Old Orange (is Yeller...)

Mueller subpoenas Trump Organization
for documents related to Russia

Special counsel, Robert Mueller, has subpoenaed the Trump Organization to turn over documents, including some related to Russia in a sign that the investigation is closing in on the president.

The subpoena was delivered in “recent weeks” and includes an order for the Trump Organization to turn over all documents related to Russia.

This is the first leaked order directly aimed at Trump’s businesses. What will followers of the Trump Religion (true believers) do?

Asked by the New York Times last year whether he would consider Mueller examining his and his family’s finances a “red line”, Trump said: “I would say yes. By the way, I would say… it’s possible there’s a condo or something, so, you know, I sell a lot of condo units, and somebody from Russia buys a condo, who knows?”

On Twitter, Trump has said he has had “nothing to do with Russia – no deals, no loans, no nothing”.

Yesterday, Democratic lawmakers investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin alleged that the future president’s private company was “actively negotiating” a business deal in Moscow with a sanctioned Russian bank during the 2016 election campaign.

The statement by Democrats on the House intelligence committee, who have had access to internal Trump Organization documents and interviewed key witnesses, raises new questions about the Trump Organization’s ties to Russia and its willingness to deal with a sanctioned bank. (There goes the DEAL, Art.)

One month before Trump laid down the “red line,” Don McGahn, the White House counsel, threatened to quit after Trump asked him to have Mueller fired.

Meanwhile a new poll from Pew Research Center found 61% of Americans were very or somewhat confident Mueller will conduct a fair investigation.

In the meantime, Trump keeps a steady hand of the ship of state.

Mueller was appointed in May 2017 to investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election in his favor.

He is also reportedly investigating whether Trump obstructed justice by firing former FBI director James Comey, who has said he refused to give the president his loyalty. (based on contemporaneous notes that James Comey took after these meetings.)