Watergate attorney general

Attorney General William Barr. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, why the Mueller investigation wasn’t Watergate, the role of the press in investigating Trump, and if Washington will return to normal. Before Robert Mueller submitted his report to Attorney General William Barr, many people thought of Mueller’s work as a kind of Watergate investigation, with everything that means about presidential accountability.  Now that his investigation, at least according to Barr, has ended inconclusively, were we wrong to think of it that way? No one thought Mueller’s work was more of a Watergate investigation than Donald Trump, who outdid the Nixon template in trying to derail it, to the point of vilifying his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, because he didn’t prevent it. But given that Mueller’s … [Read more...] about Why the Mueller Investigation Wasn’t Watergate

close Video George Papadopoulos reacts to IG Horowitz's report on FBI missteps Former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos told Fox News' Martha MacCallum on Tuesday night that FBI misconduct “makes Watergate look like small potatoes.” Former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos told Fox News' Martha MacCallum that the FBI misconduct during the 2016 presidential campaign “was essentially an electronic government-supported break-in of the Trump campaign and it makes Watergate look like small potatoes.” Papadopoulos made the comment on “The Story” on Tuesday night, one day after the Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz released the highly anticipated findings from his nearly two-year review concerning the origins of the Russia investigation and the issuance of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants for a Trump … [Read more...] about George Papadopoulos on FBI misconduct: ‘Makes Watergate look like small potatoes’

close Video House Democrats unveil impeachment articles, alleging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress House Democrats introduce two articles of impeachment against President Trump regarding his interactions with Ukraine. House Democrats avoided a political pitfall Tuesday, limiting themselves to two articles of impeachment rather than a kitchen-sink approach that included Russia, Putin, the Trump hotel, caustic tweets and whatever else they could conjure up. But the brief appearance by Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff, for all their efforts at solemnity, seemed like a predictable step on a predictable path toward impeachment in the House and acquittal in the Senate. THE INTERMINABLE DEBATE OVER INVESTIGATIONS AND THE INVESTIGATORS And that leaves us, as always, with roughly half the country believing that President Trump did commit high crimes and misdemeanors, and half who think Pelosi’s party is doing this solely to overturn the 2016 … [Read more...] about Impeachment articles fuel deepening distrust and division

President Trump on Saturday claimed President Obama had his “wires tapped” in Trump Tower before Election Day, tweeting the accusation without offering evidence.“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!” he wrote.“Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!” he added in subsequent tweets. “I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!”Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court … [Read more...] about Trump accuses Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower