After Stone Case, Prosecutors Say They Fear Pressure From Trump
After Stone Case, Prosecutors Say They Fear Pressure From TrumpIn 2001, William P. Barr, describing his first stint as attorney general, under President George Bush, spoke of the department’s protected status in the post-Watergate era. “You didn’t mess around with it, didn’t intervene, you didn’t interfere,” he recalled in an oral history.
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In an exclusive interview, Attorney General Bill Barr told ABC News on Thursday that President Donald Trump "has never asked me to do anything in a criminal case” but should stop tweeting about the Justice Department because his tweets “make it impossible for me to do my job.”
Barr’s comments are a rare break with a president who the attorney general has aligned himself with and fiercely defended. But it also puts Barr in line with many of Trump’s supporters on Capitol Hill who say they support the president but wish he’d cut back on his tweets.
Trump Fires Impeachment Witnesses Gordon Sondland and Alexander Vindman in Post-Acquittal Purge
WASHINGTON — President Trump wasted little time on Friday opening a campaign of retribution against those he blames for his impeachment, firing two of the most prominent witnesses in the House inquiry against him barely 48 hours after being acquitted by the Senate. Emboldened by his victory and determined to strike back, Mr. Trump ordered Gordon D. Sondland, the founder of a hotel chain who donated $1 million to the president’s inaugural committee, recalled from his post as the ambassador to the European Union on the same day that Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, a decorated Iraq war veteran on the National Security Council staff, was marched out of the White House by security guards.
I think it’s time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases,” Barr told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas.
“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody ... whether it’s Congress, a newspaper editorial board, or the president,” Barr said. “I’m gonna do what I think is right. And you know … I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.”
The Audacity of Hate
Karl Rove had a novel idea for how to organize President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign. Karl Rove had a novel idea for how to organize President George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign.
In a stunning reversal, the Justice Department overruled a recommendation by its own prosecution team that Stone spend seven to nine years in jail and told a judge that such a punishment – which was in line with sentencing guidelines – “would not be appropriate.”
India is racing to prepare for Trump’s first trip as president to the world’s largest democracy.AHMEDABAD, India —The 49-year-old tailor has lived in this western Indian city for his entire life, but he has never seen anything quite like this.
In the interview with ABC News, Barr fiercely defended his actions and said it had nothing to do with the president. He said he was supportive of Stone’s convictions but thought the sentencing recommendation of seven to nine years was excessive. When news outlets reported the seven to nine year sentencing recommendation last Monday, Barr said he thought it was spin.
Parents and relatives of Pakistani students studying in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) began, stand behind a banner during a protest to demand the government to evacuate their loved ones, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Feb. 12, 2020.
Myanmar President Win Myint (C) attends the opening ceremony of a statue of the late Gen. Aung San, father of Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, on Feb. 13, 2020. It was inaugurated to mark his 105th birthday.
Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria, arrives in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on Feb. 12, 2020. He paid a condolence visit following Boko Haram attack in Auno on Feb. 9, where over 30 travelers were killed.
A container holding desert locusts caught by Uganda People's Defence Force soldiers in Katakwi, Uganda, on Feb. 12, 2020. Uganda has deployed soldiers to help combat one of the worst locust infestations in the region.
Trump pushed CIA to find, kill Osama bin Laden's son over higher priority targets
When the CIA gave Trump a list of major terror leaders to kill, he said he'd never heard of them. Instead he focused on a target with a famous name.Trump would ultimately greenlight successful strikes on ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Yemeni al Qaeda chief Qasim al-Rimi — perhaps the most significant names on the CIA list of potential U.S. targets.
A medic examines a passenger as a precautionary measure, following the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19), at a border crossing between Syria and Lebanon in Jdeidat Yabous, Syria, on Feb. 12, 2020.
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Players of Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team are welcomed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 12, 2020. The team claimed victory over India in the Under-19 World Cup.
Security forces stand guard as fans of FAR Rabat soccer team light flares and chant slogans during a match against their rivals Raja Casablanca in the Moroccan league, in Rabat, Morocco, on Feb. 12, 2020.
Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (L) and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pose for photographs in White House's Treaty Room before a meeting at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Feb. 12, 2020.
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (C) and his wife Emine Erdoğan wave to the crowds before departing to Pakistan at Esenboga International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 13, 2020.
Passengers seen at the cruise ship Diamond Princess at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, Japan, on Feb. 13, 2020. The vessel's passengers are being tested for coronavirus (COVID-19).
A speed boat transports samples of some passengers, who have reported stomachaches or fever, aboard the cruise ship Westerdam (background) at the port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, on Feb. 13, 2020.
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A statue named The Spring, by 19th century Romanian sculptor Ioan Georgescu, decorated with a winter scarf to highlight the plight of homeless people, outside the National Art Museum in Bucharest, Romania, on Feb. 12, 2020.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö (R) greets Latvian Prime Minister Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš prior to their meeting at the President's official residence Mäntyniemi in Helsinki, Finland, on Feb. 12, 2020.
A vendor sells peanuts at a roadside shop in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Boris Johnson has cancelled his planned trip to the White House after Trump slammed the phone down on him in a moment of 'apoplectic' fury
Trump is losing the support of the United States' closest ally after slamming down the phone on them during an 'apoplectic' callJohnson had been due to visit Washington last month but repeatedly delayed the trip after a series of rows with the president over Iran, Huawei and a rejected bid by the prime minister to extradite the wife of a US diplomat.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a ceremony celebrating the 41st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution at the Azadi (Freedom) Square in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni attends the state funeral of Kenya's former president Daniel arap Moi at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 11, 2020. Moi, Kenya's longest-serving president, died on Feb 4.
Andrew Yang (2nd L), who was in the 2020 presidential race, takes a photo with supporters who are holding campaign signs, in front of a polling station in Keene, New Hampshire, U.S., on Feb. 11, 2020.
European Council President Charles Michel (R) welcomes President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda before their bilateral meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Members of Sri Lanka's "Movement for equal rights" shout slogans outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office against the government's decision to issue death certificates for those who disappeared during the civil war, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 11, 2020. Placard in the Sinhala language reads: "If missing people are dead, who killed them?"
Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler, gestures during a gathering in Caracas, Venezuela, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (L) and his counterpart, Kosovo's Albin Kurti, inspect a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony in Tirana, Albania, on Feb. 11, 2020.
A general view of vehicles carrying belongings of internally displaced Syrians from the western Aleppo countryside, in Hazano, Syria, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Yusuf Usman, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Gas & Power, of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation speaks during the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit in Abuja on Feb. 11, 2020.
A member of the honor guard raises the NATO flag in front of the North Macedonian parliament to mark the ratification of accession to the NATO, in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Feb. 11 2020.
Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan (L) and Croatian Foreign and EU Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman hold a meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Founder & CEO of Ghana Bamboo Bike Initiative, Bernice Dapaah, speaks onstage during The 2020 MAKERS Conference in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Feb. 11, 2020.
A demonstrator dressed as Joker poses for a picture during an anti-government protest by University of Basrah students in Basra, Iraq, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, makes a speech as he attends the "Foreign Terrorist Warriors" Conference within the European Security and Cooperation Organization (OSCE) in Vienna, Austria, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Trump ally Roger Stone gets 40 months in prison after sentencing firestorm
Roger Stone, a longtime friend and campaign adviser to President Donald Trump, faces sentencing Thursday morning for lying to Congress. Might Trump pardon him?He was also sentenced to 24 months probation and fined $20,000.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Slovenia Miro Cerar speaks during the Turkey-Slovenia Business Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Hala Helmy, speaks during a news conference at the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, announcing that the country's population has hit 100 million people, in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 11, 2020.
Participants of the Save NPE! rally (natural persons-entrepreneurs and small business owners) hold flags and placards outside the Kharkiv Regional State Administration in Ukraine on Feb. 10, 2020.
Afghan police arrive at the site of an explosion near the Marshal Fahim Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Feb. 11, 2020. The suicide attack killed at least six people.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offers prayers at the Jaya Shree Mahabodhi Temple during his visit to Bodh Gaya, Bihar, on Feb. 10, 2020. He is on a five-day state visit to India.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) attends a meeting with ambassadors and officials of international organizations in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 10, 2020.
U.S. President Donald Trump (front L) during the transfer of cases holding the remains of Sergeant Javier Jaguar Gutierrez of the U.S. Army, who was killed in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, at the Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, U.S., on Feb. 10, 2020.
Rohingya refugees wait for help after a boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal on Feb. 11, 2020. Bangladeshi officials said that at least 16 people drowned in the incident. Some 60 passengers on the boat have survived and many more are unaccounted for. The overcrowded boat was carrying about 125 Rohingya refugees from Bangladeshi camps.
Military officers escort the coffin of the late former Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi during the state funeral procession to the Nyayo Stadium, the venue of the National Memorial Service, in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 11, 2020. He died on Feb. 4 at 95.
A masked woman in a plastic rain coat walks on a street in Beijing, China, on Feb. 11, 2020. The daily death toll from new coronavirus topped 100 for the first time and pushed the total past 1,000 in mainland China on Feb. 11.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro speaks to supporters during a demonstration against new sanctions by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump that affect the country's state airline, Conviasa, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Feb. 10, 2020.
Trump's Fascination With Badgers Derailed Key Policy Discussions: Book
The president would reportedly question Reince Priebus—who grew up in Wisconsin, nicknamed the "Badger State"—about the nocturnal omnivores."Sinking in the Swap," a book by Daily Beast reporters Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng, was published earlier this week. Among its revelations is Trump's interest in badgers, which hampered the efforts of then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to thrash out White House policy in the early days of Trump's administration.
Worshipers gather around candles stuck to jars with honey during a religious mass to mark the day of Saint Haralampi, the Orthodox patron saint of beekeepers, at a church in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, on Feb. 10, 2020.
Iran's Head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, speaks during the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Conference on Nuclear Security 2020 in Vienna, Austria, on Feb. 10, 2020.
People commemorate the National Memorial Day of the Exiles and the Foibe in Basovizza, Italy, on Feb. 10, 2020. The Foibe massacres were mass killings committed mostly by Yugoslav Partisans, during and after World War II against the local Italian population of Venezia Giulia, Istria and Dalmatia as a retaliation for the crimes committed by the fascists during the Italian occupation of the region.
Mountaineers Donald Allen Bowie (of Canada) and Lotta Henriikka Nakyva (of Finland) sit in a helicopter after being rescued by Pakistan Army from Broad Peak, Baltoro Glacier, in Pakistan on Feb. 9, 2020.
Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo (C) arrives for the opening session of the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 9, 2020.
University students raise slogans during an ongoing anti-government protest in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 9, 2020. The posters read, "My allegiance to Iraq.”
Flowers and messages are left in front of Terminal 21 shopping mall, after a shooting in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on Feb. 10, 2020. A gunman killed 29 people and injured dozens more in a rampage at the shopping mall on Feb. 8.
People wear face masks and protective gloves as they stand between coaches carrying British nationals evacuated from Wuhan in China amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, after they arrived at Kents Hill Park conference center and hotel in Milton Keynes, England, on Feb. 9, 2020. They will be kept in isolation and monitored for 2019-nCoV strain of the virus.
A firework is seen over the ski resort town of Steamboat Springs in Colorado, U.S., on Feb. 8, 2020. The 2,800-pound (1,270 kilograms) shell flew 2,200 feet (671 meters) above the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival before bursting. It set a Guinness World Record as the world's largest aerial firework.
'Bellmen' gesture as they walk down a street in Čavle, Croatia, on Feb. 9, 2020, to attend a "symphony" in which some 500 bellmen from across Europe took part.
Beach erosion is seen at Collaroy on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, Australia, on Feb. 10, 2020. Homes were evacuated after a landslip at Bayview. Evacuation orders remain in place for some parts of Sydney, while thousands of homes remain without power. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, between 200 and 400 millimeters (7.9 to 15.8 inches) of rain washed Sydney area out to the Blue Mountains and farther south over the weekend, leading to flooding in rivers and forcing over 60 schools to remain shut on Monday.
Followers of the Serbian Orthodox Church gather in Podgorica, Montenegro, on Feb. 9, 2020, for a mass prayer and protest march against a new law requiring religious communities to prove ownership of properties from before 1918 – when Montenegro was absorbed into Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which later became Yugoslavia – in order to keep them.
Iranian women mourn during a memorial service for Iran's Quds Force top commander Major General Qassem Soleimani in Qom, Iran, on Feb. 9, 2020. Soleimani was killed in a U.S. air strike at the Baghdad airport in Iraq on Jan. 3, 2020.
Devotees blow conch shells on the last day of the month-long Swasthani festival on the banks of the Hanumante River in Bhaktapur, Nepal, on Feb. 9, 2020.
Kenyan military officers carry the casket of former president Daniel arap Moi, draped with the Kenyan flag, after lying in state at the parliament building in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 8, 2020. Daniel arap Moi, a former schoolteacher who became Kenya's longest-serving president, died on Feb. 4 at age 95.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stands as army's air force and air defense staff salute at the start of their meeting in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (L) is welcomed by Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed before a meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Feb. 8, 2020, as part of his official visit to the country ahead of the 33rd African Union (AU) Summit.
President of the European Council Charles Michel (R) welcomes Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenković for a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Uruguay's former President José Mujica speaks during the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Brazilian Workers' Party (PT), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Argentine Vice-President Cristina Kirchner smiles as she presents her book "Sincerely" at the 29th Havana International Book Fair in Cuba on Feb. 8, 2020.
A general view of the Alpine resort in Les Contamines-Montjoie, France, where five British nationals including a child have been diagnosed with coronavirus, after staying in the same ski chalet with a person who had been in Singapore, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Construction workers begin the process of dismantling steps at South Park, in Galway, Ireland, on Feb. 8, 2020, after organizers of the opening ceremony to mark Galway's year as European Capital of Culture cancelled the ceremony due to bad weather.
Pope Francis meets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska during an audience at the Apostolic Palace, in Vatican City, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Supporters of Manzoor Pashteen, the head of Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), protest against his arrest by Pakistani authorities, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Feb. 7, 2020.
A Syrian who fled from the town of Sarmin, near the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, returns to the town as it is partially surrounded by government forces to collect some belongings on Feb. 7, 2020.
Military officers march in a process as they escort the coffin of former Kenya's President the late Daniel Arap Moi, draped in the national flag, from the Lee Funeral Home on its way to Lie-in-State for public viewing at the Parliament House in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 8, 2020.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte (R) meets Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky before a meeting at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, Italy, on Feb. 7, 2020.
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hands with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during a ceremonial reception at the Presidential palace in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 8, 2020. Sri Lanka's Prime Minister is on his four-day state visit to India from Feb. 7.
A protester gets his face painted with the colors of the Iraqi flag at Tahrir Square during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 7, 2020.
People cross the Buriganga River on a boat in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb. 7, 2020. The river is now one of the most polluted river in Bangladesh because of rampant dumping of human and industrial wastage.
Passengers wearing masks, following the coronavirus outbreak in China, arrive at the Tom Jobim International Airport in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Feb. 7, 2020.
Shan ethnic woman in traditional attire performs on stage during a ceremony to mark the 73rd anniversary of Shan State National Day in Yangon, Myanmar. on Feb. 7, 2020.
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (R) shakes hands with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Feb. 7, 2020.
Workers prepare to remove the wreckage of a plane operated by Pegasus Airlines after it skidded off the runway on Feb. 5, at Sabiha Gokcen Airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb. 7, 2020.
Police commandos stand guard on the arrival of the Bangladesh cricket team for a practice session at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Feb. 6, 2020.
Ukrainian lawmakers scuffle in the rostrum during a parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, on Feb. 6, 2020. A brawl broke out inside the parliament as lawmakers debated a proposed law that would allow sales of the country's farmland.
Former CEO of the SriLankan Airlines, Kapila Chandrasena leaves the court, along with prison officers, after being remanded until Feb. 19, 2020, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 6, 2020.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stands to attention during the country's 72nd Independence Day celebrations in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb. 4, 2020.
Passengers queue to board a bus provided by the government as a palliative to cushion the effect of the ban of motorbike taxis at the Ojodu Terminal in Lagos, Nigeria, on Feb 6, 2020. The Lagos state government has barred motorbike taxis and motorized rickshaws, known locally as okada and keke, from swathes of the city over what officials described as "scary figures" for fatal accidents in recent years.
Students and other demonstrators hold national flags during a protest to condemn a militia attack on protesters in the city of Najaf, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 6, 2020.
A groom, wearing a mask for protection from the new coronavirus, attends a mass wedding ceremony of the Unification Church at Cheongshim Peace World Centre in Gapyeong, South Korea, on Feb. 7, 2020.
The Bahri Yanbu cargo ship sailing in the Cherbourg Harbour, France, on Feb. 6th, 2020. The Saudi Arabian ship is accused of transporting weapons for the conflict in Yemen.
An Airbus A330-300 plane en route to the Canadian Forces Base Trenton, carrying Canadians evacuated from China due to the outbreak of novel coronavirus, arrives to refuel at the Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, Canada, on Feb. 6, 2020.
Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, arrives at the U.N. Plaza as politicians and ambassadors gather to brief the Security Council on a Middle East peace plan in New York City, New York, U.S., on Feb. 6, 2020.
Tourists are checked with a thermal scanner by an officer, as they board a cruise ship, following an outbreak of the new coronavirus, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Feb 6, 2020.
Syrians are seen at a makeshift shelter for the families who have fled Saraqib and Sarmin to escape the military operations, in Ma'arrat Misrin, Syria, on Feb. 6, 2020.
Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (L) shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before their meeting at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 6, 2020.
EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi (L) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić during their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, on Feb. 6, 2020.
Pope Francis (C) meets Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic (5th L) and his delegation during an audience at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City, Vatican, on Feb. 6, 2020.
A child brings down a snowman in a park in Bucharest, Romania, on Feb. 6, 2020. Snowfalls affected large areas of Romania causing railway and road traffic disruptions and prompting closure of schools in several counties.
The blowback from such an unprecedented move by the Justice Department leadership was immediate, both internally among the rank-and-file and in Congress. The entire four-man DOJ prosecution team withdrew from the case, and one prosecutor resigned from the Justice Department entirely. Sen. Lindsey Graham, chair of the Judiciary Committee that oversees the Justice Department and one of Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, said the president should not have tweeted about an ongoing case.
The Justice Department, while led by a president appointee and Cabinet member, is tasked with enforcing the law and defending the interests of the U.S. without political influence.
Barr said Trump’s middle-of-the-night tweet put him in a bad position. He insists he had already discussed with staff that the sentencing recommendation was too long.
“Do you go forward with what you think is the right decision or do you pull back because of the tweet? And that just sort of illustrates how disruptive these tweets can be,” he said.
Barr also told ABC News he was “a little surprised” that the prosecution team withdrew from the case and said he hadn’t spoken to the team.
He said it was “preposterous” to suggest that he “intervened” in the case as much as he acted to resolve a dispute within the department on a sentencing recommendation.
"If President Obama made the deals that I have made, both at the Border and for the Economy, the Corrupt Media would be hailing them as Incredible, & a National Holiday would be immediately declared. With me, despite our record setting Economy and all that I have done, no credit!"
"I think [Pelosi is] a disgrace. I actually don't think she's a talented person. I've tried to be nice to her because I would have liked to have gotten some deals done. She's incapable of doing deals. She's a nasty, vindictive, horrible person."
Speaking about the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives during an interview when he visited Normandy, France, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, on June 6, 2019.
"Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border. Better not happen again! We are now sending ARMED SOLDIERS to the Border. Mexico is not doing nearly enough in apprehending & returning!"
Tweeted on April 24, 2019, reportedly referring to a Newsweek story on border confrontation between Mexican troops and two American soldiers, who the former thought to be illegal trespassers.
"I said it the other day, yes, she is a low-IQ individual, Maxine Waters. I said it the other day. I mean, honestly, she's somewhere in the mid-60s, I believe that."
Questioning the intelligence of the politician during a rally in Montana, U.S., on July 5, 2018. In an October 2017 interview with CNN, Waters had remarked, "I don't think this President should be representing our country...he creates controversy, he cannot get along with our members of Congress, and I'm going to continue my efforts to impeach him."
"We will take that little kit and say, but we have to do it gently. Because we're in the '#MeToo' generation so I have to be very gentle. And we will very gently take that kit and we will slowly toss it, hoping it doesn't hit her and injure her arm even though it only weighs probably two ounces. And we will say, I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test so that it shows you're an Indian."
Mocking the #MeToo movement and talking of tossing an ancestry test to the Massachusetts senator while answering questions about her claims of Native-American heritage, during the rally in Montana on July 5, 2018.
“Robert De Niro, a very Low IQ individual, has received to[o] many shots to the head by real boxers in movies. I watched him last night and truly believe he may be "punch-drunk." I guess he doesn’t realize the economy is the best it’s ever been with employment being at an all time high, and many companies pouring back into our country. Wake up Punchy!”
In a tweet in response to De Niro’s use of the F-word and disapproval of the Trump administration at the Tony Awards held on June 11, 2018.
"I congratulate the leaders of other countries for so crazily being able to make these trade deals that were so good for their country and so bad for the United States."
At a press conference during the Group of 7 summit in Québec, Canada, in June 2018.
“We have people coming in to the country, or trying to come in. You wouldn't believe how bad these people are, these aren't people, these are animals and we're taking them out of the country.”
During a charged discussion about law enforcement and the border wall on May 16, 2018.
“Why are we having all these people from s******e countries come here?”
In January 2018, Trump exploded during a discussion in the White House over an immigration deal meant to include protection for people from Haiti and some African nations.
"In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!"
Trump tweeted this statement on Dec. 28, 2017, after the U.S. East Coast was hit by a cold wave.
"Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst (and biggest) loser of all time. She just can’t stop, which is so good for the Republican Party. Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years!"
On Nov. 18, 2017, he took to Twitter to hit out at Clinton.
"Why would Kim Jong Un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?' Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend - and maybe someday that will happen!"
On Nov. 11, 2017, Trump tweeted a reply to North Korea's insults that described him as a "destroyer."
"After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow...Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming...victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you."
On July 26, 2017, Trump posted a series of tweets on the transgender military ban.
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“Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!”
“I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very 'cowardly!'”
First on June 9, 2017, and then on June 11, Trump took aim at the former FBI Director after his Senate testimony on June 8. Comey revealed he believed he was fired because of the FBI’s Russia investigation. He also said he took extensive memos during his meetings with Trump because he was afraid Trump would lie about the meetings. Comey then asked a friend to give these memos to the press.
“Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That's because they used knives and a truck!”
After the attacks (pictured) where suspects mowed people with a van and then stabbed others, Trump tweeted on June 4, 2017, asking why the administration was not discussing gun control.
“Look at the way I have been treated lately, especially by the media. No politician in history—and I say this with great surety—has been treated worse or more unfairly.”
During a commencement speech at the Coast Guard Academy on May 17, 2017. People were quick to point towards American presidents like Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, who were assassinated in office, or dissenters in dictatorial regimes who were imprisoned or sent to labor camps.
"But I inherited a mess, I inherited a mess in so many ways. I inherited a mess in the Middle East, and a mess with North Korea, I inherited a mess with jobs, despite the statistics, you know, my statistics are even better, but they are not the real statistics because you have millions of people that can’t get a job, ok. And I inherited a mess on trade. I mean we have many, you can go up and down the ladder. But that’s the story. Hey look, in the mean time, I guess, I can’t be doing so badly, because I’m president, and you’re not. You know. Say hello to everybody OK?"
During an interview with TIME Washington Bureau Chief Michael Scherer on March 22, 2017, for the magazine's cover story about how Trump has dealt with “truth and falsehoods in his career.”
“I never said I was going to repeal and replace in the first 64 days.”
Discussing the Affordable Care Act on a call with the Washington Post's Robert Costa, on March 24, 2017.
On Feb. 10, 2017, he tweeted: "We will immediately repeal and replace ObamaCare - and nobody can do that like me. We will save $'s and have much better healthcare!"
On alleged wiretapping by the Obama administration
"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"
"Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!"
"I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!"
"How low has President Obama gone to tapp [sic] my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"
In a series of four tweets, sent in the early hours of March 4, 2017, Trump accused Obama of wiretapping him in the run-up to the presidential election.
“You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this?”
Trump’s comments at a rally in Florida on Feb. 18, 2017, raised eyebrows, since there were no terrorist attacks in the Scandinavian country; there were such instances in Germany and France, two countries he named soon after.
The president later took to Twitter to clarify his words: “My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden."
"Iran is playing with fire - they don't appreciate how 'kind' President Obama was to them. Not me!"
A tweet on Feb. 3, 2017, sent as part of a diplomatic standoff regarding Iran's ballistic missile test. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted back, "Iran unmoved by threats as we derive security from our people. Will never initiate war, but we can only rely on our own means of defence."
"As you know, I have a running war with the media. They are among the most dishonest human beings on Earth. They sort of made it sound like I had a 'feud' with the intelligence community. Nonsense, it is exactly the opposite, and they understand that too."
Addressing the press at the CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, U.S., on Jan. 21, 2017.
“I’m not going to give you a question. I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news!”
In a Jan. 11, 2017, press conference, the then president-elect refused to take questions from CNN's Jim Acosta (pictured, R), labeling his channel "fake news."
“There will be plenty of movie and entertainment stars. All the dress shops are sold out in Washington. It’s hard to find a great dress for this inauguration.”
Trump spoke to The New York Times on Jan. 9, 2017, about the excitement his approaching inauguration was generating among the American people.
"Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a Hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, I never 'mocked' a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him "groveling" when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media!"
A tweet sent on Jan. 9, 2017, in response to Streep’s Golden Globe Awards speech. The award-winning actress spoke out against the 2015 mocking of a disabled reporter without naming anyone.
“If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. Because there has never been so many lies.”
A reference to the email controversy surrounding Clinton, made during the second presidential debate on Oct. 9, 2016. When Clinton responded it was good Trump wasn't in charge of the law, he retorted, “Because you’d be in jail.”
On Clinton's tax plans during a presidential debate
“Such a nasty woman.”
During the final presidential debate, held on Oct. 19, 2016, Trump interrupted Clinton with this comment while she was speaking about Trump avoiding tax payments.
“This was locker room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago. Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course – not even close. I apologize if anyone was offended.”
An Oct. 7, 2016 statement, in response to a 2005 video released by The Washington Post, in which the U.S. president was seen making objectionable comments about women during a conversation with talk show host Billy Bush.
(Pictured) In this 2005 video capture, Trump prepares for an appearance on the TV show "Days of Our Lives" with actress Arianne Zucker and "Access Hollywood" host Billy Bush.
"40 Wall Street actually was the second-tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and it was actually, before the World Trade Center, was the tallest—and then, when they built the World Trade Center, it became known as the second-tallest. And now it’s the tallest.”
Trump’s response to a question about potential damage to 40, Wall Street, his building, which is located a few blocks from the World Trade Towers site that was attacked in September 2001. He was being interviewed by a radio station on the afternoon of the day of the attack.
“I didn't even apologize to my wife who is sitting right here because I didn't do anything. I didn't know any of these women. I didn't see these women ... It was all lies and it was fiction.”
His response at the Oct. 19, 2016, debate where he said the sexual assault allegation against him brought on by nine women had been started by the Clinton campaign and were false. He called the women fame-seekers. However, in a Fox News interview, Melania Trump revealed that her husband was indeed sorry and they had agreed to move on.
“See, you’re telling the enemy everything you want to do. No wonder you’ve been fighting – no wonder you’ve been fighting ISIS your entire adult life.”
Trump commented that Clinton told ISIS about her plans to fight them by mentioning it on her campaign website during the first presidential debate on Sept. 26, 2016.
“I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC. She’s (Clinton) saying Russia, Russia, Russia, but I don’t — maybe it was ... it could be Russia, but it could also be China … It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, OK?”
The U.S. government and other Democrats had been accusing Russia of stealing more than 19,000 emails from the Democratic Party’s computers. Trump responded to a question about the hack and cyber security at the Sept. 26, 2016, debate.
"If he says great things about me, I'm gonna say great things about him. I've already said he is really very much of a leader. I mean, the man has very strong control over a country. And that's a very different system and I don't happen to like the system. But certainly in that system he's been a leader, far more than our president has been a leader."
In the campaign season’s first showdown in NBC's "Commander in Chief Forum" on Sept. 7, 2016, Trump was asked how he felt on being complimented by Russian President and former KGB officer Vladimir Putin (pictured).
"Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."
The above statement was released on his campaign site on Dec. 7, 2015. It was later removed.
"Glad to see that @RondaRousey lost her championship fight last night. Was soundly beaten - not a nice person!"
Taking on MMA fighter Ronda Rousey (L) after her historic defeat to Holly Holm (R), Trump tweeted the above on Nov. 15, 2015. This might have been something to do with Rousey's suggestion that she'd vote for Democrat hopeful Bernie Sanders.
"Well I would hate to do it but it's something you're going to have to strongly consider...some of the absolute hatred is coming from these areas...the hatred is incredible. It's embedded. The hatred is beyond belief. The hatred is greater than anybody understands."
Reacting to the terrorist attacks in Paris by the Islamic State on Nov. 13, 2015, Trump suggested during an interview that he would consider shutting down mosques in the U.S.
"You don't have to put on makeup. Look at how beautiful everyone looks. Wouldn't it be easier?" He waved his hand over his face as though it were a burqa and stated, "I’m ready darling, let’s go."
This was Trump trying to defend a burqa during a campaign event in Atkinson, New Hampshire, U.S., on Oct. 28, 2015.
“They could be ISIS. They are all men and they are all strong...If I win, they’re going back.”
On Sept. 30, 2015, during his speech at a campaign rally in Keene, New Hampshire, he said that he would send home all Syrian refugees seeking asylum in the U.S.
"Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
Trump said to a reporter of the Rolling Stone magazine in September 2015 as fellow Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina appeared on TV during an interview.
"I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words."
In his Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech on June 16, 2016, Trump proposed to build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
"Our country is in serious trouble. We don't have victories anymore. We used to have victories, but we don't have them. When was the last time anybody saw us beating, let's say China in a trade deal? I beat China all the time. All the time."
He made the emphatic statement during his June 16 speech.
"I told you @TIME Magazine would never pick me as person of the year despite being the big favorite. They picked person who is ruining Germany."
Trump tweeted the above in reaction to German Chancellor Angela Merkel being named as Time magazine's Person of the Year 2015. Trump finished third on the list.
"Stop the EBOLA patients from entering the U.S. Treat them, at the highest level, over there. THE UNITED STATES HAS ENOUGH PROBLEMS!"
In August 2014, a pair of U.S. health workers, physician Kent Brantly and nurse Nancy Writebol, got infected by the Ebola virus while helping at the affected areas in West Africa. They were brought back to U.S. for the treatment, when Trump reached out to twitteratti against it with the above post.
"Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn't feel good and changes - AUTISM. Many such cases!"
He tweeted the above on March 28, 2014. On Sept. 3 he tweeted on the issue again, saying, "I am being proven right about massive vaccinations--the doctors lied. Save our children & their future. No more massive injections. Tiny children are not horses--one vaccine at a time, over time."
"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."
This was his take on global warming, as he tweeted on Nov. 7, 2012. He continued in another tweet, "It’s freezing and snowing in New York—we need global warming!"
On Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's break-up
"Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again--just watch. He can do much better!"
When "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart separated, Trump flooded Twitter with seven back-to-back tweets on Oct. 18, 2017. One of his tweets read the above.
"An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."
In August 2012, he published a tweet questioning the then-President Barack Obama's birth certificate. For a very long time he was one of the leading proponent of the 'birther movement' that promoted the false notion that Obama was born outside of the U.S.
"He may have one but there's something on that, maybe religion, maybe it says he is a Muslim. I don't know. Maybe he doesn't want that. Or he may not have one. I will tell you this: if he wasn't born in this country, it's one of the great scams of all time."
Continuing with his stance on the 'birther' issue, he said the above during an interview on March 30, 2011.
"Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich."
During an interview with ABC’s "Good Morning America" on March 17, 2011, Trump said he may run as an independent in the general election if he fails to win the nomination and that he was prepared to toss in $600 million of his own cash to fund a campaign.
"All the women on 'The Apprentice' flirted with me... consciously or unconsciously. That’s to be expected. A sexual dynamic is always present between people, unless you are asexual."
He wrote the above in his 2004 book "Trump: How to Get Rich."
Trump has been pleased with Barr’s actions on Stone, praising him on Twitter. Trump on Wednesday said he was “not concerned about anything” about the resignations at the Justice Department and suggested the prosecutors “should go back to school and learn.”
“Congratulations to Attorney General Bill Barr for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have even been brought,” Trump tweeted this week, after all prosecutors assigned to the case quit.
“If (Trump) were to say, ‘Go investigate somebody because'—and you sense it’s because they’re a political opponent, then the attorney general shouldn’t carry that out, wouldn’t carry that out,” Barr said.
When asked if he expects the president to react to his criticism of the tweets, Barr said: “I hope he will react.”
“And respect it?” ABC’s Thomas asked.
“Yes,” Barr said.
Senior level White House sources insisted to ABC News that the president and top aides were unaware of Barr’s intentions in the interview and were informed of the content only just before it aired.
About two hours after the interview aired, the White House issued a statement.
“The President wasn’t bothered by the comments at all and he has the right, just like any American citizen, to publicly offer his opinions. President Trump uses social media very effectively to fight for the American people against injustices in our country, including the fake news. The President has full faith and confidence in Attorney General Barr to do his job and uphold the law,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said.
In an indication of how unusual the circumstances are, Chief Judge of the D.C. District Court Beryl A. Howell issued a rare statement about how the court makes sentencing decisions.
“The Judges of this Court base their sentencing decisions on careful consideration of the actual record in the case before them; the applicable sentencing guidelines and statutory factors; the submissions of the parties, the Probation Office and victims; and their own judgment and experience. Public criticism or pressure is not a factor,” Howell said.
ABC News' Jack Date, Alexander Mallin, Luke Barr, John Santucci, Katherine Faulders, Justin Fishel, Liz Alesse and Jordyn Phelps contributed to this report.
Trump's Fascination With Badgers Derailed Key Policy Discussions: Book .
The president would reportedly question Reince Priebus—who grew up in Wisconsin, nicknamed the "Badger State"—about the nocturnal omnivores."Sinking in the Swap," a book by Daily Beast reporters Lachlan Markay and Asawin Suebsaeng, was published earlier this week. Among its revelations is Trump's interest in badgers, which hampered the efforts of then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus to thrash out White House policy in the early days of Trump's administration.
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