Trump Named as 'Individual 1' in Mueller's Russia Investigation
President Donald Trump has been given the legal code name “Individual 1” in the ongoing Russia probe, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The Chronicle reported that it received evidence from two separate entities that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation could cast doubt on Trump’s version of events as it pertains to his business dealings with Russia.
Some of the new information stems from former Trump attorney, Michael Cohen’s plea deal and cooperation with the Mueller investigation.
On Thursday, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress when he insisted that Trump was no longer perusing plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow after January 2016.
According to Fox News, Cohen admitted to giving a “false impression the Moscow project ended before the 2016 caucuses.”
“I continued to follow the political messaging of Individual 1 and his advisers,” Cohen said, according to Fox.
“I was aware that Individual 1 said he was not tied to Russia, attacks were politically motivated, and all interactions were terminated by the time of the Iowa Caucuses,” Cohen said in court.
“I asserted all efforts ceased in January 2016 when they kept going until June 2016.”
As part of Cohen’s plea agreement, he is required to cooperate with Mueller’s investigation on “any and all matters” deemed relevant.
The second potentially incriminating issue that the Mueller counsel is investigating pertains to Trump ally Jerome Corsi.
Corsi allegedly told Trump campaign staffer Roger Stone that WikiLeaks’ planned to release damaging Democratic emails in October 2016 because he knew Stone was in “regular contact” with Trump, the Chronicle reported.
The same Mueller investigation documents showed that prosecutors had hoped to have Corsi plead guilty to lying when he said he wasn’t aware of WikiLeaks’ plan, and didn’t urge others to obtain the information from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Trump has consistently stated that he has no involvement with Russia.
“For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia,” Trump tweeted in July 2015.
A day after that tweet, Trump told reporters, “I have nothing to do with Russia.”
In January 2017, he told a reporter: “I have no deals that could happen in Russia, because we’ve stayed away.”
Former federal prosecutor Glen Kopp called the situation “deeply troubling.”
“It’s not a place that anybody wants to be, or where you would want your friends or family to be,” Kopp said. “And it’s certainly not a place that you would want your president to be.”
On Friday, Trump’s legal representative, Rudy Giuliani, described the coverage of Cohen’s plea as “hysterical” and said that Mueller’s probe has only obtained guilty pleas on false statements, and has not actually uncovered any evidence of Russian collusion during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“It misses point that, once again like Corsi leaked documents demonstrate, Mueller’s crew has no evidence of collusion. Along the way, however, he is keeping America safe from false statement makers or people with faulty memories or both,” Giuliani tweeted
Hysterical coverage of Cohen plea. It misses point that ,once again like Corsi leaked documents demonstrate, Mueller’s crew has no evidence of collusion. Along the way,however,he is keeping America safe from false statement makers or people with faulty memories or both.
— Rudy Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) November 30, 2018
Former Harvard professor and constitutional lawyer Alan Dershowitz said it’s still not clear that Trump has committed any crime.
“This is politically damaging, but I’m not sure how legally damaging it is,” Dershowitz said, according to the Chronicle. “This is all about questionable political behavior. It’s a good reason for people voting against Trump. But I don’t see a crime yet.”
Trump also weighed in on Twitter from the G20 summit in Argentina:
“Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly),” Trump tweeted.
“Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail … Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!”
Oh, I get it! I am a very good developer, happily living my life, when I see our Country going in the wrong direction (to put it mildly). Against all odds, I decide to run for President & continue to run my business-very legal & very cool, talked about it on the campaign trail…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
….Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn’t do the project. Witch Hunt!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 30, 2018
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