Donald Trump’s legal team is reportedly brainstorming ways for the president to avoid testifying before special counsel Robert Mueller.

The Wall Street Journal reported that members of Trump’s legal team have been developing plans to shield the president from having to testify or be interviewed by investigators. Lying under oath or to federal agents carries a prison term.

One member of the legal team told the Journal that Mueller’s office “has all of the notes and memos of the thoughts and actions of this president on all subjects he requested in real time without reservation or qualification, including testimony from his most intimate staff and eight lawyers from the White House Counsel’s Office. Any question for the president is answered in these materials and testimony.”

“It would be a travesty to waste his (Mr. Trump’s) time and to set a precedent which would cripple a future president,” the source added.

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/trump-team-plots-presidents-refusal-testify-russia-probe-travesty-waste-time/

https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/eric-trump-russia-meddling-started-off-hoax-wish-obama-stopped/

Eric Trump admitted on Fox News that Russia had interfered in the 2016 election — but he blamed his father’s predecessor for not stopping it.

The president’s son told “Fox & Friends” that the Democratic response to a memo compiled by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) showed the FBI investigation of the Trump campaign was politically motivated, although even co-host Ainsley Earhardt gently corrected his claim.

“My thoughts are, they dug and dug and dug and finally found themselves,” Trump said. “It’s awful what happened. You had the FBI and Department of Justice, you had them use opposition research to spy on a presidential candidate in this country, and it’s horrible. This is the worst abuse imaginable, something you would see in a third world country, and it happened here.”

“You know, people have to take this seriously,” he continued. “There is nothing worse than when, you know, government — I mean, it’s just very, very dark what happened, and I don’t think the Democratic memo said anything. In fact, I think it confirmed that, you know, the judge wasn’t told that this was opposition research.”

Little hat-tip to the multitude of Zappa fans on DU, in case the meaning of my subject line wasn't immediately apparent.



Texas GOP lawmaker: No need to probe Trump’s finances because Deutsche Bank is German, not Russian



https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/texas-gop-lawmaker-no-need-probe-trumps-finances-deutsche-bank-german-not-russian/

Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX), who is currently leading the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, told CNN this week that he doesn’t see any need for Congress to scrutinize loans given by Deutsche Bank to President Donald Trump on the grounds that it isn’t a Russian bank.

“I don’t see the link at this stage,” Conaway said, referring to calls to examine whether the Deutsche Bank loans establish financial links between Trump and Russia. “Deutsche Bank is a German bank — I don’t see the nexus… I bet every big bank has a Russian customer somewhere.”

Deutsche Bank last year agreed to pay out $630 million in penalties after getting busted for being involved in a $10 billion Russian money laundering scheme that involved its Moscow, New York and London branches.

Deutsche Bank was also the one major bank that was willing to lend Trump money in the late ’90s, after a string of business failures made him toxic for all other Wall Street banks. In total, Trump has roughly $300 million in outstanding debts to Deutsche Bank.

WASHINGTON (CNN)President Donald Trump's approval rating in a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS stands at 35%, down five points over the last month to match his lowest level yet.

The slide follows a January bump in approval for the President, a finding that appeared connected to a bullish stock market and strong reviews for the economy. His new rating matches a December poll, which marked his lowest approval rating in CNN polling since taking office in January 2017.

The President also earns his lowest rating yet among Republicans, though he is still viewed positively among his own partisans. Overall, 80% of self-identified Republicans say they approve of the President, one point below his previous low mark of 81%, hit in late September of last year. Just 13% of Republicans say they disapprove of the President's performance. Approval for the President stands at just 5% among Democrats and 35% among independents.

The findings follow several weeks of sharply negative news about the President's White House staff, including the revelation that several key staffers lacked permanent security clearance, the implementation of a new policy to handle interim security clearances, and news that multiple White House staffers had resigned following accusations of domestic abuse.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/25/politics/cnn-poll-trump-approval-matches-low/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor:_Ragnarok



Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis based on the deity of the same name.[11][12] Hiddleston was interested in how Loki's attitude has changed, saying, "he is always a trickster. It is trying to find new ways for him to be mischievous".[13] As the ruler of Asgard since the end of Thor: The Dark World, Hiddleston notes that "Loki has devoted most of his efforts to narcissistic self-glorification. Not so much on good governance."[14] He also added that "the idea that Thor might be indifferent to Loki is troubling for him, because that's a defining feature of his character ... 'My brother doesn't love me; I hate my brother.' And the idea his brother's like, yeah, whatever, it's an interesting development."[15]

Fox News ?Verified account @FoxNews

President @realDonaldTrump on Dem FISA memo: "A lot of bad things happened on the other side, not on this side, but the other side. And somebody should look into it because what they did was really fraudulent."

https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/967582033886240768

Donald J. Trump Retweeted

#He'sWithme? @VollrathTammie
Replying to @realDonaldTrump @FoxNews

#He'sWithme Retweeted Fox News

https://twitter.com/VollrathTammie/status/967564895918190592

#He'sWithme added,
4:45
Fox News
Verified account @FoxNews
Catherine Herridge: "This does appear to be in direct conflict to what then-@FBI Director James @Comey testified to before the Senate Intelligence Committee." http://fxn.ws/2BObQYw
6:00 PM - 24 Feb 2018

https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/967547310266896385

Adam Schiff ?Verified account @RepAdamSchiff

Adam Schiff Retweeted Donald J. Trump

Wrong again, Mr. President. It confirms the FBI acted appropriately and that Russian agents approached two of your advisors, and informed your campaign that Russia was prepared to help you by disseminating stolen Clinton emails.

Donald J. Trump? Verified account @realDonaldTrump

The Democrat memo response on government surveillance abuses is a total political and legal BUST. Just confirms all of the terrible things that were done. SO ILLEGAL!
4:16 PM - 24 Feb 2018

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/967538684789739520

Donald J. Trump ?Verified account @realDonaldTrump

BIG CPAC STRAW POLL RESULTS: 93% APPROVE OF THE JOB PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOING (Thank you!). 50% say President Trump should Tweet MORE or SAME (funny!). 79% say Republicans in Congress should do a better job of working with President Trump (starting to happen).
3:26 PM - 24 Feb 2018

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/967526110249537542

Donald J. Trump ?Verified account @realDonaldTrump

Democrat judges have totally redrawn election lines in the great State of Pennsylvania. @FoxNews. This is very unfair to Republicans and to our country as a whole. Must be appealed to the United States Supreme Court ASAP!
1:16 PM - 24 Feb 2018

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/967493467046899712