While it is unknown if there are tapes, a new report of a memo from a former NSA official documents Trump’s attempts to influence the NSA and interfere in the Russia investigation.
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported, “The special counsel also plans to interview Rick Ledgett, who recently retired as the deputy director of the NSA, the person added. While Mr. Ledgett was still in office, he wrote a memo documenting a phone call that Mr. Rogers had with Mr. Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. During the call, the president questioned the veracity of the intelligence community’s judgment that Russia had interfered with the election and tried to persuade Mr. Rogers to say there was no evidence of collusion between his campaign and Russian officials, they said.”
There is a clear pattern emerging of Trump calling intelligence officials and interfering in the Russia investigation. If President Trump and his campaign did not collude with Russia, he and his administration should be welcoming the investigation to put any false accusations to rest. Trump’s repeated attempts to undercut and discredit the investigation look like the acts of a man who has something to hide.
The case for obstruction of justice isn’t Comey versus Trump. It is Trump versus Comey’s testimony, Comey memos, intelligence community witnesses, and an NSA memo. That is just the information that is publicly known. It is likely that there is, even more, evidence that the public has yet to hear about. The special counsel has witness testimony and physical evidence to weigh when evaluating if Trump obstructed justice.
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The President wants America to believe that the man who lied to them about everything from the crowd size at his inauguration to President Obama spying on him is to be believed over a mountain of evidence.
Trump didn’t know it at the time, but his phone calls left a paper trail that could lead straight to obstruction of justice.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
