Donald Trump made a personal phone call to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seeking help in discrediting the Mueller investigation that outlined a series of actions Trump took to obstruct justice, a new report reveals.
The Times of London reported Wednesday that Johnson was among a number of world leaders contacted by Trump as he sought to discredit the investigation into his 2016 presidential campaign. The report noted that Trump also reached out to leaders of Australia and Ukraine asking them to work with Attorney General William Barr, who was gathering evidence on the start of the Russia investigation.
As the report noted, Special Counsel Robert Mueller refused to exonerate Trump of wrongdoing in his final report, despite Trump’s frequent declarations that he was cleared of any charges of collusion or obstruction. Though Mueller’s final report found insufficient evidence of a conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia to interfere in the election, it noted that the campaign was willing to accept Russian help and that Trump later took a series of actions that could constitute obstruction of justice.
Donald Trump is facing an impeachment inquiry from Congress after a whistleblower issued a complaint that Trump pressured Ukraine into digging up dirt on his potential 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, and Biden’s son, Hunter. The White House released a summary of a phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president showing Trump pressing for an investigation of the Bidens. The whistleblower also claimed that the White House took steps to keep the details of this call hidden, and that Trump took a number of other actions meant to pressure Ukraine, including withholding military aid.
Barr has continued gathering evidence on a secret investigation of the origins of the Russia probe, The Daily Beast reported. Barr traveled this week to Italy where he heard a tape made by Joseph Misfud, a Malta-based professor who had promised former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulous that he could deliver dirt on Hillary Clinton.
As the report noted, the visit was surrounded by secrecy.
“Barr was in Rome on an under-the-radar mission that was only planned a few days in advance. An official with the embassy confirmed to The Daily Beast that they had to scramble to accommodate Barr’s sudden arrival,” the report noted. “He had been in Italy before, but not with such a clear motive.”
Donald Trump has vehemently denied wrongdoing, calling the impeachment hearings a “coup” and suggesting that Democrats leading the investigation could be charged with treason.