Dems seize on Times bombshell to push allegations of Trump obstruction
By Olivia Beavers and Brett Samuels - 02/20/19 05:44 PM EST
Democrats are seizing on a bombshell New York Times report as further evidence that President Trump may have sought to obstruct justice in investigations of his campaign and administration.
The Times reported Tuesday that the president asked then-acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker late last year to put U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in charge of the investigation into Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty last year to bank fraud, tax fraud and making payments to silence women alleging that they had affairs with Trump.
Berman, an ally of Trump who donated to his 2016 campaign, had recused himself from the case, and Whitaker did not act on Trump's request, according to the report — which Trump has denied.
Democrats claim it is just the latest example of Trump trying to sway an investigation by influencing the investigator.
“If [the Times report is] true, I cannot understand what other motive there would be for putting someone like Mr. Berman in charge of these investigations other than to kind of help steer the prosecution in a way that’s more favorable to Mr. Trump,†Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) told The Hill.
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https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/430859-dems-seize-on-times-bombshell-to-push-allegations-of-trump
