Trump Decided Russia Indictments Should Come Pre-Summit, Sources Say

[DonViejo]

Source: Bloomberg News


By Chris Strohm and Jennifer Jacobs

July 17, 2018, 6:02 PM EDT

Rosenstein gave Trump options on the timing, two people say

Trump now says he misspoke in his comments alongside Putin

President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead to announce new Russian election-hacking indictments before his meeting with Vladimir Putin rather than after -- in the hopes it would strengthen his hand in the talks, according to accounts from people familiar with the decision.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein went to Trump last week and offered him the choice: before or after the Putin summit on Monday in Helsinki? Trump chose before, ultimately putting the issue into the spotlight just 72 hours before the high-stakes meeting, the people said.

In the end, Trump faced a torrent of bipartisan criticism for suggesting he was leaning toward accepting the Russian president’s denial that his government was behind hacking during the 2016 presidential election, even though Trump had hoped the indictment of 12 Russians on charges of meddling would give him the upper hand, one of the people said.

On Tuesday, Trump backed off his earlier statements and said he misspoke in Helsinki when he said “I don’t see any reason why it would be” Russia that was behind the meddling.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-17/trump-said-to-decide-russia-indictments-should-come-pre-summit

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Trump himself gave the go-ahead to Rod Rosenstein to hand out 12 Russian hacker indictments prior to Putin meeting

Sarah K. Burris SARAH K. BURRIS

17 JUL 2018 AT 18:55 ET

epublican leaders and the Wall Street Journal‘s Michael Mukasey attacked deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein for the 12 indictments of Russian hackers last week as politically motivated.

Leading with the headline, “The Russia Indictments: Why Now?,” Mukasey wrote “the plain effect of the announcement was to raise further doubts about the wisdom of the meeting—and perhaps to shape its agenda.”

He said that it’s not the business of the special counsel or the Justice Department and the latter should follow longstanding policies “that candidates should not be charged close to an election, absent urgent need, lest the charges themselves affect the outcome.” He said the same principle would apply in this case. “Prosecutors are supposed to consider the impact of their actions on significant events outside the criminal-justice system, and to act with due diffidence.

Today, however, it was announced that the president himself approved the roll-out of the 12 indictments prior to leaving for the NATO meeting and Russia summit, Bloomberg news reported.

Trump reportedly made the move “in the hopes it would strengthen his hand in the talks, according to accounts from people familiar with the decision.”

more
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/07/trump-gave-go-ahead-rod-rosenstein-hand-12-russian-hacker-indictments-prior-putin-meeting/

[Turbineguy]

1. Kind of like

Barack Obama's parents getting a Hawaiian birth certificate just in case their son became President.

You know, the way people do?

[QC]

2. YOU CAN'T FIRE ME I QUIT!!!!

[wishstar]

3. Good that the rightwingers can't accuse Rosenstein/ DOJ of timing indictments to hurt him

or rather they falsely accused Rosenstein over the timing when it was Trump's own fault for screwing everything up

[Solly Mack]

4. Drop dead Michael Mukasey.

[tblue37]

5. He hoped it would be water under the bridge by the time he got to Helsinki.

The US media & public have shown themselves to be entirely distractible and forgetful, so he assumed that the indictments would have dropped down the memory hole, whereas if they came afterward, they would steal his thunder over what he expected to be his triumphal return from Europe.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. I don't know if i believe this story

The DOJ was never said to time indictments politically or diplomatically. Maybe they're humoring Trump? Making him feel that he is in control?

[Orangepeel]

7. Sounds like bullshit

[Mad_Mongol]

8. Makes sense....

It's always a good idea to give your boss the bad news and spin it before the annual review, rather than blindside him afterwards.

Would explain Trump's docile demeanor when Putin was speaking at the Surrender Summit !

[Nero Mero]

9. BS leaked by Trump in order to save face

Anything can be leaked to the media.

[Vinca]

10. Who doesn't think Trump promised to pardon them all in the private meeting?

That was probably the point of having Rosenstein release the indictments. And Don thinks he's pulled a fast one on Vlad. LOL.

[duforsure]

11. This was for putin

So they conspired to now allow his agents and the FBI so they could work together they claimed , but this was another act of treason from trump to try to let putin uncover how they found out all the information on his agents ,and their sources, or another act of treason from trump against this country. He's arrogantly and openly committing acts of treason to undermine the investigation using putins agents to do it now. Where's the republicans in Congress now? Why aren't they shouting to the rooftops this is an act against the national security of this country , and even suggesting this is a criminal act. Aiding and abetting a foreign enemy openly now, and they're normalizing it.