‘It’s a political hoax!’ Trump blasts House Democrats for launching ‘abuse of power’ probe with document requests targeting 81 people and groups including Don Jr., Eric, Jared, Roger Stone, Michael Cohen and Hope Hicks
House Judiciary Committee launches sweeping probe of possible ‘abuses of power’ by writing to 81 people and groups with requests for documents
Trump called the move a ‘political hoax’ on Monday and predicted it would turn up no evidence that his 2016 campaign colluded with the Kremlin
Targets include both of Trump’s adult sons, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and ex-White House communications director Hope Hicks and counsel Don McGahn
Trump campaign and organization figures targeted including felons Michael Cohen, Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort and accused felon Roger Stone
David Pecker, CEO of National Enquirer publisher AMI is targeted as is WikiLeaks and Trump’s longtime executive assistant Rhona Graff
Committee chair Rep. Jerrold Nadler says his panel is investigating whether Trump abused power
Inquiry will focus on whether Trump used powers to obstruct justice, oust enemies, tamper with witnesses or offer pardons
By DAVID MARTOSKO
DAILYMAIL.COM
4 March 2019
President Donald Trump blasted House Democrats on Monday after they announced the launch of a new ‘abuse of power’ investigation with 81 separate document requests to people and organizations inside the president’s orbit.
The targets include his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen and former adviser Roger Stone, who is awaiting trial.
‘It’s a political hoax,’ Trump said as he hosted an event for college football players at the White House.
‘I cooperate all the time with everybody,’ he insisted, suggesting that the White House won’t gratuitously dodge the requests from Capitol Hill.
Monday’s letters are requests. Recipients aren’t yet obligated to provide anything to Congress, but the powerful Judiciary Committee has subpoena power to back up any demands that might come later.
‘You know the beautiful thing?’ Trump asked as he joshed with the North Dakota State University football players. ‘No collusion. It’s all a hoax.’
‘You’re going to learn about that as you grow older,” Trump told the players before inviting them to lunch on a spread of fast food.
The Judiciary Committee had sent out a blaze of document requests hours earlier as it launched a widespread probe of potential obstruction of justice by the president and an examination of what the panel’s chairman called ‘threats to the rule of law.’
The document requests hit nearly every major figure to have emerged in the Russia probe – as well as long time business and political associates of Trump, from his longtime right hand executive at his business empire to various shadowy figures who attended a campaign Trump Tower meeting with Russians.
Also on the list are Trump’s former White House counsel, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former press aide Hope Hicks, and National Enquirer boss David Pecker.
The probe’s scope even brought in the estate of a late GOP donor, Peter Smith, who killed himself in 2017 after speaking about his efforts to secure Hillary Clinton emails from Russian hackers.
The probe also seeks information from the Trump Organization, including any information it has maintained about Trump’s meetings as president with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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