President Donald Trump's eldest son admitted to meeting a Russian lawyer to get damaging information on Hillary Clinton

Donald Trump Jr has hired a lawyer to represent him in Russia-related investigations, his office and the lawyer said on Monday, as Republicans voiced concern about a meeting between the US president's son and a Russian. Trump Jr hired New York lawyer Alan Futerfas, who specializes in criminal defence. Futerfas would not say when he was retained or whether he played any part in the statements Trump Jr made over the weekend about a meeting with a Russian lawyer. Trump Jr met the Russian, Natalia Veselnitskaya, in June 2016, during the presidential election campaign, at Trump Tower in New York. He has said he agreed to meet Veselnitskaya, described by the New York Times as having links to the Kremlin, after being promised damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also attended, the Times said. It called the encounter the first confirmed private meeting of members of Donald Trump's inner circle with a Russian national during the campaign. Congressional committees and a federal special counsel, Robert Mueller, are investigating whether Russia interfered in the election and colluded with the Trump campaign. Moscow denies interfering, and Trump, who became president on January 20, says there was no collusion. Futerfas told Reuters: “I look forward to assisting Donald Jr and, quite frankly, there is nothing to all of the media buzz about the June 9th, 2016 meeting. That will be proven to be the case.” A Republican member of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, Susan Collins, called on Trump Jr. to testify before the panel, which is looking into accusations of Russian meddling in the election. "Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting," Senator Susan Collins told reporters at the US Capitol. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the panel "absolutely" wants to speak to Trump Jr. about the meeting. Warner said he and the Republican committee chairman, Richard Burr, will decide later whether to ask Trump Jr. to testify in public or in a classified setting. "Rest assured, Donald Trump Jr will be someone that we'll want to talk to," Warner told reporters outside his Senate office. Allegations of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia have cast a shadow over the Republican president's first months in office. White House defends meeting White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting with lawyer Veselnitskaya. "Don Junior took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up," Sanders told reporters. But Republican Senator Pat Toomey said it was not appropriate for presidential campaigns to solicit or accept negative information about a rival from a Russian. "It encourages countries to come in and undermine our democratic process. And these countries have great capabilities to do that sort of thing," he told MSNBC. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that the Kremlin did not know the identity of the Russian lawyer. "No, we don't know who it is and, certainly, we cannot track down all movements of all Russian lawyers both within Russia and abroad," Peskov said. A publicist who arranged the meeting with the lawyer last year said he did so at the request of singer and businessman Emin Agalarov, a Moscow-based client of his.

Trump Jr hires lawyer for Russia probes, admits meeting Russian to get dirt on Clinton

US Attorney General&nbsp;Jeff&nbsp;Sessions on Tuesday denounced as &quot;an appalling and detestable lie&quot; the idea he colluded with Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign but refused to answer a series of questions during a high-stakes Senate hearing.

Sessions, a senior member of Republican President Donald Trump&#39;s Cabinet and an adviser to his presidential campaign, faced criticism from Democratic senators for declining to answer their questions relating to conversations he had with Trump.

Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich accused Sessions of violating his vow to tell the full truth. He told Sessions: &ldquo;You&rsquo;re impeding this investigation.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Sessions dodged questions about were whether he had discussed FBI director James Comey&#39;s handling of the FBI&#39;s Russia probe with Trump before the president fired Comey on May 9. Similarly, he did not answer whether Trump had expressed concern to Sessions about the attorney general&#39;s March decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

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I questioned Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The American people don&rsquo;t deserve evasion - we deserve the truth. <a href="https://t.co/rIcE6ATDcl">pic.twitter.com/rIcE6ATDcl</a>
&mdash; Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenKamalaHarris/status/874778688906174465">June 14, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Democratic Senator Ron Wyden told Sessions, &quot;I believe the American people have had it with stonewalling. Americans don&#39;t want to hear that answers to relevant questions are privileged.&quot;

&quot;I am not stonewalling,&quot; Sessions replied. &quot;I am following the historic policies of the Department of Justice.&quot; Sessions said he would not discuss confidential communications with the president.

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Before Sen Harris was rudely interrupted, she absolutely crushed <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JeffSessions?src=hash">#JeffSessions</a>&ndash;&ndash;who was not prepared to answer the majority of questions. <a href="https://t.co/0ZM0KucWFr">pic.twitter.com/0ZM0KucWFr</a>
&mdash; Jezebel (@Jezebel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jezebel/status/874734053152493568">June 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Senator Angus King, an independent, questioned Sessions&#39; legal basis for refusing to answer. Sessions said Trump had not invoked executive privilege regarding the conversations.&nbsp;

Executive privilege is a power that can be claimed by a president or senior executive branch officials to withhold information from Congress or the courts to protect the executive branch decision-making process.

US&nbsp;intelligence agencies concluded in a report released in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to interfere in the election to help Trump in part by hacking and releasing damaging emails about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The testimony by Sessions marked the latest chapter in a saga that has dogged the Republican Trump&#39;s first five months as president and distracted from his domestic policy agenda including major healthcare and tax cut initiatives.

&quot;I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States. Further, I have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected with the Trump campaign,&quot; Sessions said.

&quot;The suggestion that I participated in any collusion or that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government to hurt this country, which I have served with honour for over 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process, is an appalling and detestable lie,&quot; he said.

Sessions is the most senior member of Trump&#39;s administration caught up in the controversy over whether associates of the president colluded with Russia to help Trump win the election.

Special Counsel

Even before Sessions testified, attention in Washington swivelled to whether Trump might seek to fire Robert Mueller, named last month by the Justice Department to head a federal probe into the Russia issue.

Sessions told the senators that he has confidence in Mueller but said he had &quot;no idea&quot; if Trump did because he had not spoken to the president about the matter. Asked whether he would ever take any action to remove Mueller, Sessions said, &quot;I would not think that would be appropriate for me to do.&quot;

Such a move would be complicated and potentially politically explosive. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the person who would be responsible for carrying out any such dismissal, told a different congressional panel on Tuesday he would not fire Mueller without good cause and he had seen no such cause.

Sessions, a former Republican US&nbsp;senator and an early supporter of Trump&#39;s presidential campaign, appeared before the committee just five days after Comey told the panel Trump ousted him to undermine the agency&#39;s investigation of the Russia matter. Sessions had written a letter to Trump recommending Comey&#39;s firing.

In March he acknowledged he met twice last year with Russia&#39;s ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak. Sessions said he did not mislead Congress because the encounters were part of his job as a US&nbsp;senator, not as a Trump campaign representative. But Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in March after the revelations of the two Kislyak meetings.

The abrupt dismissal of Comey prompted Trump&#39;s critics to charge that the president was trying to interfere with a criminal investigation.

Asked about media reports that he had met with Kislyak on a third occasion at a Washington hotel last year, Sessions testified that did not remember meeting or having a conversation with the ambassador at the event. Sessions said he &quot;racked my brain&quot; and had no meeting with any Russian in his capacity as a Trump campaign adviser.

Sessions said he did not recuse himself because he felt he was a subject of the investigation himself but rather because he felt he was required to by Justice Department rules.

US Attorney General Sessions is the most senior member of Trump's administration caught up in the Trump-Russia probes

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday denounced as "an appalling and detestable lie" the idea he colluded with Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign but refused to answer a series of questions during a high-stakes Senate hearing. Sessions, a senior member of Republican President Donald Trump's Cabinet and an adviser to his presidential campaign, faced criticism from Democratic senators for declining to answer their questions relating to conversations he had with Trump. Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich accused Sessions of violating his vow to tell the full truth. He told Sessions: “You’re impeding this investigation.” Sessions dodged questions about were whether he had discussed FBI director James Comey's handling of the FBI's Russia probe with Trump before the president fired Comey on May 9. Similarly, he did not answer whether Trump had expressed concern to Sessions about the attorney general's March decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. I questioned Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The American people don’t deserve evasion - we deserve the truth. pic.twitter.com/rIcE6ATDcl — Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) June 14, 2017 × Democratic Senator Ron Wyden told Sessions, "I believe the American people have had it with stonewalling. Americans don't want to hear that answers to relevant questions are privileged." "I am not stonewalling," Sessions replied. "I am following the historic policies of the Department of Justice." Sessions said he would not discuss confidential communications with the president. Before Sen Harris was rudely interrupted, she absolutely crushed #JeffSessions––who was not prepared to answer the majority of questions. pic.twitter.com/0ZM0KucWFr — Jezebel (@Jezebel) June 13, 2017 × Senator Angus King, an independent, questioned Sessions' legal basis for refusing to answer. Sessions said Trump had not invoked executive privilege regarding the conversations. Executive privilege is a power that can be claimed by a president or senior executive branch officials to withhold information from Congress or the courts to protect the executive branch decision-making process. US intelligence agencies concluded in a report released in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to interfere in the election to help Trump in part by hacking and releasing damaging emails about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The testimony by Sessions marked the latest chapter in a saga that has dogged the Republican Trump's first five months as president and distracted from his domestic policy agenda including major healthcare and tax cut initiatives. "I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States. Further, I have no knowledge of any such conversations by anyone connected with the Trump campaign," Sessions said. "The suggestion that I participated in any collusion or that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government to hurt this country, which I have served with honour for over 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process, is an appalling and detestable lie," he said. Sessions is the most senior member of Trump's administration caught up in the controversy over whether associates of the president colluded with Russia to help Trump win the election. Special Counsel Even before Sessions testified, attention in Washington swivelled to whether Trump might seek to fire Robert Mueller, named last month by the Justice Department to head a federal probe into the Russia issue. Sessions told the senators that he has confidence in Mueller but said he had "no idea" if Trump did because he had not spoken to the president about the matter. Asked whether he would ever take any action to remove Mueller, Sessions said, "I would not think that would be appropriate for me to do." Such a move would be complicated and potentially politically explosive. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the person who would be responsible for carrying out any such dismissal, told a different congressional panel on Tuesday he would not fire Mueller without good cause and he had seen no such cause. Sessions, a former Republican US senator and an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign, appeared before the committee just five days after Comey told the panel Trump ousted him to undermine the agency's investigation of the Russia matter. Sessions had written a letter to Trump recommending Comey's firing. In March he acknowledged he met twice last year with Russia's ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak. Sessions said he did not mislead Congress because the encounters were part of his job as a US senator, not as a Trump campaign representative. But Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation in March after the revelations of the two Kislyak meetings. The abrupt dismissal of Comey prompted Trump's critics to charge that the president was trying to interfere with a criminal investigation. Asked about media reports that he had met with Kislyak on a third occasion at a Washington hotel last year, Sessions testified that did not remember meeting or having a conversation with the ambassador at the event. Sessions said he "racked my brain" and had no meeting with any Russian in his capacity as a Trump campaign adviser. Sessions said he did not recuse himself because he felt he was a subject of the investigation himself but rather because he felt he was required to by Justice Department rules.

Jeff Sessions denies secret meetings with Russia, calls it 'detestable lie'

US President Donald Trump on Sunday intensified his effort to discredit ousted FBI director James Comey, accusing him of cowardice in leaking an eye-popping account of their private meetings.

In an angry early-morning tweet from his New Jersey golf club, the embattled president questioned Comey&#39;s character and whether he had broken the law in revealing their conversations.

Comey had been leading an FBI investigation into several Trump aides and their contacts with the Russian government -- which US intelligence agencies say tried to tilt the 2016 election in Trump&#39;s favor -- before being fired.&nbsp;

After his dismissal, Comey leaked shocking details of a series of meetings with Trump, in which the president allegedly asked for Comey&#39;s &quot;loyalty&quot; and suggested that he shelve an FBI investigation into Trump&#39;s national security adviser.

Trump critics said that was evidence that the president may have obstructed justice, possible grounds for impeachment.

The president has suggested several times, but not confirmed, that tapes of his private talks with Comey exist -- a prospect the ex-FBI chief has emphatically welcomed.

A member of Trump&#39;s legal team, Jay Sekulow, told ABC on Sunday that Trump would &quot;address the issue of the tapes, whether the tapes exist or not, next week.&quot;

The White House has repeatedly tried to shift the focus away from the content of Comey&#39;s allegations and onto the manner of their release.

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I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very &#39;cowardly!&#39;
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/873879934040780801">June 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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It was not clear exactly what Trump meant by &quot;prevalent&quot; -- a point made in a flurry of Twitter postings by critics of the president. And legal experts have questioned whether Comey&#39;s leak broke any law.

Trump under oath?

Trump&#39;s lawyer Marc Kasowitz has indicated he will file a complaint about Comey to the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI.

In sworn testimony to the Senate on Thursday, Comey painted Trump as untrustworthy and admitted he asked a &quot;friend,&quot; identified as a Columbia University law professor, to release a memo of his conversations with the president to the press.

Comey said he had hoped releasing the information via the media would prompt the appointment of a special counsel to handle the Russia probe, a ploy that ultimately proved successful.

He also branded the president a liar and said Trump urged him to abandon the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

On Friday, Trump&#39;s former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski criticized Comey as not &quot;man enough&quot; for having leaked the memo via his friend rather than doing it himself.

&quot;He gave his notes to a Columbia law professor because he wasn&#39;t man enough to give the notes directly to the media,&quot; Lewandowski told NBC&#39;s morning show &quot;Today.&quot;

Though Trump has lambasted Comey as a &quot;leaker,&quot; he also claimed &quot;total and complete vindication&quot; following the ex-FBI chief&#39;s testimony, focusing on Comey&#39;s confirmation that Trump was not personally being probed.

Comey &quot;leaking his own memos to manipulate the system is exactly why people dislike the swamp,&quot; said Trump ally Newt Gingrich. During his campaign, Trump often said it was time to &quot;drain the swamp&quot; in Washington of corrupt and self-dealing insiders.

But Trump&#39;s denunciations of Comey have only fueled demands that the president -- who has denied asking for loyalty or urging that the investigation be shelved -- give his account under oath.

On Friday, Trump indicated that he was willing to do that, a highly unusual step for a sitting president and one fraught with legal hazard.&nbsp;

&#39;A giant perjury trap&#39;

Leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating suspected Russian election meddling, have written White House counsel Don McGahn asking whether tapes exist and, if so, that they be produced to the committee by June 23.

Republican Senator Susan Collins called on Sunday for Trump to &quot;voluntarily turn them over&quot; to the Senate Intelligence Committee and to the special counsel, Robert Mueller, investigating possible collusion between Trump aides and Russia.

&quot;I would be fine with issuing a subpoena, but that most likely would come from the special counsel&#39;s office,&quot; Collins told CNN.

Another Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, told CBS he thought it would be &quot;inappropriate for the president to testify publicly.&quot; &nbsp;

He said he tended to believe Trump&#39;s denial of having done &quot;anything wrong with the Russians,&quot; wryly adding: &quot;He can&#39;t collude with his own government. Why do you think he&#39;s colluding with the Russians?&quot;

More seriously, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer voiced the growing concern among Trump allies that the president is digging himself into a legal hole, offering this advice to the president:&nbsp;

&quot;You have not been vindicated. U won&#39;t be unless Bob Mueller says so. Stop talking. You&#39;re heading into a giant perjury trap.&quot;

In a tweet, Trump questioned Comey's character and whether he had broken the law in revealing their conversations

US President Donald Trump on Sunday intensified his effort to discredit ousted FBI director James Comey, accusing him of cowardice in leaking an eye-popping account of their private meetings. In an angry early-morning tweet from his New Jersey golf club, the embattled president questioned Comey's character and whether he had broken the law in revealing their conversations. Comey had been leading an FBI investigation into several Trump aides and their contacts with the Russian government -- which US intelligence agencies say tried to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favor -- before being fired. After his dismissal, Comey leaked shocking details of a series of meetings with Trump, in which the president allegedly asked for Comey's "loyalty" and suggested that he shelve an FBI investigation into Trump's national security adviser. Trump critics said that was evidence that the president may have obstructed justice, possible grounds for impeachment. The president has suggested several times, but not confirmed, that tapes of his private talks with Comey exist -- a prospect the ex-FBI chief has emphatically welcomed. A member of Trump's legal team, Jay Sekulow, told ABC on Sunday that Trump would "address the issue of the tapes, whether the tapes exist or not, next week." The White House has repeatedly tried to shift the focus away from the content of Comey's allegations and onto the manner of their release. I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very 'cowardly!' — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2017 × It was not clear exactly what Trump meant by "prevalent" -- a point made in a flurry of Twitter postings by critics of the president. And legal experts have questioned whether Comey's leak broke any law. Trump under oath? Trump's lawyer Marc Kasowitz has indicated he will file a complaint about Comey to the Justice Department, which oversees the FBI. In sworn testimony to the Senate on Thursday, Comey painted Trump as untrustworthy and admitted he asked a "friend," identified as a Columbia University law professor, to release a memo of his conversations with the president to the press. Comey said he had hoped releasing the information via the media would prompt the appointment of a special counsel to handle the Russia probe, a ploy that ultimately proved successful. He also branded the president a liar and said Trump urged him to abandon the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. On Friday, Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski criticized Comey as not "man enough" for having leaked the memo via his friend rather than doing it himself. "He gave his notes to a Columbia law professor because he wasn't man enough to give the notes directly to the media," Lewandowski told NBC's morning show "Today." Though Trump has lambasted Comey as a "leaker," he also claimed "total and complete vindication" following the ex-FBI chief's testimony, focusing on Comey's confirmation that Trump was not personally being probed. Comey "leaking his own memos to manipulate the system is exactly why people dislike the swamp," said Trump ally Newt Gingrich. During his campaign, Trump often said it was time to "drain the swamp" in Washington of corrupt and self-dealing insiders. But Trump's denunciations of Comey have only fueled demands that the president -- who has denied asking for loyalty or urging that the investigation be shelved -- give his account under oath. On Friday, Trump indicated that he was willing to do that, a highly unusual step for a sitting president and one fraught with legal hazard. 'A giant perjury trap' Leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating suspected Russian election meddling, have written White House counsel Don McGahn asking whether tapes exist and, if so, that they be produced to the committee by June 23. Republican Senator Susan Collins called on Sunday for Trump to "voluntarily turn them over" to the Senate Intelligence Committee and to the special counsel, Robert Mueller, investigating possible collusion between Trump aides and Russia. "I would be fine with issuing a subpoena, but that most likely would come from the special counsel's office," Collins told CNN. Another Republican senator, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, told CBS he thought it would be "inappropriate for the president to testify publicly." He said he tended to believe Trump's denial of having done "anything wrong with the Russians," wryly adding: "He can't collude with his own government. Why do you think he's colluding with the Russians?" More seriously, former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer voiced the growing concern among Trump allies that the president is digging himself into a legal hole, offering this advice to the president: "You have not been vindicated. U won't be unless Bob Mueller says so. Stop talking. You're heading into a giant perjury trap."

Trump blasts Comey on Twitter, accuses him of cowardice over 'leaks'

A US&nbsp;intelligence contractor has been charged with leaking to a news organization classified National Security Agency material about Russian interference in the 2016 American presidential election, the Justice Department and officials said.

The Justice Department on Monday charged Reality Leigh Winner, 25, with removing classified material from a government facility in Georgia. It said she was arrested on Saturday.

It was one of the first concrete efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to crack down on leaks to the media.

The charges were announced less than an hour after The Intercept published a top-secret document from the NSA that described Russian efforts to launch cyber attacks on at least one US&nbsp;voting software supplier and send &quot;spear-phishing&quot; emails, or targeted emails, that try to trick a recipient into clicking on a malicious link to steal data, to more than 100 local election officials days before the November&nbsp;8 US&nbsp;election.

While the charges do not name the publication, a US&nbsp;official with knowledge of the case said Winner was charged with leaking the NSA report to The Intercept. A second official confirmed The Intercept document was authentic and did not dispute that the charges were directly tied to it.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the case beyond its filing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Winner&#39;s mother also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Intercept report carried details it said supported the conclusion of US&nbsp;intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence services were seeking to infiltrate state voter registration systems as part of a broader effort to interfere in the election, discredit Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and help the Republican Trump win the election.

The new material does not suggest that actual votes were manipulated.

The Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While partially redacted, the NSA document is marked to show it would be up for declassification on May 5, 2042. The indictment against Winner alleges she &quot;printed and improperly removed&quot; classified intelligence reporting that was dated &quot;on or about May 5, 2017.&quot;

Classified documents are typically due to be declassified after 25 years under an executive order signed under former President Bill Clinton.

The NSA opened a facility in Augusta in 2012 at Fort Gordon, a US&nbsp;Army outpost.

The FBI and several congressional committees are investigating how Russia interfered in the election and whether associates of President Donald Trump may have colluded with Russian intelligence operatives during the campaign.

Trump has dismissed the allegations as &quot;fake news&quot; and sought to focus attention on leaks of information to the media.

Winner graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 2011. Investigators determined she was one of only six individuals to print the document in question and that she had exchanged emails with the news outlet, according to the criminal complaint.

The complaint said that on Saturday, Winner told an FBI agent she had intentionally printed classified intelligence and mailed it to a news organization while knowing &quot;the contents of the reporting could be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation.&quot;

US&nbsp;intelligence agencies including the NSA and Central Intelligence Agency have fallen victim to several thefts of classified material in recent years, often at the hands of a federal contractor. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 disclosed secret documents to journalists, including Greenwald, that revealed broad US&nbsp;surveillance programs.

(Reuters)

Winner, 25, leaked a top-secret NSA document describing Russian efforts to launch cyber attacks on at least 1 US?voting software supplier

A US intelligence contractor has been charged with leaking to a news organization classified National Security Agency material about Russian interference in the 2016 American presidential election, the Justice Department and officials said. The Justice Department on Monday charged Reality Leigh Winner, 25, with removing classified material from a government facility in Georgia. It said she was arrested on Saturday. It was one of the first concrete efforts by the administration of President Donald Trump to crack down on leaks to the media. The charges were announced less than an hour after The Intercept published a top-secret document from the NSA that described Russian efforts to launch cyber attacks on at least one US voting software supplier and send "spear-phishing" emails, or targeted emails, that try to trick a recipient into clicking on a malicious link to steal data, to more than 100 local election officials days before the November 8 US election. While the charges do not name the publication, a US official with knowledge of the case said Winner was charged with leaking the NSA report to The Intercept. A second official confirmed The Intercept document was authentic and did not dispute that the charges were directly tied to it. The Justice Department declined to comment on the case beyond its filing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Winner's mother also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Intercept report carried details it said supported the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that Russian intelligence services were seeking to infiltrate state voter registration systems as part of a broader effort to interfere in the election, discredit Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and help the Republican Trump win the election. The new material does not suggest that actual votes were manipulated. The Intercept co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While partially redacted, the NSA document is marked to show it would be up for declassification on May 5, 2042. The indictment against Winner alleges she "printed and improperly removed" classified intelligence reporting that was dated "on or about May 5, 2017." Classified documents are typically due to be declassified after 25 years under an executive order signed under former President Bill Clinton. The NSA opened a facility in Augusta in 2012 at Fort Gordon, a US Army outpost. The FBI and several congressional committees are investigating how Russia interfered in the election and whether associates of President Donald Trump may have colluded with Russian intelligence operatives during the campaign. Trump has dismissed the allegations as "fake news" and sought to focus attention on leaks of information to the media. Winner graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 2011. Investigators determined she was one of only six individuals to print the document in question and that she had exchanged emails with the news outlet, according to the criminal complaint. The complaint said that on Saturday, Winner told an FBI agent she had intentionally printed classified intelligence and mailed it to a news organization while knowing "the contents of the reporting could be used to the injury of the United States and to the advantage of a foreign nation." US intelligence agencies including the NSA and Central Intelligence Agency have fallen victim to several thefts of classified material in recent years, often at the hands of a federal contractor. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013 disclosed secret documents to journalists, including Greenwald, that revealed broad US surveillance programs. (Reuters)

Trump-Russia: US intelligence contractor charged with leaks

The US&nbsp;Justice Department on Wednesday appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate possible collusion between President Donald Trump&#39;s 2016 campaign team and Russia as well as alleged Russian interference in the US&nbsp;election.

The move followed a week of turmoil for the White House amid rising demands for an independent probe of alleged Russian efforts to sway the outcome of November&#39;s presidential election in favour of Trump and against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Pressure has been building on Trump since his firing last week of James Comey, chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who had been leading a federal probe into the matter.

US&nbsp;intelligence agencies said earlier this year that Russia interfered in the US&nbsp;election. Moscow has dismissed the allegations, and the Trump team has denied any collusion with Russia.

&quot;My decision (to appoint a special counsel) is not the finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination,&quot; Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement.

&quot;I determined that a special counsel is necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome,&quot; he said.

The controversy has caused an uproar in Washington and on Wall Street where the S&amp;P 500 and the Dow had their biggest one-day declines since September as investor hopes for tax cuts and other pro-business policies faded amid the political tumult.

Democrats in Congress and some of Trump&#39;s fellow Republicans had called for an independent investigation.

US&nbsp;Representative Elijah Cummings, senior Democrat on the House of Representatives oversight committee, applauded Rosenstein&#39;s action, saying: &quot;I think he made a solid choice in Mr. Mueller, and I commend him for putting our country and justice system first.&quot;

(Reuters)

The move followed a week of turmoil for the White House amid rising demands for an independent probe of alleged Russian efforts to sway the outcome of November's presidential election

The US Justice Department on Wednesday appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate possible collusion between President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign team and Russia as well as alleged Russian interference in the US election. The move followed a week of turmoil for the White House amid rising demands for an independent probe of alleged Russian efforts to sway the outcome of November's presidential election in favour of Trump and against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Pressure has been building on Trump since his firing last week of James Comey, chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who had been leading a federal probe into the matter. US intelligence agencies said earlier this year that Russia interfered in the US election. Moscow has dismissed the allegations, and the Trump team has denied any collusion with Russia. "My decision (to appoint a special counsel) is not the finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted. I have made no such determination," Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement. "I determined that a special counsel is necessary in order for the American people to have full confidence in the outcome," he said. The controversy has caused an uproar in Washington and on Wall Street where the S&P 500 and the Dow had their biggest one-day declines since September as investor hopes for tax cuts and other pro-business policies faded amid the political tumult. Democrats in Congress and some of Trump's fellow Republicans had called for an independent investigation. US Representative Elijah Cummings, senior Democrat on the House of Representatives oversight committee, applauded Rosenstein's action, saying: "I think he made a solid choice in Mr. Mueller, and I commend him for putting our country and justice system first." (Reuters)

Ex-FBI chief Robert Mueller to investigate Trump-Russia ties

The chairman of the House of Representatives intelligence committee said on Thursday he was temporarily stepping down from the panel&#39;s probe into allegations of Russian meddling in the US&nbsp;presidential election while he answers ethics complaints filed against him.

Republican Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement that &quot;entirely false and politically motivated&quot; charges that he made unauthorised disclosures of classified information had been lodged against him with the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Nunes, who was on Donald Trump&#39;s presidential transition team following the 2016 election, has been sharply criticised by Democrats for his handling of the Russia probe after he received information at the White House, held a news conference about it and then went back to the White House to brief Trump, all before sharing it with other members of his committee.

The Russia probe is investigating whether Moscow hacked emails of senior Democrats during the election campaign and released embarrassing information to hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and benefit Trump. Russia denies the allegations.

The House Ethics Committee said in a statement it had decided to investigate allegations that Nunes may have made unauthorised disclosures of classified information in violation of House rules, the law and other standards of conduct.

Nunes said he had decided to step aside from the Russia investigation in order to fight the allegations and wanted to speak with the ethics office as soon as possible &quot;to expedite the dismissal of these false claims&quot;.

The top Democrat on the committee, Representative Adam Schiff, said Nunes&#39; decision to step aside from the investigation was made in &quot;the best interests of the committee and I respect that decision&quot;.

(Reuters)

Nunes, who was on Donald Trump's presidential transition team, has been sharply criticised by Democrats for his handling of the Russia probe

The chairman of the House of Representatives intelligence committee said on Thursday he was temporarily stepping down from the panel's probe into allegations of Russian meddling in the US presidential election while he answers ethics complaints filed against him. Republican Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in a statement that "entirely false and politically motivated" charges that he made unauthorised disclosures of classified information had been lodged against him with the Office of Congressional Ethics. Nunes, who was on Donald Trump's presidential transition team following the 2016 election, has been sharply criticised by Democrats for his handling of the Russia probe after he received information at the White House, held a news conference about it and then went back to the White House to brief Trump, all before sharing it with other members of his committee. The Russia probe is investigating whether Moscow hacked emails of senior Democrats during the election campaign and released embarrassing information to hurt Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and benefit Trump. Russia denies the allegations. The House Ethics Committee said in a statement it had decided to investigate allegations that Nunes may have made unauthorised disclosures of classified information in violation of House rules, the law and other standards of conduct. Nunes said he had decided to step aside from the Russia investigation in order to fight the allegations and wanted to speak with the ethics office as soon as possible "to expedite the dismissal of these false claims". The top Democrat on the committee, Representative Adam Schiff, said Nunes' decision to step aside from the investigation was made in "the best interests of the committee and I respect that decision". (Reuters)

Nunes steps aside from US House probe on Russia-Trump

Russia mounted a campaign of &quot;propaganda on steroids&quot; seeking to influence the 2016 US &nbsp;presidential election, the top Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday, listing several areas of concern about possible links to Republican Donald Trump&#39;s campaign.

In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia tried to influence the election, but in doing so he made reference to the wrong US&nbsp;president in answering a question at an Arctic forum.

&quot;Once, Reagan, while discussing, I think, taxes, told the Americans: &#39;Read my lips: &lsquo;No!&rsquo;&quot;

His reply recalled what George HW&nbsp;Bush told Americans during his 1988 presidential election campaign, &quot;Read my lips: No new taxes.&quot;

Trump has dismissed suggestions of links with Moscow as Democratic Party sour grapes about his surprise November defeat of the party&#39;s candidate, Hillary Clinton. US&nbsp;intelligence agencies said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information to hurt Clinton&#39;s campaign.

&quot;I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation,&quot; Senator Mark Warner told an intelligence committee hearing on the allegations. &quot;We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but so far there is a great, great deal of smoke.&quot;

Putin also said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work.

At the hearing, lawmakers warned of the danger that Russia could interfere in elections in France and Germany this year and in future US campaigns. Cyber security experts at the rare day-long public hearing detailed what they described as the dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks on both Democratic political operatives and Republicans.

Lawmakers and cyber experts mentioned stories that were being spread to discredit German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And they said Britain&#39;s &quot;Brexit&quot; vote last year on leaving the European Union should be examined.

Clinton Watts, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican committee member, that he may have been a victim of Russian activity during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination against Trump.

Rubio later said he would not comment. But he told the hearing that in July 2016, after he announced he would run for re-election to the Senate, former members of his presidential campaign team were targeted by an unsuccessful cyber attack from Russia.

He said former campaign staffers were also targeted unsuccessfully from within Russia within the past 24 hours.

&nbsp;

&#39;Capable Adversary&#39;

&quot;We&#39;re all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary,&quot; said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who heads the intelligence committee.

Democrat Warner, who was a technology executive before entering politics, described a sweeping Russian campaign using trolls and botnets, or networks of hacked or infected devices, to spread large amounts of disinformation.

The campaign of &quot;fake news&quot; was particularly targeted at traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump defeated Clinton by narrow margins that were not predicted by opinion polls, he said.

&quot;This Russian &#39;propaganda on steroids&#39; was designed to poison the national conversation in America,&quot; Warner said.

Citing concerns to be addressed in the committee&#39;s probe, Warner listed the prediction by a Trump associate about the release of hacked emails weeks before they were released, a change in the Republican Party&#39;s platform to water down language on Ukraine, and Trump&#39;s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates being forced to step down over ties to Russia.

A separate investigation in the House of Representatives into the intelligence agencies&#39; allegations of a Russian role in the US election has become mired in controversy over accusations that its Republican chairman, Trump ally Devin Nunes, is not impartial.

Nunes and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, met on Thursday to discuss their investigation. Schiff said the two had discussed obtaining documents before deciding which witnesses to call in.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that two White House officials played a role in providing Nunes with documents the Republican committee chairman cited to show Trump and his associates were swept up in surveillance by US intelligence.

Trump said Nunes&#39; comments about the surveillance helped justify his insistence, made without evidence, that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York, his campaign headquarters.

(Reuters)

Putin said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work

Russia mounted a campaign of "propaganda on steroids" seeking to influence the 2016 US presidential election, the top Democrat on the US Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday, listing several areas of concern about possible links to Republican Donald Trump's campaign. In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin again denied that Russia tried to influence the election, but in doing so he made reference to the wrong US president in answering a question at an Arctic forum. "Once, Reagan, while discussing, I think, taxes, told the Americans: 'Read my lips: ‘No!’" His reply recalled what George HW Bush told Americans during his 1988 presidential election campaign, "Read my lips: No new taxes." Trump has dismissed suggestions of links with Moscow as Democratic Party sour grapes about his surprise November defeat of the party's candidate, Hillary Clinton. US intelligence agencies said Russia hacked emails of senior Democrats and orchestrated the release of embarrassing information to hurt Clinton's campaign. "I will not prejudge the outcome of our investigation," Senator Mark Warner told an intelligence committee hearing on the allegations. "We are seeking to determine if there is an actual fire, but so far there is a great, great deal of smoke." Putin also said on Thursday that contacts Russian diplomats had made in the United States were merely part of routine work. At the hearing, lawmakers warned of the danger that Russia could interfere in elections in France and Germany this year and in future US campaigns. Cyber security experts at the rare day-long public hearing detailed what they described as the dissemination of disinformation and cyber attacks on both Democratic political operatives and Republicans. Lawmakers and cyber experts mentioned stories that were being spread to discredit German Chancellor Angela Merkel. And they said Britain's "Brexit" vote last year on leaving the European Union should be examined. Clinton Watts, a security consultant and former FBI agent, told Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican committee member, that he may have been a victim of Russian activity during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican nomination against Trump. Rubio later said he would not comment. But he told the hearing that in July 2016, after he announced he would run for re-election to the Senate, former members of his presidential campaign team were targeted by an unsuccessful cyber attack from Russia. He said former campaign staffers were also targeted unsuccessfully from within Russia within the past 24 hours. 'Capable Adversary' "We're all targets of a sophisticated and capable adversary," said Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who heads the intelligence committee. Democrat Warner, who was a technology executive before entering politics, described a sweeping Russian campaign using trolls and botnets, or networks of hacked or infected devices, to spread large amounts of disinformation. The campaign of "fake news" was particularly targeted at traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, where Trump defeated Clinton by narrow margins that were not predicted by opinion polls, he said. "This Russian 'propaganda on steroids' was designed to poison the national conversation in America," Warner said. Citing concerns to be addressed in the committee's probe, Warner listed the prediction by a Trump associate about the release of hacked emails weeks before they were released, a change in the Republican Party's platform to water down language on Ukraine, and Trump's campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and other Trump associates being forced to step down over ties to Russia. A separate investigation in the House of Representatives into the intelligence agencies' allegations of a Russian role in the US election has become mired in controversy over accusations that its Republican chairman, Trump ally Devin Nunes, is not impartial. Nunes and Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House committee, met on Thursday to discuss their investigation. Schiff said the two had discussed obtaining documents before deciding which witnesses to call in. The New York Times reported on Thursday that two White House officials played a role in providing Nunes with documents the Republican committee chairman cited to show Trump and his associates were swept up in surveillance by US intelligence. Trump said Nunes' comments about the surveillance helped justify his insistence, made without evidence, that former President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower in New York, his campaign headquarters. (Reuters)

Russian 'propaganda on steroids' aimed at 2016 US election: Lawmaker

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