1. Efforts to Curtail the Russia Investigation

• Trump directed then-White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller. McGahn refused and prepared to resign rather than carry out the order. Trump later pressured McGahn to deny that the directive had occurred.

2. Attempt to Limit the Investigation’s Scope

• Trump tried to have then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions un-recuse himself from overseeing the Russia investigation and to limit the probe’s focus to future elections rather than his 2016 campaign.

3. Firing FBI Director James Comey

• Trump fired James Comey, who was leading the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference, citing concerns over “this Russia thing.” He later admitted publicly and in private conversations that the Russia investigation was a factor in Comey’s dismissal.

4. Attempts to Remove Mueller

• Trump tried to have Mueller removed as Special Counsel. He asked Don McGahn to call the Acting Attorney General and have Mueller removed due to alleged conflicts of interest. McGahn refused.

5. Efforts to Influence Witness Testimony

• Trump appeared to attempt to influence potential witnesses, including Michael Flynn, Michael Cohen, and Paul Manafort, through public praise, offers of potential pardons, and criticizing those who cooperated with prosecutors.

6. Efforts to Obstruct Public Disclosure of Trump Tower Meeting

• Trump dictated a misleading public statement about the purpose of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between campaign officials and a Russian lawyer. The statement omitted that the meeting was arranged to receive damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

7. Pressuring Jeff Sessions

• Trump criticized Sessions repeatedly for recusing himself from the Russia investigation and publicly and privately pressured him to reverse the recusal, which Sessions did not do.

8. Attempts to Influence Michael Flynn

• Trump reached out to Flynn after Flynn began cooperating with the Special Counsel. He expressed sympathy and encouraged Flynn to “stay strong,” which was seen as potentially influencing Flynn’s cooperation.

9. Efforts to Dissuade Michael Cohen

• Trump and his team tried to influence Cohen’s testimony before Congress by encouraging him to stick to a false narrative about the Trump Organization’s involvement in a potential Moscow real estate project. When Cohen turned against Trump, Trump publicly attacked him and hinted at negative consequences.

10. Public Attacks on the Investigation

• Trump used public statements and tweets to attack the Mueller investigation, the FBI, and witnesses. He sought to undermine the investigation’s credibility and portray it as a “witch hunt,” which could have deterred witnesses from cooperating.

Conclusion

While Mueller did not reach a decision on whether Trump committed obstruction of justice (partly due to DOJ policy against indicting a sitting president), the evidence was significant enough to lay out these ten episodes for Congress to consider impeachment or other actions.

What Happened?

1. The July 25, 2019 Call:
   • During a phone call between Trump and Zelensky, Trump allegedly pressured Zelensky to announce investigations into:
     • Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, regarding the latter’s role on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
     • A debunked conspiracy theory about Ukraine’s involvement in interfering in the 2016 U.S. election.
   • The call included Trump saying, “I would like you to do us a favor, though,” which many interpreted as conditioning U.S. support on Ukraine’s cooperation.
2. Aid Withholding:
   • Around the same time, the Trump administration withheld nearly $400 million in congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine, which was vital for Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
   • The aid was only released after public and congressional scrutiny grew.
3. The White House Meeting:
   • Zelensky reportedly sought a White House meeting with Trump, but the administration allegedly conditioned such a meeting on Ukraine announcing the investigations Trump wanted.

Key Allegations:

1. Bribery:
   • Offering or withholding something of value (in this case, military aid and a White House meeting) to compel Ukraine to announce investigations that would politically benefit Trump.
2. Extortion:
   • Using the power of the presidency to coerce Zelensky into taking specific actions by threatening to withhold military aid or a meeting.

Investigation and Impeachment:

• Whistleblower Complaint:
  • A whistleblower from the intelligence community raised concerns about the call, leading to an inquiry.
• Impeachment in the House:
  • Trump was impeached on December 18, 2019, on two articles:
    1. Abuse of Power: For soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election by pressuring Ukraine.
    2. Obstruction of Congress: For blocking testimony and refusing to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry.
• Senate Acquittal:
  • The Senate, controlled by Republicans, acquitted Trump on February 5, 2020, largely along party lines.

Legal Implications:

• While Trump was impeached, he was not removed from office. No formal criminal charges were filed regarding the alleged bribery or extortion.
• These actions have not been revisited in a legal setting by the Department of Justice, although they remain a critical part of Trump’s political legacy.

Public and Political Ramifications:

It also raised questions about foreign policy being used as a tool for domestic political leverage.

The incident highlighted concerns about the abuse of presidential power for personal political gain.

See Office of the Attorney General, Order No. 5559-2022, Appointment of John L. Smith as Special Counsel (Nov. 18, 2022). As a result of that investigation, on August 1, 2023, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia charged Donald J. Trump with four felony offenses arising from his efforts to unlawfully retain power by using fraud and deceit to overturn the 2020 election results. After the Supreme Court held last summer that Mr. Trump was immune from prosecution for certain
misuse of official power alleged in the indictment, a second grand jury found probable cause to return a superseding indictment charging the same offenses based on his non-immunized conduct. Mr. Trump was thereafter reelected as President of the United States, and as a result, on November 25, 2024, the Special Counsel moved to dismiss the case against Mr. Trump because of the Department of Justice’s longstanding position that the Constitution forbids the federal indictment and prosecution of a sitting President.

A. Mr. Trump’s Pressure on State Officials

B. Mr. Trump’s Fraudulent Elector Plan

C. Mr. Trump’s Misuse of Official Power Through the Justice Department

D. Mr. Trump’s Pressure on the Vice President

E. Mr. Trump’s Supporters Attack the United States Capitol (That day, Mr. Trump was scheduled to speak at the Ellipse to the crowd of supporters he had summoned to Washington with false claims of election fraud.)

(on a personal note: I live in Washington DC and I remember the events. The Mayor issued a warning to all DC residents to stay home if possible. The only Law enforcement in place around the Capital was the Capital Police. This is not the norm. When major events happen in DC, DC police are also included and would be place around the Capital and around the Rally. It would seem that all other law enforcement agencies were ordered away from the Capital. The News highlighted the fact that different police agencies including Maryland and Virginia were on standby. The Military was also on Standby and stationed in different points around DC. This seems to have been well coordinated to allow the Rally goers direct access to the Capital building.

I have a lot of questions surrounding these events on Jan 6.

Who coordinated the military?

Who told the Mayor of DC that DC could not use the DC police Department during this event?

Why was Maryland and Virginia ready to mobilize?

Why was Congress not informed of this, and if they were, why did they not say anything to speak out?

Who has the power to give these types of orders besides the President?

The President himself did not coordinate the different department nor did he coordinate the rally, but he must have given the authority to others who did all the coordinating. So, why were these people never questioned?

If orders are given to stand back, and if you can link the connections to the president that this was the plan, then isn’t this a coordinated attach to overthrow the government?

I feel that coordinating an attack on the Capital building is a big deal!

The part is still pending (for now).