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FORMER NEW YORK mayor Rudy Giuliani is joining US President Donald Trump’s personal legal team, it has been announced.
A week after federal agents raided the offices and residence of longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, Sekulow sought to bolster the force protecting the president from mounting challenges on several sides.
“The president said, ‘Rudy is great. He has been my friend for a long time and wants to get this matter quickly resolved for the good of the country’,” Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow said in a statement.
Sekulow said Giuliani, who presided over New York City from 1994 to 2001, “expressed his deep appreciation to the president for allowing him to assist in this important matter”.
Sekulow also named two other lawyers to the White House team, Jane Serene Raskin and Marty Raskin, specialists in white-collar criminal defense.
Numerous legal challenges
Trump is facing numerous legal challenges, including the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as possible obstruction of justice; allegations that women were paid money to stay quiet about affairs they had with Trump; and challenges over his family businesses.
On 22 March the lead attorney on Trump’s legal team, John Dowd, resigned amid reported differences over how much Trump should cooperate with Mueller.
Since then the White House has had trouble recruiting attorneys to bolster the team.
“I’m doing it because I hope we can negotiate an end to this for the good of the country and because I have high regard for the president and for Bob Mueller,” Giuliani told the Washington Post in an interview yesterday.
Comey memos
Meanwhile, leaked memorandums show that Trump repeatedly complained to FBI director James Comey in early 2017 that the Russia meddling investigation was a cloud over his young administration, weeks before firing him.
Trump “said he was trying to run the country and the cloud of this Russia business was making that difficult”, Comey wrote in a memo on a conversation they had on 30 March 2017.
Eleven days later, Trump again pressed Comey about the issue. The president told Comey that “he is trying to do work for the country, visit with foreign leaders, and any cloud, even a little cloud, gets in the way of that”, Comey wrote, referring to “the Russia thing”.
The memos, which Comey wrote immediately after several meetings with Trump in the weeks after his inauguration on 20 January 2017, depict a president deeply worried about the impact of the probe into Russian meddling in the election the previous year.
Obtained by AFP yesterday after the Justice Department released them to Congress, the memos could become evidence in a criminal investigation into whether Trump consciously tried to obstruct the probe.
Prostitutes
Comey makes clear in his memos that he was uncomfortable with the pressure and that it was not completely proper, though at the time he did not allege the president had broken any laws.
But Comey never committed to easing off the investigation, which continues to examine a number of suspicious contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Weeks after their last conversation, on 9 May, Trump fired Comey, saying in an interview two days later that he decided to dismiss the FBI chief in part out of unhappiness over the Russia probe.
“In fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, you know, this thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election.”
In my opinion, it should’ve been over with a long time ago.
Much of what is in the memos, most notably Trump’s demand that Comey pledge his loyalty, has been known for nearly a year.
Comey wrote that the president repeatedly raised the still-unconfirmed story that Russians have a video of him with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel.
“The president said ‘this hookers thing’ is nonsense,” Comey wrote. However, Trump also said “that Putin had told him, ‘We have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world’”, Comey noted.
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Anyone any butter?
@murt de murty:
Regina Doherty has a fridge full.
@murt de murty: Or news paper…….it’s about all it good for.
@murt de murty: that sounds kinda rude
Sorry but I have to say we have no snow in South wicklow and a mild wind blowing, This is insane the entire country shut down because of bad weather. Twice in six months the country has been shut down we really are living in a fascist state.
Leo has shut down the country for three days because in Dublin there is a little bit of snow.
@brian boru: ah jaysus. Just cos you died in Dublin.
@brian boru: always better to make such claims at the end if the warning rather than the beginning
@brian boru: Dont say sorry ,just say what u want to say.
@brian boru: Yawn!
All forecasts over the last week have been spot on!
@brian boru: looked out your window Brian? Mine’s being pelted by snow at the moment. Visibility very poor!
@joe: Raining here in Dublin..
@tom McCormack: it’s pissing snow in Dublin
@brian boru: Really, I’m near close to Glencree and we have massive drifts, it’s absolutely crazy outside.
@brian boru: fascist state? Lol you’re delusional. Is the UK fascist too? They shut most amneties down to protect their citizens. A day of business is not worth a single death.
Bit of snow now
@brian boru: Facist dictators are known throughout history more than anything for their overwhelming…public safety concerns? Mussolini in particular was very safe.
@brian boru: I reckon it cost €180 million to pay the public sector for their two days off. The weather was grand today & this evening it had a lovely winter feel.
There is a well regarded play by Samuel Beckett called Waiting for Godot. It has been described as a play where nothing happens, twice. That’s what it feels like here in Letterkenny. The countrywide red alert last night was essentially a signal for panic. We have all watched the movies. The suspense here all day as the town closed down through the fear generated by the relentless apocalyptic coverage was palpable. The waiting has been torture. Now we are near the end nothing much has happened. Surely there must be a better way of handling such events at a local level.
Over reaction nothing in Kilkenny all the snow melting and no wind
@wiggy: Idiotic comment of the year goes to you twoggy.
@wiggy: They can take the All Ireland medal hoard out of the specially constructed bunker so.. As long as Kilkenny survives feck the rest of the country…
@wiggy: Bolliks tis thawing out, in the South of Kilkenny we’re snowed in all day and most of last night round where I am, all neighbours checked in on so all good on that score.
@wiggy: rain here in Dublin…the snow from yesterday is melting.
@tom McCormack: not where i am in Dublin, it’s not.
Well here in Monaghan theres easily a foot of snow here. just back from kilkenny, roads were fine until here. We have no water, car got stuck coming up our road and we could only slide into the hedge to avoid serious damage, abandon and now we are goosed. We are also out of bread
@Cathy Carroll: that’s tough @Cathy Carroll. Maybe neighbours or family can help out. It’s (hopefully) only 24 hours. If you’ve got anything else in the house to drink now is the time to get it out!
@Cathy Carroll: You’re just back? What the h*ll were you doing driving from Kilkenny to Monaghan this evening??
@Cathy Carroll: hope you got sorted. Lesson learned?
Heed the warnings stay indoors=baby boom!!
@The Eagle: shut up you clown!And enjoy the snow .
The gave everyone plenty of time to get home this evening. The country could have been at work.
@Robert Deane: God forbid we get to spend a bit of time with our family and loved ones
I forgot to get bog roll
@Vinny Doyle: Use bread. Duh
Its now 7pm and has not snowed all Day on Douglas, Cork.
@liam lally: now 7:21am and you’re snowed in. See how weather works? Fascinating
is dominos open
The weather is pretty good in Limerick. No sign of storm Emma yet.
Blog all day and then leave before the storm actually hits…
@Rochelle: joke! So many articles and they go to bed when the storm hits!
Every bmw must be getting a push in the country
When is Emma expected to hit Dublin??
Armageddon needs to get a move on !!!!!
@John Kelly: Tis 7 pm in Clare and its bloody cold, a slight breeze but no sign of the blizzard. I am waiting…….
Over 6 inches snow in Waterford today
Moderate breeze and no snow in East Cork. I thought South Coast was supposed to be among first and worst affected. Looks like snow is much farther east than forecast.
Great craic
@Tony Dowling: see your vet, pal
@Tony Dowling: I’m not your pal, buddy
@Tony Dowling: I’m not your buddy guy
@Tony Dowling: I’m not your guy, bro.
@Tony Dowling: fight fight fight
Journal…. Not quite sure why you’d advertise and promote the cruel ‘Sport’ of greyhound racing. Perhaps conduct some research into this abuse before writing up such a glowing report on the people involved. The majority of people at this stage know what’s involved in greyhound racing. None of it involves animal welfare.
@OMG!: what a load of crap!
Ardfinnan Co Tipperary. All calm and still no snow.
think how much the insurance are saving due to the government calling a red weather alert
telling people to stay in ? You think any of them called government offices over the past few days ?? or it’s just lucky for them it’s red alert
You’re having a laugh!? How many articles on the weather and you stop the live blog when the storm starts!? Joke!
(yawn*)
Its raining here in Dublin.. The snow us melting at last.
@tom McCormack: raining? Are you blind?
@tom McCormack: Tom are you taking the p*ss?
@Noel Ryan: I can confirm it is that it was raining in north Dublin and it is still on and off drizzle defo not snow.
@Declan Byrne: ok well to specify where I am in south Dublin it snowed all day and has been snowing all evening as well. At least 20 cm on the roof of my car. Snow drifting into deeper depths than that.
@joe: Im in North Dublin and its snowed on and off all day here so I dunno where the supposed rain was
I forgot to get bog roll!!!!!
No snow in Enniskillen. Since you’re all off tomorrow why not head up to Asda and stock up on booze!
I was drinking wine most of the night and I eventually decided to make a pizza. I put whatever I had in the fridge on it and seasoned it with chilli powder. I called it “a beast from the yeast”. Still few slices left if anyone wants some.
@De Voo: you should copyright that – sounds good
Walked 3 kilometres home at midnight in a town in the mid-west. Temperature nice, lovely dry snow, nice walk. Winter wonderland feel. What is this code red warning?
@Locojoe: Just drove a short distance from a friend’s house to my place in Dublin 5, and if it wasn’t for the fact I was in the Jeep I wouldn’t have been going anywhere. Two cars abandoned as they pulled off the Oscar Traynor Road into estates and the level of the snow above their front bumpers was a minimum 35 centimeters. Both cars just left as they were. Can’t distinguish between road surface and path or even raised levels of green areas, and a lot of garden walls almost invisible. Spot on with the warnings in this part of the country anyway. Although I completely agree with the frustrations of those in relatively unaffected areas where the red warning meant that most services shut down.
That dog in Harold’s Cross looks very similar to the dog you posted earlier in the thread, picture taken by a TV3 reporter on Grafton St??
Hahaha this is the best wind up ever!
Nothing in West Cork yet.
So dissappointed, my local pub closed at 12.30 tonight because if the weather. It’s a grand soft night out. Could have easily stayed open till 3.
Bray wanders prong yang division imposing martial law on anyone inciting decent on our glorious leader varadker Can’t wait for the election to get this soft C-/:K out stop trying to scare people.
@David Smith: your Bray Wanderers football media heads going to put out any reasonable sound bites so to repend? Laughing stock I say. The shame of Bray
@David Smith: going to vote for the RA, the Shinners? Your obviously a kid, sorry
Still waiting for the worst of it down in South Kilkenny, nothing to write home so far- 2010 was much worse.
Somewhere in Kerry today 3.55pm
https://youtu.be/YlcSA5KI4Lw
So, what else happened today?
So because we have to stay in our homes until 6pm does that mean I don’t have to go to work tomorrow?
@Mr_Tuxedo: I’d imagine so. Too dangerous to travel. Listen to safety warnings and keep phones charged. Depending on your employer, you may have to do time in lieu.
Journal pussies take note
Right now two dog walkers strolling along Dublin east coast, dusting of snow wind F4.
@Benjamin Dolan: One metre of snow predicted and the actual amount is 2cm in Dublin. How can you believe anything these experts say.
Snowing in stillorgan now and it’s windy as f@&k!
Is there anyone alive in Cork..????
this is realy the top app of the day http://www.freegiftcards.top
Jaysus lads you want to get a grip. More than 40 cms of snow here. Battered for 3 days by snow storms, the Beast from the East came South. Snow still on footpaths but cleared from the roads. Staff in at 7am here without fail, public transport still runs, shops well stocked with everything. Temps from minus 9 down to minus 20 in places. Delivery vans just left here loaded with cakes and goodies. Schools are closed. But schools here are in two shifts. Two schools in the one building. Some kids are at from 7am finish early then another school starts and finishes late.
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