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Sam Levin in San Francisco (now) and Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington (earlier)

Trump wrongly claims Cohen memos 'clear the president' – as it happened

Michael Cohen leaves his apartment building in New York City on 7 December.
Michael Cohen leaves his apartment building in New York City on 7 December. Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

Summary

The week has come to a close with a number of major developments in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. We’re ending our live coverage for the day – thanks for following along. Here’s what you need to know about the day’s news:

  • Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and legal fixer, spoke with a Russian offering help from Moscow during the 2016 campaign, according to Mueller.
  • Cohen told investigators he made efforts to contact the Russian government to propose a meeting between Trump and Putin in 2015, after discussing this with Trump.
  • Prosecutors recommended Cohen receive a prison sentence of about four years.
  • The government for the first time implicated the president in Cohen’s campaign finance violations, saying the attorney “acted in coordination with and at the direction” of Trump.
  • Paul Manafort lied to the FBI and to the special counsel’s office, according to a separate filing by Mueller on Friday.
  • The former campaign chairman tried to conceal his contact with an “administration official” inside the White House as late as May 2018, the filing said.
  • Mueller wrote: “Manafort told multiple discernible lies – these were not instances of mere memory lapses.”
  • James Comey, the former FBI director, testified before the House judiciary and oversight committees on Friday, and later criticized the process.
  • Trump tweeted attacks on Comey and also wrongly claimed the sentencing memo “clears the president”.
  • John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, has been interviewed by Mueller’s team and is expected to quit, CNN reported.
  • George Papadopoulos, former aide to Trump’s campaign, was released from prison on Friday after serving 12 days for lying to the federal government about his contacts with the Russians.
  • Trump nominated William Barr as the next attorney general, selecting a man who served in the role under George HW Bush.

Updated

James Comey calls House hearing 'desperate'

James Comey, the former FBI director who was called to Capitol Hill today to privately testify before the House judiciary and oversight committees, has called his hearing a “desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president”:

His testimony is not over:

Some Republicans have suggested that the former FBI chief should have been more cooperative in the private questioning. Democrats, however, have criticized the investigation. Via AP:

“He answered the questions he had to answer,” said Rep Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois. But he added that he was left with the impression that “we got nowhere today”.

Florida Rep Ted Deutsch said the Republican majority “wishes to only ask questions still about Hillary Clinton’s emails, all to distract from the big news today, which is what’s happening in court”.

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, the top Democrat on the judiciary panel, said he would end the investigation when Democrats take over in January.

Updated

White House: 'the media is trying to create a story'

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, has responded to the Friday night filings. On Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman accused of lying “in multiple ways and on multiple occasions”, Sanders sought to distance the claims from Trump:

The government’s filing in Mr Manafort’s case says absolutely nothing about the president. It says even less about collusion and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues. Once again the media is trying to create a story where there isn’t one.”

Sanders meanwhile attacked the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, who is potentially facing four years in prison:

The government’s filings in Mr Cohen’s case tell us nothing of value that wasn’t already known. Mr Cohen has repeatedly lied and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr Cohen is no hero.”

The Cohen filings directly implicate Trump. Cohen, who was Trump’s legal fixer, told investigators he made efforts to contact the Russian government to propose a meeting between Trump and Putin in New York in September 2015, after discussing this with Trump. More details here:

Updated

Here is some helpful analysis from the Washington Post about the implications of the special counsel’s claim that Michael Cohen’s campaign finance law violations were done “in coordination with and at the direction” of Trump:

This filing marks the first time that federal prosecutors have directly implicated Trump in the violations. That could mean serious consequences. Here’s how Lawrence Noble, the former general counsel for the Federal Election Commission, explained it to the Post:

There is little question Cohen, the campaign and the candidate are liable for the campaign finance violations...

In this case, you’re dealing with a situation where his lawyer who actually admits to doing the transactions says that they broke the law and that Trump knew about it.”

Noble further said, “This is something that very clearly would have to be considered for criminal prosecution” of Trump – were he not president. The Post noted that DOJ guidelines suggest that a sitting president can’t be indicted. More from the anaylsis:

In order for Trump to be charged – if he weren’t president – it would need to be a ‘knowing and willful violation,’ Noble said. This doesn’t mean, though, that Trump would need to know the specific statutes that his actions were violating. It would be enough for Trump to know that campaign contributions needed to be reported and were subject to limits, which he clearly did, and that the payments were being made in order to influence the election.

Updated

Some more details on the Manafort filing from my colleague Tom McCarthy:

Manafort tried to hide the fact that he had contact with ‘an administration official’ inside the White House as late as May 2018, according to Mueller’s filing, which was partially redacted and did not specify what Manafort had discussed with the White House...

In sum, Manafort sat for 12 meetings with special counsel, including three prior to the plea agreement, Mueller said. He has testified twice before a federal grand jury.

Mueller submitted the document to explain why a cooperation agreement with Manafort reached in September had fallen apart. Manafort denies lying to Mueller, but both sides have requested that the court not delay sentencing Manafort on multiple fraud convictions.

Full story here:

Special counsel: Manafort 'lied in multiple ways'

The special counsel’s office has now released its memo on Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman who has been accused of breaching a plea bargain deal by lying to prosecutors:

Some excerpts from the 10-page filing, which includes redactions:

On November 8, 2018, the government informed defense counsel that it believed that Manafort had lied in multiple ways and on multiple occasions...

The defendant breached his plea agreement in numerous ways by lying to the FBI and Special Counsel’s Office. The principal lies relate to, among other things: (1) Manafort’s interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik; (2) Kilimnik’s participation in count two of the superseding information; (3) a wire-transfer to a firm that was working for Manafort; (4) information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation; and (5) Manafort’s contact with Administration officials...

Manafort told multiple discernible lies – these were not instances of mere memory lapses. If the defendant contends the government has not acted in good faith, the government is available to prove the false statements at a hearing.”

Here’s our previous reporting on Kilimnik, a Russian man who is said to have ties to Moscow’s intelligence services. He has already been charged by Mueller with witness tampering:

Here is the president’s tweet shortly after the release of sentencing memos for his former personal attorney:

The memos do not “clear” the president. On the contrary, prosecutors in New York wrote of Michael Cohen’s “illegal campaign contributions”:

With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election. Cohen coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments... In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1 [Trump].

Trump is now tweeting about James Comey – and has not yet commented on the newly released sentencing memos about his former personal attorney. Comey was on Capitol Hill today to privately testify before the House judiciary and oversight committees.

Officials are expected to release a transcript of the session. Comey told reporters after the session that he is going to return for a follow-up:

The fired FBI director said:

When you read the transcript, you will see that we were talking again about Hillary Clinton’s emails for heaven’s sakes, so I’m not sure we need to do this at all. But I’m trying to respect the institution and answer questions in a respectful way.

One critical detail from the latest Mueller filing is the claim that in November 2015, Cohen spoke with a Russian national “who claimed to be a ‘trusted person’ in the Russian Federation” and offered the Trump campaign “political synergy” and “synergy on a government level”.

From my colleague Jon Swaine:

The Russian repeatedly proposed a meeting between Trump and Putin, according to Mueller, and told Cohen that the meeting “could have a ‘phenomenal’ impact ‘not only in political but in a business dimension as well’” because there was “no bigger warranty in any project than consent of Putin”.

Mueller said Cohen chose not to pursue the offer of assistance in part because he was working on the project with someone else he “understood to have his own connections to the Russian government”, a likely reference to Felix Sater, a controversial developer who was working on the Trump Tower Moscow plans.

Updated

Cohen sentencing memo: key quotes

Some key quotes from the Cohen sentencing memo, filed by federal prosecutors in New York:

  • “But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life (and was evidently hidden from the friends and family members who wrote on his behalf).”
  • “He was motivated ... by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends. Now he seeks extraordinary leniency – a sentence of no jail time – based principally on his rose-colored view of the seriousness of the crimes; his claims to a sympathetic personal history; and his provision of certain information to law enforcement.”
  • “While Cohen – as his own submission makes clear – already enjoyed a privileged life, his desire for even greater wealth and influence precipitated an extensive course of criminal conduct.”
  • “While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with Individual-1 [Trump].”
  • “Cohen clouded a process that Congress has painstakingly sought to keep transparent. The sentence imposed should reflect the seriousness of Cohen’s brazen violations of the election laws and attempt to counter the public cynicism that may arise when individuals like Cohen act as if the political process belongs to the rich and powerful.”
  • “Cohen’s submission suggests that this was but a brief error in judgment. Not so. Cohen knew exactly where the line was, and he chose deliberately and repeatedly to cross it.”
  • “After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen’s decision to plead guilty – rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes – does not make him a hero.”

More details here:

Updated

Guilty verdict in Charlottesville trial

A jury has just found James Fields guilty of first-degree murder for intentionally driving his car into a crowd at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, killing Heather Heyer and injuring others:

Sam Levin here, taking over our live coverage on this busy Friday evening. The special counsel’s office has now released its memo on Cohen’s sentencing, which says:

The defendant’s crime was serious, both in terms of the underlying conduct and its effect on multiple government investigations. The sentence imposed should reflect the fact that lying to federal investigators has real consequences, especially where the defendant lied to investigators about critical facts, in an investigation of national importance.

The memo also says Cohen “has made substantial and significant efforts to remediate his misconduct, accept responsibility for his actions, and assist the SCO’s investigation”.

The filing says the government “does not take a position with respect to a particular sentence to be imposed”.

They don’t call it a Friday news dump for nothing... luckily, I’m handing over the keys to my fantastic colleague Sam Levin.

He’ll break down the latest with Michael Cohen and what more to expect from the special counsel (Paul Manafort, call your office). Cheers from Sabrina!

Prosecutors recommend 'substantial' jail time for Michael Cohen

Federal prosecutors have filed their sentencing memo for Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, and recommended a “substantial term of imprisonment”.

The guidelines from the southern district of New York call for a prison term of between 46 and 63 months for Cohen, who has been cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to eight charges, including allegations that he violated campaign finance laws and unrelated charges of bank and tax fraud.

This is a developing story. More soon.

Updated

Anyone know the opposite of ‘drain the swamp’? Asking for a friend.

Back to the ... 19th century?

Donald Trump’s secretary of veterans affairs, Robert Wilkie, once praised Confederate president Jefferson Davis as a “martyr to ‘The Lost Cause’”.

In a 1995 speech, uncovered by CNN, Wilkie paid tribute to Davis as an “exceptional man in an exceptional age”. He delivered his remarks in front of a statue of Davis at the US Capitol, because of course he did. The event was naturally sponsored by the United Daughters of Confederacy.

Wait, there’s more:

CNN also found that Wilkie attended a pro-Confederate event as recently as 2009.

A VA spokesman said the events Wilkie attended “were strictly historical in nature” and that he “stopped participating in them once the issue became divisive”.

Wilkie has led the department of veterans affairs since July. His affinity for Confederate events was highlighted when his nomination was before the Senate, but Wilkie was nonetheless confirmed 86-9.

Updated

Trump calls for vote on criminal justice reform

Donald Trump has asked Mitch McConnell, the Senate’s top Republican, to hold a vote on legislation to reform the criminal justice system.

Trump’s comments came after he addressed a national conference on crime in Missouri, where the president continued to rail against illegal immigration and demand funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border.

It was no immediately clear what proposals Trump was prepared to support on criminal justice reform, but it’s worth noting his Justice Department moved quickly to unravel the Obama administration’s progress on the issue.

Trump’s former attorney general, Jeff Sessions, reimposed mandatory minimums to low-level offenders -- a policy that disproportionately affects people of color, particularly the African American community.

Although criminal justice reform has bipartisan support in Congress, McConnell has said there are not sufficient votes in the Senate to advance a overhaul of the system. Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, has been working on the issue and pushing for legislative action.

Trump to name new chairman of joint chiefs of staff

Donald Trump is set to appoint General Mark Milley, the Army chief of staff, as his next top military adviser.

Citing senior administration officials, the Associated Press reported on Friday that Milley, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will succeed Marine General Joseph Dunford to be chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.

Trump teased the news earlier in the day, telling reporters he would be making an announcement at the annual Army-Navy college football game in Philadelphia on Saturday.

Milley has been the Army’s top officer since August 2015. Well respected across the aisle, he is likely to get swift approval form the Senate.

Trump says Tillerson is 'dumb as a rock'

Well, that escalated quickly.

After Rex Tillerson opened up about his frustrations working under Donald Trump, the president has fired back against his former secretary of state in a tweet:

Trump’s comments came after Tillerson said he had to constantly push back against the president for instincts that, if acted upon, would be in violation of the law. Tillerson went on to say Trump was “pretty undisciplined” and had an aversion to reading.

It seems safe to say there’s no love lost between the two men.

Flashback to simpler times, when Trump couldn’t get enough of Tillerson:

A lot can change in two years!

Updated

We have a few clues on what to expect from Robert Mueller’s court filing on Paul Manafort, courtesy of ... Rudy Giuliani.

While it’s good practice to take Giuliani, one of the more flamboyant members of Trump’s legal team, with a grain of salt, he offered the following to CNN:

“In the questioning of Manafort, they did tell them at the time that they believed he was lying about certain things related to us that he’s not lying about.”

Translation: Mueller’s team believes Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, lied to investigators in a violation of his plea agreement. Giuliani is essentially confirming the special counsel’s belief that Manafort lied, but naturally has a different spin on what transpired.

According to Giuliani, investigators don’t buy Manafort’s account that then-candidate Trump did not know about the infamous June 2016 meeting at his eponymous tower in Manhattan.

You know, the one in which Manafort, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, casually sat down with a Russian lawyer after being offered dirt on Hillary Clinton. It took place after Trump Jr. was told of an effort by the Russian government to help elect his father, to which he responded: “If it’s what you say I love it”.

Giuliani claims the special counsel tried to force Manafort to admit Trump knew about the meeting. Of course, Mueller knows a lot more than Giuliani about what investigators have discovered; and one side has a bit of a credibility problem. No prizes for guessing which.

The Justice Department issued guidance concerning acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker’s role in the Russia investigation, the Washington Post reports.

Whitaker’s appointment by the president to temporarily fill Jeff Sessions’ role was controversial for numerous reasons, including his prior criticism of the special counsel investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

While it’s unclear what recommendations the DOJ’s ethics office provided, the report suggests Whitaker’s role in overseeing Russia investigation was at least a topic of discussion.

The DOJ has refused to say if Whitaker sought ethics advice or if he planned to recuse himself from the Russia inquiry. His appointment, which occurred without confirmation from the Senate, has been subjected to legal challenges.

Trump named William Barr, a former attorney general under the late President George HW Bush, as his nominee to head the Justice Department on Friday. But until he is confirmed, Whitaker is so far poised to remain in the role.

Read the full report here.

Updated

George Papadopoulos released from prison

George Papadopoulos, the former foreign policy aide to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, was released from prison on Friday after serving 12 days for lying to the federal government about his contacts with the Russians.

Papadopoulos was the first Trump associate to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller and pleaded guilty to perjury last year. Although the White House has dismissed him as a low-level aide in the 2016 campaign, the FBI launched the Russia investigation after Papadopoulos bragged to Australia’s then-ambassador to the UK that Moscow had dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Papadopoulos received a 14-day sentence in September and was seen exiting a federal prison in Wisconsin Friday morning. He will now undergo 12 months of supervised release, and is required to serve 200 hours of community service within about one year, in addition to paying a $9,500 fine.

We’re still waiting on court filings from the special counsel on former Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and the president’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. Tick tock.

Updated

Readers: We’ve only hit lunchtime here in Washington and yet it feels like an entire day already.

If you have any questions about the day’s events, allow me to unpack them for you. Tweet me @SabrinaSiddiqui and I’ll do my best to answer a few!

Just don’t ask what the president is thinking -- after nearly two years, it’s fair to say no one really knows.

Updated

Kelly questioned in Mueller probe

John Kelly has been questioned by the special counsel over potential obstruction of justice, according to CNN.

The news comes hours after it was reported Kelly is due to depart from his role as White House chief of staff in a matter of days.

The CNN report stated Kelly was questioned in recent months, becoming the latest high-ranking official from the White House to be brought before federal investigators:

“Kelly responded to a narrow set of questions from special counsel investigators after White House lawyers initially objected to Mueller’s request to do the interview earlier this summer,” sources said.

Most Trump associates interviewed by the special counsel were part of the presidential campaign or transition. Kelly did not join the White House until July of 2017, but investigators are interested in suggestions that the president sought to fire Mueller and other efforts by Trump to obstruct justice in the Russia probe.

Updated

More staff changes in the works?

Donald Trump told reporters he will have another announcement at Saturday’s Army-Navy game. The latter is a longstanding contest between the two academies’ American college football teams, for the uninitiated.

The president is set to handle the coin toss at the game, but it looks like he’s also planning to throw a curve ball. (Yes, I just employed a baseball pun while discussing a football game ... I regret nothing.)

“I can give you a little hint: It will have to do with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and succession,” Trump said of his plans.

What that means is anyone’s guess. As is often the case, the Defense Department appears to have no idea what Trump is talking about.

What could go wrong?

Pardon the interruption. No, really.

The reaction to Donald Trump’s nomination of William Barr as his next attorney general has fallen on familiar partisan lines.

Lindsey Graham, a Republican on the Senate judiciary committee and close ally of Trump’s, vowed to do “everything in [his] power” to push Barr’s nomination through.

“Mr. Barr is highly capable, highly respected and will provide new and much-needed leadership for the Department of Justice,” Graham, a senator from South Carolina, said in a statement.

He added: “Mr. Barr is a known quantity, a man of the highest integrity and character, and has an impeccable reputation.”

But Democrats on the committee expressed immediate reservations, stemming in part from Barr’s comments critical of the special counsel.

“I will demand that Mr. Barr make a firm and specific commitment to protect the Mueller investigation, operate independently of the White House, and uphold the rule of law,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.

“The Senate must closely scrutinize this nominee, particularly in light of past comments suggesting Mr. Barr was more interested in currying favor with President Trump than objectively and thoughtfully analyzing law and facts.”

The ACLU pointed instead to Barr’s record on the issues, which the group said “suggests that he will follow Jeff Sessions’ legacy of hostility to civil rights and civil liberties”.

“The Senate must press Barr to adhere to the obligation of the Justice Department to defend the rights of all – immigrants, women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities,” ACLU spokesman Faiz Shakir said.

“Barr must commit to defending the rule of law and civil rights, not serving as a political arm of Trump’s anti-constitutional agenda.”

As we mentioned earlier, Barr needs just a simple majority vote to be confirmed. With Republicans still in control of the Senate, it’s fairly safe to say he will soon be headed to the Justice Department.

Tired of Russia? Well, too bad.

Former FBI director James Comey is testifying on Capitol Hill before the House judiciary and oversight committees.

The closed-door hearing will touch on both the Russia inquiry and Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state. Comey at first resisted testifying in private, but he agreed after a deal was reached to release a transcript of the interview.

House Republicans are moving to end their own probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election before Democrats formally take control of the chamber in January.

Comey has been a vocal critic of Trump after he was fired by the president in May of 2017. His dismissal is a focal point for special counsel Robert Mueller, as investigators work to determine if Trump sought to obstruct justice in the Russia probe.

Here’s a video of Comey’s arrival on Capitol Hill:

Suffice it to say, he looks thrilled to be there.

Speaking of All the President’s Men, former secretary of state Rex Tillerson is breaking his silence on his former boss and their notoriously fractious relationship.

Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil CEO who led the state department until March of this year, said he and Trump lacked a “common value system”.

“It was challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented ExxonMobil Corporation to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined,” Tillerson said at a fundraiser in Houston on Thursday.

He added that the president “doesn’t like to read, doesn’t read briefing reports, doesn’t like to get into the details of a lot of things, but rather just kind of says, ‘look, this is what I believe and you can try to convince me otherwise, but most of the time you’re not going to do that’”.

Trump famously dumped Tillerson in a tweet, in which the president named Mike Pompeo as his successor. Tillerson had long clashed with the president and once allegedly referred to his boss as a “moron” behind his back (with some more colorful language we won’t repeat here).

Tillerson, who has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the administration, said he was often forced to push back on the president and his many, many impulses.

“When the president would say, ‘Here’s what I want to do, and here’s how I want to do it,’ and I’d have to say to him, ‘Well, Mr. President, I understand what you want to do but you can’t do it that way,’” Tillerson said.

“It violates the law, it violates the treaty, you know.”

Lights out for John Kelly? While no formal announcement has been made about the chief of staff’s fate, there is something afoot at the White House...

Trump is due to depart for an extended holiday stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida later this month. Is the president cleaning house before the new year? Time will tell.

Trump picks Heather Nauert, ex-Fox News anchor, as UN ambassador

Donald Trump has confirmed he will nominate Heather Nauert as the next ambassador to the United Nations.

The president informed reporters of his decision at the White House on Friday, elevating to the role a former Fox News anchor whose political background remains limited to serving as the spokeswoman for the state department.

If confirmed, Nauert will replace outgoing UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who announced her resignation in October.

While Haley was overwhelmingly confirmed to the post in the early days of the Trump administration, Nauert is likely to face a more contentious hearing before the Senate due to her lack of policy-making experience. She has served as the state department spokeswoman since April 2017, and was named this year as the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs.

Nauert emerged as a favorite for the UN role shortly after Haley’s departure and met with Trump in late October. The president subsequently praised Nauert as “excellent”, telling reporters: “She’s been with us a long time She’s been a supporter for a long time.”

Trump was reportedly seeking someone who would prove to be loyal and felt he could trust Nauert. The White House at times clashed with Haley, stemming in part from her willingness to publicly disagree with the president.

Heather Nauert at the state department.
Heather Nauert at the state department. Photograph: Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images

Updated

Trump to nominate William Barr as attorney general

Donald Trump will nominate William Barr as attorney general, the president confirmed on Friday.

“He was my first choice since day one,” Trump told reporters at the White House of Barr, who held the role under the late President George HW Bush. “He’ll be nominated.”

Barr served as attorney general from 1991 to 1993. His potential return to the role comes one month after the firing of Jeff Sessions, whose relationship with the president grew contentious over the Russia investigation.

The search for a replacement was escalated after Trump’s appointment of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general was beset by controversy and declared by some legal experts as unconstitutional. Whitaker, who has not been confirmed by the Senate, drew headlines for his prior criticism of the special counsel investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

Barr has also expressed skepticism of the Russia inquiry and encouraged a criminal investigation into Hillary Clinton’s dealings as secretary of state, in what would surely be a sticking point for Democrats if he is nominated. He also defended Trump’s firing of FBI director James Comey in an op-ed, and has said special counsel Robert Mueller’s team lacks balance.

The White House is hopeful that Barr’s experience, which also includes a stints at the CIA and in the Reagan administration, will help steer his nomination past the Senate. The question is whether Barr would pass Trump’s loyalty test – which proved to be Sessions’ undoing, after the latter recused himself from overseeing the Russia investigation.

In a 1992 speech, Barr made clear an attorney general’s oath was not to the president, but to the country.

“The attorney general’s oath to uphold the constitution raises the question whether his duty lies ultimately with the president who appointed him or more abstractly with the rule of law,” I said in my confirmation hearings, and have said several times since, that the attorney general’s ultimate allegiance must be to the rule of law.”

William Barr with George HW Bush in 1991.
William Barr with George HW Bush in 1991. Photograph: Scott Applewhite/AP

Updated

Hello there! Sabrina Siddiqui here taking over the blog on what is already shaping up to be an eventful Friday!

We have rumors of a White House shakeup, key sentencing memos in the Russia investigation and rumblings of a new attorney general in waiting... all of which is to say, there’s never a dull day in Trump’s Washington. Buckle up, we’re in for quite a ride!

Two White House aides, political director Bill Stepien and office of public liaison director Justin Clark, are leaving the government jobs to work on Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, per AP.

Both men worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign.

House Republicans are preparing to interview former FBI director James Comey in closed door testimony Friday.

Comey had fought the subpoena, saying he wanted the questioning to be public. But he ultimately agreed to appear, after a deal was reached that he would be free to speak publicly about his testimony and a transcript will be released after the session.

Republicans, who will lose control of the House in January, are wrapping up a years-long probe into the actions of the Justice Department and the FBI during the 2016 presidential election.

Donald Trump’s legal team plans to produce a rebuttal to special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, the president said Friday. They’ve already written 87 pages before Mueller reveals what he has.

Trump appears to be responding to reports that the White House does not have a plan for how to respond to the Mueller report.

One of the Democratic party’s top fundraisers will back Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke if he runs for president.

Financier Louis Susman told CNN he would raise money for a bid by O’Rourke, who gained a national profile with an unsuccessful Senate race against Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

“It’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” he said. “I have nothing against the Bidens and Kerrys of the world and all of these senators that are looking at it, but I think the Beto example is what inspired people and what we are going to need.”

Nick Ayers, now the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, is reportedly the top candidate to become White House chief of staff. The Huffington Post ran a detailed profile of Ayers earlier this year, noting that he has developed a knack for staying on Trump’s good side.

He’s also had some questionable financial dealings, not immediately selling his lucrative consulting business, C5 Creative Solutions, when he came to work at the White House, as previous administrations would have required. He also got a broad ethics waiver allowing him to talk to former clients. In his mid 30s, he has reported a personal net worth between $12 million and just over $54 million.

Ahead of the expected release of new information in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation Friday, Donald Trump launched a new tirade on Twitter against the investigator in the early morning hours.

Trump alleged that Mueller and former FBI director James Comey are “Best Friends,” which he called a conflict of interest. In fact, associates say that while the men have a good relationship they are not personal friends and don’t socialize outside of work functions, according to the Washington Post.

Trump also attacked Andrew Weissman, who led the prosecution of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, saying he “wrongly destroyed people’s lives.”

Court filings are expected to detail Friday what Manafort did to violate a prior plea agreement, which prosecutors say he broke by lying. Also Friday, federal prosecutors in New York are expected to file sentencing recommendations for Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer.

CNN: Kelly expected to resign

White House chief of staff John Kelly is expected to resign in the coming days, CNN is reporting this morning.

Kelly and Donald Trump have stopped speaking to each other in the last fews days, the network reports, adding that the two men have reached a stalemate in their relationship and neither party believes it is sustainable.

Trump is actively looking for replacements. According to Axios and CNN, Nick Ayers, the chief of staff to Vice-President Mike Pence, is widely believed by West Wing officials to be the pick.

Back in July, Kelly announced to White House staff that Trump had asked him to stay on as chief of staff until at least 2020, when Trump is up for re-election, and he agreed.

Updated

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43 Years Before It Was Trending, Steven Spielberg's Living Room Was a Jewelbox of Vintage Style – Recreate His Look With Tiffany Lamps, Butter Yellow, and Dark Wood
All the chicest people are decorating with antiques in 2026, but Steven Spielberg was ahead of the curve – experts discuss the trend
Homes & Gardens
Homes & Gardens
Does Zendaya Only Hold Tom Holland's Hands? 'Euphoria' Star Rejects Other Men's Sweet Gesture
Explore the rumours surrounding Zendaya and Tom Holland, including claims that they have already tied the knot.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
“I wound up in a place that I needed to stop and sit with myself”: Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl addresses infidelity and social media fallout in new interview
The singer/multi-instrumentalist says he’s had 430 therapy sessions in the past 70 weeks and suggests that fathering a child with a woman outside of his marriage in 2024 is part of the reason why
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Is a Huge Reality Hit. But Its Star Is in Hot Water Once Again
This is all a bad look.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
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