A 'huge clue' may reveal that Mueller's endgame is to nail Trump for obstruction, attacks on the FBI

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A 'huge clue' may reveal that Mueller's endgame is to nail Trump for obstruction, attacks on the FBI

trump may 2017

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Donald Trump in May 2017.

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  • Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly more interested in the activities of Donald Trump during his time as president than during his campaign activities.
  • It suggests he's building a case that Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey.
  • Trump went on a Twitter tirade to discredit the FBI over the weekend after reports that Mueller had subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents related to its efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
  • Comey and Andrew McCabe, another recently-fired top FBI official, both kept detailed memos about their conversations with Trump, and will likely be critical witnesses in the obstruction probe.


Special Counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly more interested in the activities of Donald Trump during his time as president, instead of his campaign activities, and it could reveal his endgame as the Russia probe stretches into its second year.

Mueller has been looking into Trump's firing of former FBI Director James Comey and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn more intensely than Trump's campaign activities, Mike Allen, the co-founder of the news website Axios told MSNBC's "First Look" on Monday.

Mueller's reported focus on potential obstruction gives a "huge clue' as to his endgame in the investigations, Axios said.

"That suggests he's looking more at obstruction of justice, things that might have happened in office, than he is at collusion, maybe something that happened during the campaign," said Allen. "Both of those stories have a real Russia thread through them."

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Allen's reporting follows a heavy effort from Trump to discredit Mueller's investigation with Twitter swipes at the FBI and the firing of former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe just hours before his full pension took effect.

Trump has repeatedly denied any coordination with Russia during the 2016 election, something which Trump brought up in his recent Twitter tirade, but the investigation into whether or not he obstructed justice during the Russia probe remains a separate legal matter.

Trump's legal team has been working for months to sidestep or significantly narrow the scope of an interview between Mueller and their client, and on Saturday morning, Trump's personal defense attorney, John Dowd, told The Daily Beast the Russia investigation should be shut down.

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents related to its efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, something that reportedly angered Trump just before his Twitter attacks on the FBI's investigation.

Comey and McCabe both kept detailed memos about their conversations with Trump, and will likely be critical witnesses in the obstruction probe.

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But Trump pre-emptively attacked McCabe's memos, suggesting they were politically motivated and should be called "Fake Memos."

Sonam Sheth contributed to this report.

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