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Trump and the I.C. (Intelligence Community)
On 1/6/2017, President-elect Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with four senior leaders of the I.C. (James Clapper, Admiral Mike Rogers, Jim Comey, and John Brennan). In this meeting, they inform Trump that they believe his election may have been compromised by Russian interference. -
Dossier Leaks and Declaration of War on Media
Shortly after Trumps meeting with the I.C., the dossier that suggested Trump and Russia's relationship leaked online. Trump held a press conference, where he began his war on the media. This press conference defined the first year of his presidency. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/01/11/trump_vs_cnns_jim_acosta_im_not_giving_you_a_question_youre_fake_news.html -
Comey investigates Michael Flynn, Flynn Resigns
Jim Comey, FBI director, is able to find evidence that Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor, had met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. After word had gotten out that Flynn had mislead VP Mike Pence and other top White House officials about his conversation with Kislyak, he resigned. -
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Recuses himself
The Washington Post leaks information that states that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had in fact met with Russian ambassadors. This goes against what Sessions had said during his confirmation hearing. Department of Justice staff advised that Sessions recuse himself from the investigation, and so he did. This eliminated President Trump's best chance to shut down the investigation. -
Comey testifies to the House Intelligence Committee
On national television, Jim Comey, for the first time, publicly confirms that the FBI is investigating the Trump campaign and any links they may have with the Russian government. This effectively put everyone close to the President at risk. -
Comey gets fired
With the help of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, President Trump is able to draft a memo that removes Comey from his position. The firing was on the basis that Comey revealed too much information about Hillary Clinton during the election. Many see this action as an attempt to obstruct justice. -
Comey memos leak
Jim Comey's memos, containing private information that was discussed during 1-on-1 meetings with the President were leaked in an attempt to get a Special Counsel set up to take over the investigation. -
Special Counsel takes over the Investigation
Former FBI Director Robert Mueller takes over the investigation after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints him to Special Counsel. -
Trump campaign aides get arrested
As Trump is beginning to realize that this investigation does not seem like it will end anytime soon, Robert Mueller is able to indict two of Trump's campaign aides, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates. Along with this, George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn both plead guilty to lying. -
Trump goes on the offensive
After getting Rudy Giuliani as his attorney, Trump and his team decide to go on the offensive and undermine the investigation by suggesting it's about party differences. By holding rallies, he is able to gain the support of enough American people so that there can never be a consensus to discuss impeachment. Republicans in the House adopt these aggressive tactics, and hold a hearing where they use evidence provided by a former member of Mueller's counsel that suggests the counsel is biased. -
Rosenstein announces Russian indictments
While President Trump was on his first visit to the United Kingdom, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein holds a surprise press conference, announcing that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has written a 30-page indictment that laid out the details of the Russian hacking of the 2016 election. Mueller was able to identify all of the Russians. They were members of the G.R.U. -
Cohen sentenced to 3 years in prison
President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes that included arranging payments during the 2016 election to silence women who claimed affairs with Trump after the President's onetime "fixer" attributed his offenses to "my duty to cover up his dirty deeds." This sentencing comes after a recommendation by Mueller for a reduced sentence because of how cooperative Cohen was with the investigation. -
Conclusion part 2
...remains open because it is critical for Mueller to find evidence that either ties Trump directly to Russia, or proves that he has no ties with Russia. -
Conclusion part 1
I believe that this investigation is, in fact, a proper use of congressional power. I think this because if it were a witch hunt, evidence of relationships between those close to Trump and Russian politicians would not exist. We now know that Russia had influenced the election using bots on social media websites, however, until we can figure out if President Trump had anything to do with that, there is not enough evidence to suggest collusion. I think it is important that the investigation...
