POTUS TRUMP Sent 'Secret Private Messages' To Mueller Over Russia Investigation

President Trump's chief counsel John Dowd secretly sent a message to Special Counsel Robert Mueller in relation to his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Despite his public disapproval, President Trump actually feels good about the investigation.

USA Today reports:

President Trump has publicly called the widening federal investigation into Russia's election meddling a "witch hunt." But through his lawyer, Trump has sent private messages of "appreciation" to special counsel Robert Mueller. "He appreciates what Bob Mueller is doing," Trump's chief counsel John Dowd told USA TODAY in an interview Tuesday. "He asked me to share that with him and that's what I've done." Trump's legal team has been in contact with Mueller's office, and Dowd says he has passed along the president's messages expressing "appreciation and greetings'' to the special counsel. "The president has sent messages back and forth,'' Dowd said, declining to elaborate further. Trump has come under fire for his prior contacts with former FBI Director James Comey, whom he abruptly fired in May because of his handling of the Russia matter. In a break with longstanding precedent to avoid even the appearance of influencing the nonpolitical law enforcement agency's investigations, Trump spoke privately with Comey on several occasions.

Dowd says he and the President's team have a positive working relationship with Mueller's team.

USA Today reports:

"We get along well with Bob Mueller; our communications have been constructive,'' the attorney said. "But it is important that our communications remain confidential. It's important that there not be any breakdown in that trust.'' For weeks, Washington political circles have been on high alert for the possibility the president could try to get rid of Mueller or otherwise wrest control of the Russia probe he denounces as a "hoax." Yet in a sign that forcing out the former FBI director overseeing the federal Russia investigation is politically untenable, a growing number of government officials have moved to tamp down any talk of ousting Mueller – including, apparently Trump himself. "That's never been on the table, never,'' Dowd said of the possibility Trump might try to remove the special counsel. "It's a manifestation of the media. My dealings with Bob Mueller have always been cordial, respectful — the way it should be."

In an op-ed published Sunday evening by CNN legal commentator Matthew Whitaker, the former U.S. Attorney argued the scope of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation is far too wide.

What began as an investigation of alleged Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election, has now expanded to President Trump's business dealings. While CNN notes the views in the following piece do not necessarily reflect the company's, had there not been people within the news network who agree, the piece would have been shelved. Don't be fooled by the disclaimer.

CNN reports:

The President is absolutely correct. Mueller has come up to a red line in the Russia 2016 election-meddling investigation that he is dangerously close to crossing. According to a CNN article, Mueller's investigators could be looking into financial records relating to the Trump Organization that are unrelated to the 2016 election. According to these reports, "sources described an investigation that has widened to focus on possible financial crimes, some unconnected to the 2016 election." The piece goes on to cite law enforcement sources who say non-Russia-related leads that "involve Trump associates" are being referred to the special counsel "to encourage subjects of the investigation to cooperate." This information is deeply concerning to me. It does not take a lawyer or even a former federal prosecutor like myself to conclude that investigating Donald Trump's finances or his family's finances falls completely outside of the realm of his 2016 campaign and allegations that the campaign coordinated with the Russian government or anyone else. That goes beyond the scope of the appointment of the special counsel. In fact, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's letter appointing special counsel Robert Mueller does not give Mueller broad, far-reaching powers in this investigation. He is only authorized to investigate matters that involved any potential links to and coordination between two entities — the Trump campaign and the Russian government. People are wrongly pointing to, and taking out of context, the phrase "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation" to characterize special counsel's authority as broad. The word "investigation" is clearly defined directly preceding it in the same sentence specifically as coordination between individuals associated with the campaign of Donald Trump and Russia. The Trump Organization's business dealings are plainly not within the scope of the investigation, nor should they be.

Whitaker even calls on Rosenstein to consider reining in Mueller.

CNN reports:

The word "investigation" is clearly defined directly preceding it in the same sentence specifically as coordination between individuals associated with the campaign of Donald Trump and Russia. The Trump Organization's business dealings are plainly not within the scope of the investigation, nor should they be. If he were to