President Donald Trump is claiming a Republican win following the U.S. government shutdown and now says he is “looking forward” to a potential interview with FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
There were also questions about texts from FBI officials and preview of his immigration that will include a request for $25 billion to build his border wall.
Here’s what you missed in the world of Donald J. Trump.
Jan. 25: Trump heads to Davos
The U.S. Justice Department said Thursday it recovered five months of missing text messages between two FBI officials whom Republicans have accused of bias against Trump.
The messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page referred to Trump as an “idiot” and a “loathsome human.” The texts led to an outcry among Republicans who have long claimed that agency officials were biased against Trump.
READ MORE: Missing texts by FBI staffers accused of calling Trump ‘idiot’ under investigation
The FBI has blamed the snafu on “misconfiguration issues” that occurred while the bureau was rolling out new software updates for Samsung 5 devices.
Meanwhile, Trump arrived at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he is expected to continue his “America First” agenda.
“I’m going to Davos right now to get people to invest in the United States,” Trump said on Wednesday, before the overnight flight to Europe. “I’m going to say: ‘Come into the United States. You have plenty of money’.
And late Thursday night the New York Times reported that last June President Trump ordered the firing of Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating the Russia scandal. Top White House lawyer Don McGahn said he’d quit rather than carry it out and Trump eventually backed down.
Jan. 24: ‘I’m looking forward to it’
Trump revealed on Wednesday that he’s willing to sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign,
“I’m looking forward to it actually,” Trump said while speaking to reporters at the White House. “I would do it under oath.”
READ MORE: Trump willing to be interviewed by Mueller under oath, says he’s ‘looking forward to it’
“There’s been no collusion whatsoever. There’s no obstruction whatsoever, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Trump lawyers have been negotiating for weeks with Mueller’s team about possibility of an interview, including what topics would be covered. Mueller is also believed to be looking into whether the Trump campaign aided Russian efforts to sway the election and whether the president obstructed the investigation.
READ MORE: 11 U.S. school shootings in 23 days — here’s how the Trump administration responded
Meanwhile the Justice Department confirmed reports that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for hours last week in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation,
Sessions is the highest-ranking Trump administration official known to have submitted to questioning and has renewed questions about whether the president took steps to improperly obstruct justice.
Jan. 23: #ReleaseTheMemo
The uproar over #ReleaseTheMemo reached a fever pitch this week.
The hashtag urges the House intelligence committee to release of the four-page document and what Republicans claim is a finding of widespread FBI misconduct and bias against Trump. Democrats have said it’s a GOP attempt aimed at discrediting the FBI and Mueller’s investigation of the Trump team over Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
WATCH: Trump raises concerns over missing FBI text messages as Russia probe moves closer to him
Two top Democrats sent a letter Tuesday to the CEOs of Twitter and Facebook to seek an “in-depth forensic examination of the reported actions by Russian bots and trolls surrounding the #ReleaseTheMemo online campaign and how users were exposed to this campaign as a result of Russian efforts.”
One report from the Daily Beast has suggested American accounts, and not Russian bots, are driving #ReleaseTheMemo.
Trump so far, hasn’t declassified it even though he has the power to do so. The House or Senate Intelligence Committee have also not released the memo in full.
Jan. 22: ‘Democrats cave on Shutdown’
The three-day U.S. government shutdown came to an end Monday, with Democrats yielding and agreeing to pay for operations with assurances from Republicans that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant “dreamers.”
READ MORE: Donald Trump approved U.S. tariffs on solar panels, washing machines
“Big win for Republicans as Democrats cave on Shutdown. Now I want a big win for everyone, including Republicans, Democrats and DACA, but especially for our Great Military and Border Security. Should be able to get there. See you at the negotiating table!” Trump tweeted late Monday night.
The vote was also seen as a huge loss by immigration activists and more progressive members of the Democratic base who were furious its leadership didn’t fight longer and harder for legislation to protect the 700,000 or so younger immigrants from deportation who were brought to the country illegally as children.
“I’m disappointed with a conversation that suggests a false choice: You either fund the government or you take care of these … kids. We can do both,” said Sen. Kamala Harris, who added it would be “foolhardy” to trust Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
-
![]()
U.S. Government shutdown ends as Trump signs spending bill -
![]()
U.S. House passes spending bill to end government shutdown -
![]()
U.S. Senate pass spending bill to end government shutdown -
![]()
U.S. government shutdown may end on day three after deal reached in Senate -
![]()
White House blasts Democrats over government shutdown -
![]()
Trump ‘unwillingness to compromise’ reason for shutdown: Schumer
And who is responsible for the shutdown? It appears Democrats and President Donald Trump are nearly equally responsible, according to an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll. The poll found 39 percent of respondents blame Democrats most, while 38 percent think the president bears the most responsibility.
Comments