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Reuters
President Trump has consistently dismissed Russia’s accusations as a “witch hunt”
A former FBI attorney is expected to falsify a document that was used as part of an investigation into alleged Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Kevin Clinesmith’s plea deal comes as prosecutors investigate the origins of the investigation by Robert Mueller.
His investigation found no criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign, although it did not prevent the president from pursuing justice.
Mr. Trump says it was a “witch hunt.”
The president has repeatedly said there was no collusion with Russia, resulting in his victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
What did the former FBI attorney do?
Mr. Clinesmith is responsible for accepting responsibility for changing an email used to obtain permission for an aide of Trump campaign.
The email of another FBI official was changed to suggest that the aide, Carter Page, was not a CIA “source” – while Mr Page was in fact a CIA informant.
The document was cited in support of the allegation that there was a “probable cause” to suspect that Mr Page was “a knowledgeable agent” of Russia.
The charges against Mr Clinesmith stem from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the origins of the Mueller investigation.
Mr. Trump – who has long claimed that the collection of intelligence on his 2016 campaign was illegal – welcomed the reported guilty plea.
“The fact is, they’re spying on my campaign and they’re caught and you’ll hear more,” Trump said on Friday.
Why is the Mueller report being investigated?
The assessment of the Mueller investigation that began last year is being conducted by U.S. Attorney General William Barr and conducted by U.S. Federal Prosecutor John Durham.
He was given the task of determining whether the collection of intelligence on the Trump campaign in 2016 was legal.
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Critics have accused Mr Barr of launching a review more in the interest of the president than the interests of justice.
Mr. Trump has previously accused the FBI investigators who first launched the probe in his election campaign of treason.
- Robert Mueller, America’s most mysterious public figure
- The Trump-Russia saga in 350 words
What was the Mueller report?
The 448-page report did not conclude that there was a criminal conspiracy between Moscow and the Trump campaign to influence the 2016 US presidential election.
However, it did mention 10 cases where Mr. Trump may have tried to limit the investigation.
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The report concluded that Russia had interfered in the elections “in sweeping and systematic fashion”.
That interference took the form of an extensive social media campaign and the hacking of Democratic Party servers by Russian military intelligence, the report said.
Timeline of major events in Mueller survey
- September 2016: House Intelligence MPs announce that Russia “is making a serious and concerted effort to influence US elections”
- May 2017: U.S. Deputy Attorney General appoints Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and any alleged coordination with the Trump campaign
- December 2017: Ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn admits to lying to the FBI about meetings with the Russian ambassador weeks before Mr. Trump became president
- August 2018: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort has been convicted of fraud. He then agrees with the Mueller poll next month
- November 2018: President Trump submits written answers to special attorney questions, following the dismissal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions
- December 2018: The former personal lawyer of Mr. Trump, Michael Cohen, sentenced to 36 months in prison for lying to Congress, tax evasion and campaign finance violations
- March 2019: Attorney General William Barr receives the Special Attorney’s report. He does not immediately release it, but publishes a summary that Robert Mueller criticizes as “context” not lacking.
- May 2019: Robert Mueller says in his first public remarks that his report does not release President Trump, and announces his resignation
- July 2019: Mueller appears before Congress and confirms that his report does not exempt Mr. Trump
