Major Mueller sentence filings imminent in Manafort, Cohen cases, as Comey girds for testimony before House GOP

Special Counsel Robert Mueller to release Russia probe details as former FBI Director James Comey is scheduled appear before the House Judiciary Committee; chief intelligence correspondent Catherine Herridge reports.

A whirlwind week in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russian meddling probe is set for a dramatic triple-threaded conclusion Friday, as fired FBI Director James Comey prepares to testify before House Republicans and prosecutors finalize pivotal sentencing documents on former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and onetime campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
With multiple reports and other indications suggesting the long-running Russia probe that began in May 2017 is nearing its conclusion, Mueller faces court-imposed Friday deadlines to file potentially revealing memos outlining how Manafort allegedly broke his cooperation agreement with the government, as well as how Cohen should be punished for lying to Congress in 2017 about an abandoned Trump real estate project in Moscow.
The planned submissions are set to come just days after Mueller's office submitted a heavily redacted sentencing memorandum indicating that fired national security adviser Michael Flynn had provided "substantial assistance" with several ongoing investigations and recommending no prison time. Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani called Mueller's prosecutors "sick puppies" in the wake of that filing.
Meanwhile, Comey is slated to testify behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee, after dropping his longshot legal challenge to congressional Republicans' subpoena earlier this week when they agreed to make public a transcript of his remarks.
Fox News has confirmed that a key focus of questioning will be Comey's decision to write the July 2016 statement recommending against filing criminal charges in the Hillary Clinton email probe before the former secretary of state was even interviewed, as well as the apparent political bias demonstrated in a slew of text messages and leaks by top FBI officials.
CLINTON FOUNDATION WHISTLEBLOWERS COME FOWARD WITH HUNDREDS OF PAGES OF EVIDENCE, GOP REP SAYS
Republicans are also expected to ask about the comparably favorable treatment afforded by the FBI to Clinton advisers. In October, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth said he was "shocked" and "dumbfounded" when he learned that FBI had granted immunity to former Clinton chief of staff Cheryl Mills during its investigation into the use of Clinton's server, according to a court transcript of his remarks.
House Overight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., told host Shannon Bream on "Fox News @ Night" Thursday that Republicans will additionally focus on potential Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court abuse by the FBI.
On four occasions, the FBI told the FISA court as part of its application to surveil former Trump aide Carter Page that the agency "did not believe" former British spy Christopher Steele was the direct source for a Yahoo News article implicating former Page in Russian collusion.
But London court documents later revealed that Steele -- who worked for a firm hired by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee (DNC) -- was, in fact, the source for the Yahoo News article that the FBI suggested provided an independent basis to monitor Page. Page has not been charged with any wrongdoing despite the lengthy surveillance, and he is now suing the DNC for defamation.
"The FISA abuses and whether or not the world's premier law enforcement agencies should be relying -- even in a in a marijuana case -- on information that you have not vetted corroborated or contradicted" were among the "salient" issues, Gowdy said. "So what is the threshold for the reliability and credibility of the information?"
He added that he wants to ask Comey on Friday whether the agency later tried to corroborate facts in its FISA application to surveil Page.
"The FBI had a criminal investigation into a presidential candidate, and then less than a month after that ended, they launched a counter-intelligence investigation into the campaign of the other major presidential candidate," Gowdy told Bream. "So that's a lot of power that we have given an entity -- it's not too much to ask for the former head of that entity to come explain to Congress the decisions made and not made during the relevant time period."
Trump fired Comey in May 2017, prompting Comey to leak memos documenting statements by the president in which he purportedly demanded Comey's loyalty and suggested Comey curtail the investigation into Flynn.
FBI INACCURATELY SUGGESTED TO FISA COURT THAT YAHOO ARTICLE PROVIDED INDEPENDENT BASIS TO SURVEIL TRUMP AIDE
The leaked memos led to Mueller's appointment, and fueled Republicans' claims that Comey was unfit to lead the FBI.
The president made clear early Thursday that the pending developments were on his mind, characterizing Mueller's investigation as "Presidential Harassment" that is undermining his poll numbers.
For Manafort, the sentencing document requested by Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson in Washington, D.C., could be electronically filed at any time on Friday. Mueller's team said in a court filing late last month that Manafort -- who avoided a trial in Jackson's courtroom in September by pleading guilty and vowing to cooperate with prosecutors -- had instead lied to the FBI and Justice Department "on a variety of subject matters."
FLYNN SENTENCING MEMO SAYS HE'S PROVIDED 'SUBSTANTIAL' HELP WITH ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
Manafort's defense team, which has rejected prosecutors' claims that he violated the terms of the plea agreement, will have two weeks to respond to Mueller's filing on Friday. Jackson could schedule a hearing before she rules on whether to throw out Manafort's plea deal -- which could expose Manafort to further charges. Jackson has set a tentative sentencing date of Mar. 5.
Manafort was convicted on several bank and fraud charges in a separate Virginia federal case in August overseen by Judge T.S. Ellis III. A sentencing date of Feb. 8 has been set in that case.

FILE - In this May 23 file photo, Paul Manafort, President Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the Federal District Court after a hearing in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

Manafort could have yet more involvement in other ongoing federal probes. A separate investigation referred to DOJ prosecutors by Mueller earlier this year into possible criminal activity by Clinton-linked Washington insider Tony Podesta and former Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig is reportedly heating up, as prosecutors increasingly reach out to potential witnesses.
Podesta's firm previously did work for Manafort, raising the possibility that the ex-Trump campaign chairman will be involved in yet another potential prosecution. Podesta was offered so-called "use immunity" by Mueller this summer that would have compelled him to testify in Manafort's planned D.C. trial, which did not occur as scheduled because of Manafort's plea deal.
"Use immunity" is a limited form of immunity that only protects Podesta from prosecution based on his own statements on the witness stand. Even if Podesta ultimately provides testimony, he would still be open to potential prosecution based on materials that prosecutors might uncover independently from his testimony.
SHOCK COHEN GUILTY PLEA COULD LEAD TO OTHER UNUSUAL PROSECUTIONS FOR LYING TO CONGRESS
Meanwhile, U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley has imposed a 5 p.m. EST deadline for both Mueller and prosecutors in the Southern District of New York to hand-deliver separate sentencing submissions on Cohen, the former Trump attorney and right-hand man who has pleaded guilty in cases handled by both offices.
In the Mueller probe, Cohen pleaded guilty late last month to lying to Congress about a Trump real estate project in Russia. And in August, Cohen pleaded guilty in a separate case that Mueller referred to prosecutors in the Southern District of New York because it fell outside the scope of his congressional mandate to probe possible Russia collusion.
In the August plea, Cohen admitted to violating federal campaign finance laws by arranging hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal in the weeks leading up to the election “at the direction” of then-candidate Trump.
In all, Cohen pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, one count of willfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution.
MUELLER-REFERRED PROBE INTO CLINTON-LINKED PODESTA GROUP HEATS UP: REPORT
But legal experts were split on the significance of the plea, because campaign finance laws are notoriously murky, and Cohen's plea does not necessarily indicate that prosecutors could have successfully prosecuted a campaign finance case against Cohen or Trump. Cohen was also accused of violating numerous other banking and fraud laws, and could have pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charge to lighten his potential sentence, experts said.

Michael Cohen leaves Federal court, in New York. (Associated Press)

TRUMP ASSOCIATE ROGER STONE TO PLEAD FIFTH TO AVOID TESTIFYING BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY CMTE
And a former chairman for the Federal Election Commission (FEC) has said that campaign finance laws are often an unfair lose-lose proposition for candidates, which is why they are often pursued as civil matters, rather than criminal ones.
"Suppose Trump had used campaign funds to pay off these women," former FEC chairman Bradley Smith wrote in The Washington Post. "Does anyone much doubt that many of the same people now after Trump for using corporate funds, and not reporting them as campaign expenditures, would then be claiming that Trump had illegally diverted campaign funds to 'personal use?'"
Trump has played down Cohen's pleas, saying in a series of tweets that campaign finance laws are rarely prosecuted at the criminal level, and are often handled as civil matters -- unless politics gets involved.
"Michael Cohen plead guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime," Trump wrote on Twitter in August. "President Obama had a big campaign finance violation and it was easily settled!"
That was an apparent reference to a nearly $400,000 fine issued in 2013 by the Federal Election Commission against Obama's 2008 presidential campaign for a slew of administrative violations.
SEVEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOMBSHELL DOJ WATCHDOG REPORT INTO FBI, DOJ MISCONDUCT
And after Cohen's plea last month, the president swiftly fired back, blasting Cohen as a "weak person," and claiming his former attorney was "lying" to get a reduced sentence. Cohen is set for sentencing the morning of Dec. 12.
Other potential former Trump associates and prominent conservatives seemingly remain in the crosshairs. At a speech at the American Priority Conference in Washington, D.C., GOP operative Roger Stone said he was "proud" to have Trump's public support as he vowed to never testify against the president.
"Few Americans, I think, could withstand the kind of legal proctological examination that I have been under for the last two and a half years," Stone said. "Mr. Mueller and his strike force have examined every aspect of my personal life. My family life. My social life. My business life. My political life. My sex life. FBI agents have been seen rummaging through my garbage. My cleaning lady was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"Yet I ask this question," he added. "What does any of that have to do with Russia collusion?"
Stone this week invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in refusing to testify and produce documents before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a closed-door setting.
Raising an objection similar in some ways to Comey's concerns about offering testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, Stone said he wanted to avoid a "replay" of the situation in September 2017, when he testified privately before the House Intelligence Committee but remains unable to see a transcript of his own remarks.
"I will not testify unless I am allowed to testify in public so the American people can hear every word," Stone said to applause. He said the Russia probe is focused not on collusion, but on "perjury traps and trumped-up process crimes."
Late Thursday, Trump tweeted a comment on Fox Business Network by former Infowars editor Jerome Corsi, who has alleged that Mueller is attempting to bully him into providing false testimony in the Russia probe.
The president also again derided Mueller's team as "17 Angry Dems," referring to prosecutors in the Special Counsel's office who donated to Democratic candidates.
"He is not alone,  Trump wrote. "17 Angry Dems. People forced to lie. Sad!"

Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott blasts NFL after fine for post-TD donation to Salvation Army

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) scores a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in the first half of an NFL football game, in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday, Nov. 29. (Associated Press)

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott fired back at the NFL after being fined more than $13,000 for dropping a $21 donation into a Salvation Army kettle after scoring a touchdown during the team’s Thanksgiving Day victory over the Washington Redskins.
The league deemed Elliott’s touchdown celebration unsportsmanlike and docked him $13,369, the Dallas Morning News reported.
"I mean, I didn't really expect a fine,'' Elliott told reporters Wednesday. "Really don't care about the fine. It's all for a good cause. "We're trying to bring awareness to the Salvation Army. If the NFL doesn't like that, then, that's on them. I'll pay their little fine.''
Elliott said he plans to appeal the fine, which he called ridiculous.
"A lot of things they do define ridiculous,'' Elliott said of the NFL. "But I mean, that's not really any of my business, not really anything I can change so I'm just going to keep being focused on this season, keep being focused on leading this team and focused on going out there and winning ballgames.''
Later in the game, following a touchdown by Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, Elliott picked up his teammate and dropped him in the Salvation Army bucket. Both later donated $21,000 each to the group.
Money collected from fines goes to programs for former players, the paper reported.

Marc Thiessen: China tried to strike at Trump – and missed the mark entirely

"When you strike at a king you must kill him," Ralph Waldo Emerson once said. Well, this year China tried to strike at President Trump for daring to launch a trade war with Beijing -- and missed the mark entirely.
After Trump imposed massive tariffs on Chinese goods earlier this year, Beijing responded in June with what appeared to be a clever strategy: targeting retaliatory tariffs against Trump voters in rural farming communities across the United States. China is the largest importer of U.S. soybeans, buying $14 billion of them in 2017. Three of the biggest soybean-producing states, Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota, not only voted for Trump, but also in the 2018 midterms had Democratic senators, Joe Donnell, Ind., Claire McCaskill, Mo., and Heidi Heitkamp, N.D., who were up for reelection. If Beijing imposed painful tariffs on soybeans, Chinese leaders likely calculated, they could create a rift between Trump and rural voters who put him in the White House, give Senate Democrats a boost and force Trump to back down.
But Trump did not back down. He countered by announcing $12 billion in aid for farmers, threatened to increase his tariffs on Chinese goods and asked his rural base to stick with him while he faced down the economic predators in Beijing. That is exactly what they did. Far from abandoning the president, rural voters hurt by Chinese tariffs rallied around Trump and the GOP. They threw Donnelly, Heitkamp and McCaskill out of office, allowing Republicans to expand their Senate majority. And while Republicans lost control of the House, few of the GOP losses came from rural districts. Competitive rural districts mostly ended up staying Republican; it was the urban-suburban districts that flipped to the Democrats.
China's tariff ploy didn't just fail to sway the 2018 midterms; it actually backfired. The tariffs made the U.S. soybeans that China depends on more expensive, and Beijing soon found that alternative suppliers in South America could not produce enough to meet Chinese demand, leading to shortfalls.
In other words, China went for a kill shot -- and ended up shooting itself in the foot.
That has emboldened Trump in his negotiations with Chinese President Xi Jinping -- as shown by news this week that a senior executive of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei had been arrested in Vancouver, at the request of the United States, on charges of violating sanctions on Iran. China demanded her release but nonetheless affirmed that it will still observe the 90-day tariff cease-fire Trump and Xi reached during their meeting last week in Buenos Aires -- putting off a scheduled Jan. 1 escalation of U.S. tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on $200 billion of Chinese goods while the two sides negotiate a deal.
Trump has leverage going into those talks. The U.S. economy is booming, while China has just posted its weakest growth in nearly a decade. Moreover, during the Group of 20 meeting in Argentina, Xi saw how Trump has been able to bend his trade rivals to his will, and deliver trade victories for his working-class political base, when he held an elaborate signing ceremony for the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
China will of course be a much tougher adversary than Mexico or Canada. As my American Enterprise Institute colleague Derek Scissors points out, the Chinese Communist Party controls the economy through state ownership and massive subsidies in dozens of sectors where U.S. goods and services can't compete fairly. Lifting tariffs is easy. Getting China to change its entire industrial policy will be hard -- as will stopping China's theft of U.S. intellectual property.
But Trump knows that he has no chance of doing so by filing complaints with the World Trade Organization. So Trump is playing a game of chicken with Xi, appearing to calculate that the United States is in a better position to survive an all-out trade war. The markets panicked this week over Trump's recent pronouncement that he would be just as happy imposing tariffs as cutting a deal with China, but getting this message through to Xi is the only way to force his hand. As Trump tweeted this week, "We are either going to have a REAL DEAL with China, or no deal at all -- at which point we will be charging major Tariffs against Chinese product being shipped into the United States," adding, "remember … I am a Tariff Man."
He means it. Trump actually believes that tariffs are good for the U.S. economy. The question is whether Xi believes he believes it. The answer may determine whether we get a deal or a trade war.

Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said three people have presented hundreds of pages of evidence of potential Clinton Foundation wrongdoing. (AP, File)

Three people have come forward with hundreds of pages of evidence of potential wrongdoing by the Clinton Foundation, including misappropriation of funds and allegations of quid-pro-quo promises made to donors during Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told Fox News on Thursday.
Meadows, the leader of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is also the chairman of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations. The panel is set to hold an investigative hearing next week on the status of the Foundation case.
U.S. Attorney John Huber was tasked to investigate the foundation last year by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
The Clinton Foundation consistently has maintained that it is a charity, and never traded on Hillary Clinton's position as America's top diplomat, which she held from 2009-2013. The organization has a four-star rating from the watchdog site Charity Navigator and has touted its mission "to create economic opportunity, improve public health, and inspire civic engagement and service."
However, The Hill reported Thursday that prosecutors working for Huber recently requested documents from a private investigative firm that also has been looking into the foundation. The firm, MDA Analytics LLC, reportedly has contacted the IRS, the Justice Department and the FBI's Little Rock office with evidence from its own investigation.
In addition, The Hill reported that a whistleblower submission filed with the FBI and IRS in August 2017 included internal legal reviews that the Clinton Foundation conducted between 2008 and 2011. Those reviews raised concerns about legal compliance and improper mingling of personal and charity business.
MAJOR MUELLER SENTENCE FILINGS IMMINENT AS COMEY GIRDS FOR TESTIMONY BEFORE HOUSE GOP
According to the Hill report, MDA investigators met with Clinton Foundation CFO Andrew Kessel in late November 2016. During the meeting, Kessel said that "one of the biggest problems was [former President Bill] Clinton’s commingling and use of business and donated funds and his personal expenses." A separate interview memo stated that Bill Clinton "mixes and matches his personal business with that of the foundation. Many people within the foundation have tried to caution him about this but he does not listen, and there really is no talking to him."
Last week, Fox News reported that newly filed tax documents showed donations to the Clinton Foundation plunged in the wake of Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The filings showed that the foundation took in $26.6 million in 2017, a 58 percent drop from the $62.9 million it received the previous year.
ROGER STONE EXPLAINS WHY HE'S PLEADING THE FIFTH IN RUSSIA PROBE
A spokesman for the foundation told The New York Post the drop was “largely attributable to the absence of sponsorship and membership contributions for [the Clinton Global Initiative]", which wrapped up in 2016. However, Meadows said that the donation drop "raises grave concerns their operations were not above board as the American people have been led to believe.
"Whenever we look at the possibility of 'pay to play' by government officials, current or former, it demands answers," Meadows added, "and anyone who uses public office to sell access for their own financial benefit must be held accountable."

Kamala Harris Cartoons

Why media will be crucial in winnowing huge Democratic field

 

The Democratic presidential field is suddenly shrinking.

Michael Avenatti, a candidate mainly in his own mind, has decided not to run.
The Stormy Daniels lawyer who became intoxicated by his cable news stardom cited his family, but obviously his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence downgraded his chances from far-fetched to nonexistent.
And Deval Patrick, the former Massachusetts governor, has told associates that he won't be a candidate despite encouragement from the Obama inner circle, according to Politico.
That leaves roughly 572 Democrats still eyeing the White House.
In light of yesterday's emotional funeral for George H.W. Bush — attended by Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and the chief eulogist, George W. — it seems an apt moment to reflect on what makes a good president and the art of winning the office.
If Trump, a real estate developer, is an unlikely president, so was Carter, a peanut farmer who camped out in Iowa and somehow caught the post-Watergate wave. So was Obama, a community organizer and freshman senator who had to break a racial barrier.
Bush 41 was the ultimate establishment figure — ex-senator's son, congressman, ambassador, party chairman, CIA chief, vice president, — but would not have won had he not unleashed Lee Atwater to run a very aggressive campaign.
The Democratic field can be grouped several ways, but the greatest divide is between the aging old guard and a younger generation of contenders.
Joe Biden, who had already been a senator for eight years when Bush became vice president, recently declared himself the most qualified person in the field (as well as an admitted "gaffe machine"). He has the stature of a former VP and an ability to talk to blue-collar voters, but his past presidential campaigns were disasters.
Some pundits see Bernie Sanders as the automatic front-runner given his strong showing last time. But it's just as likely that his moment has passed, that he was the beneficiary of anti-Hillary sentiment, and he remains weak with black voters.
Elizabeth Warren is in this group too, even though she hasn't been in Washington nearly as long. She seems to get under Trump's skin and could siphon some of Bernie's populist support, but her campaign skills are suspect.
Then there are the senators. Sherrod Brown could make inroads in Ohio and the Midwest. Kirsten Gillibrand has street cred for saying Bill Clinton should have resigned but alienated some elements of the party who like the Clintons, who had helped her. Kamala Harris has a built-in African-American constituency. So does Cory Booker, who tried to drum up a Spartacus moment during the Kavanaugh hearings, but seems more second-tier. So does Amy Klobuchar: likable, little-known and possibly suffering from Minnesota Nice.
Beto O'Rourke, who recently met with Obama, gets his own category. He has the kind of charisma that gets the media swooning and raised truckloads of money in his 3-point loss to Ted Cruz. Sure, it's Texas, but it's still not easy to see a losing Senate candidate pulling a Lincoln and winning the White House two years later.
There are many other names — Eric Garcetti. Julian Castro, John Hickenlooper — who may be accomplished people but still feel like long shots, and perennial presidential tease Mike Bloomberg.
The media, it's clear to me, will play a key filtering role with such an unwieldy field. Not because of their predictions; they blew it with both Trump and Obama. Not based on whether journalists like the candidates, although that can be a peripheral factor.
No, the key question is who gets the ink and airtime necessary for a viable candidacy. That can change — contenders who get hot can move from the kiddie table to the main stage — but coverage is like oxygen. (Even negative coverage, in Trump's case.) You can't survive without it.
Even Jeb Bush, who raised $100 million and made plenty of mistakes, couldn't overcome the Trump spotlight.
Ultimately Democratic voters have to decide how liberal their candidate should be and whether he or she should be as hyper-aggressive as Trump or a milder, contrasting personality.
The media, unlike what we saw yesterday at the Washington National Cathedral, were never particularly kind to George Herbert Walker Bush. But his example reminds us that when it comes to White House wannabes, character counts.

Relations with Trump 'good,' Mexico's 'AMLO' says; floats jobs package for migrants

Mexico’s new left-wing president on Wednesday said his relationship with President Trump is “good” and promised the two will talk about immigration soon.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, popularly known as "AMLO," is expected by many to become a vocal critic of the Trump administration and come into conflict on immigration issues.
A caravan of about 7,000 migrants is currently residing in Mexico’s border cities, causing financial strain and social problems, while the U.S. remains slow in processing asylum application and detains anyone attempting to cross the border illegally.
Despite Trump’s threats to shut down the border with Mexico, Lopez Obrador said he believes the two sides can agree on development aid to Central America and Mexico in a bid to create jobs for the migrants.

“We are in constant communication, and the communication is good. Relations are good.”
— Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador

“We are in constant communication, and the communication is good,” Lopez Obrador said Wednesday “Relations are good.”
“It is very likely that in coming days we will talk with President Donald Trump about this issue in particular, the immigration issue,” he said.
But Mexico’s new president avoided the question whether he will allow the migrants to remain in Mexico while the U.S. processes the asylum claims, a policy proposed by the Trump administration that was struck down by the courts and will likely be determined by the Supreme Court.
Members of the migrant caravan are reportedly getting disillusioned with the process and the U.S. reluctance to grant entry into the country.
Some even stormed the border on Monday, with witnesses observing migrants using blankets and ropes to help climb over the structure separating California from Tijuana, where thousands of migrants have been gathering in recent days.
Other migrants managed to squeeze through a section of the fence on the coastal city's beach, according to Reuters.
Tijuana Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum told Fox News his city cannot continue providing support for the migrants, saying already-stretched city resources have been emptied since the crisis began.
“In those six hours that the border was closed, we lost approximately 129 million pesos,” he said, referring to recent clashes at the border. “That's not fair. How do you think people from Tijuana feel towards those people who are making problems?”
Migrants residing in Tijuana are also suffering and are exposed to health problems, the city's Health Department said last week.

Mueller-referred probe into Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig, Clinton-linked Tony Podesta heats up: report

An investigation referred to Justice Department prosecutors by Special Counsel Robert Mueller earlier this year into possible criminal activity by Clinton-linked Washington insider Tony Podesta and former Obama White House Counsel Greg Craig is heating up, according to a new report that underscores federal authorities' increasing enforcement of laws governing foreign business relationships.
The inquiries center not only on Craig and Podesta -- a Democratic lobbyist and co-founder of the onetime lobbying powerhouse known as the Podesta Group -- but also on Vin Weber, a former GOP congressman from Minnesota.
The probes had been quiet for months since Mueller referred them to authorities in New York City because they fell outside his mandate of determining whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia.
But in a flurry of new activity, Justice Department prosecutors in the last several weeks have begun interviewing witnesses and contacting lawyers to schedule additional questioning related to the Podesta Group and Mercury Public Affairs, people familiar with the inquiry anonymously told the Associated Press.
The apparent ramp-up comes as multiple reports and indications suggest that the Mueller probe into possible collusion in 2016 between the Russian government and President Trump's campaign is winding down.
The New York work underscores the broad effects of Mueller's investigation, extending well beyond that collusion question. Mueller has made clear he will not turn away if he discovers alleged crimes outside the scope of his inquiry; instead, he refers them out in investigations that may linger on even after the special counsel's work concludes. Other Justice Department referrals from Mueller have ended in guilty pleas, including the hush money payment case of Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.
STATE DEPT PROVIDED 'CLEARLY FALSE' DOCS TO DERAIL CLINTON DOC REQUESTS, 'SHOCKED' FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS
The investigation reflects how Mueller, in latching onto an obscure law, has shined a light on high-dollar lobbying practices that have helped foreign governments find powerful allies and advocates in Washington. It's a practice that has spanned both parties and enriched countless former government officials, who have leveraged their connections to influence American politics.
In New York, Mueller's referral prompted a fresh look at the lobbying firms of Podesta and Weber, who have faced scrutiny for their decisions not to register as foreign agents for Ukrainian lobbying work directed by ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Fox News first reported, and court filings later confirmed, that Podesta was offered "use immunity" by Mueller this summer to testify in the Washington, D.C., trial of Manafort that was planned at the time -- separate from the Virginia case in which he was convicted on bank and fraud charges.
Prosecutors typically offer witnesses immunity to legally prevent them from asserting their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid testifying. "Use immunity" means prosecutors agreed not to use any statements Podesta would make on the witness stand against him in court.
"Use immunity" is not as expansive as "transactional immunity" -- which would have protected Podesta more broadly from being prosecuted on the subject matter of his testimony, even if prosecutors could independently confirm relevant details and didn't need to use his statements on the stand.
Manafort averted the D.C. trial by pleading guilty to two federal counts in September and agreeing to cooperate with the Mueller probe, meaning Podesta did not have to testify at all. That development seemingly rendered the immunity deal moot as to any potential future prosecutorial action involving Podesta.

An attorney for Greg Craig claims his client “was not required to register under the Foreign Agent Registration Act." (Facebook)

Mueller's team has since said Manafort violated that agreement, and the Special Counsel's office is set to file a sentencing memorandum in Manafort's case on Friday that is expected to include prosecutors' recommended sentence for him.
Podesta is a longtime Democratic operative whose brother, John Podesta, ran Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign; Weber is a former Republican congressman from Minnesota. Neither man has been charged with any crimes. Their firms have defended the decisions by saying they relied on the advice of outside attorneys.
Mueller's referral also involved Craig, a former White House counsel for President Barack Obama. Craig supervised a report authored on behalf of the Ukrainian government, and Mueller's team has said Manafort helped Ukraine hide that it paid more than $4 million for the work. CNN reported in September that prosecutors were weighing charges against Craig.
MUELLER MEMO SAYS EX-NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER PROVIDED 'SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE' TO INVESTIGATORS ON MULTIPLE PROBES
It's unclear if the renewed interest will produce charges or if prosecutors are merely following up on Mueller's referral.
Lawyers for Weber and Craig and a spokeswoman for Podesta declined to comment. The U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan didn't return an email seeking comment.
Mercury spokesman Michael McKeon said the firm has "always welcomed any inquiry since we acted appropriately at every step of the process, including hiring a top lawyer in Washington and following his advice. We'll continue to cooperate as we have previously."
Foreign lobbying work was central to Mueller's case against Manafort and his longtime associate Rick Gates, two high-profile Trump campaign officials who pleaded guilty earlier this year and have been interviewed extensively by prosecutors.
The Podestas have been frequent targets of Trump and his associates, who have repeatedly demanded to know why Tony Podesta has not been arrested and charged. Trump confidant Roger Stone, for instance, has insisted a 2016 tweet of his that appeared to presage the release by WikiLeaks of John Podesta's emails — "Trust me, it will soon the Podesta's time in the barrel" — was instead a reference to the brothers' foreign connections getting them into the hot seat.
ROGER STONE TO PLEAD FIFTH TO AVOID TESTIFYING, PROVIDING DOCS TO SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
Stone's legal team announced in a letter Tuesday that Stone would assert his Fifth Amendment right not to testify or provide documents to a Senate committee investigating potential collusion between the president's team and Russia.
"Mr. Stone's invocation of his Fifth Amendment privilege must be understood by all to be the assertion of a Constitutional right by an innocent citizen who denounces secrecy," Stone's attorney, Grant Smith, said in the statement. He also called the Senate Judiciary Committee's requests a "fishing expedition" that is "far too overboard, far too overreaching, far too wide-ranging."
In September, Manafort admitted to directing Mercury and the Podesta Group to lobby in the U.S. on behalf of a Ukrainian political party and Ukraine's government, then led by President Viktor Yanukovych, Manafort's longtime political patron.

Tony Podesta's firm is facing scrutiny from the Robert Mueller probe. (Facebook)

While doing the lobbying, neither the Podesta Group nor Mercury registered as foreign agents under a U.S. law known as the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, which requires lobbyists to declare publicly if they represent foreign leaders, governments or their political parties.
LAWYER WITH OBAMA, CLINTON TIES MAY FACE FEDERAL CHARGES
The Justice Department has rarely prosecuted such cases, which carry up to five years in prison, but has taken a more aggressive tack lately.
To secretly fund the lobbying and to avoid registration with the Justice Department, Manafort said he along with unidentified "others" arranged for the firms to be hired by a Brussels-based nonprofit, the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, rather than the Ukrainian political interests directly.
Mercury and Podesta, which were paid a combined $2 million on the project, then registered under a less stringent lobbying law that doesn't require as much public disclosure as FARA.
Both firms have said they registered under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, rather than FARA, on the advice of lawyers at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Craig's former firm.
Gates admitted in his plea deal that he lied to Mercury's attorneys about the project, a fact the lobbying firm has publicly highlighted. The Podesta Group has said it was misled by the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine, citing a written certification from the nonprofit stating it wasn't directed or controlled by the Ukrainian Party of Regions, one of Manafort's clients.
Both firms have since registered under FARA. But in court papers filed alongside Manafort's plea agreement, Mueller's prosecutors suggested the firms were aware they were working on Ukraine's behalf.
Prosecutors say employees of both companies "referred to the client in ways that made clear they knew it was Ukraine." One Mercury employee said the nonprofit was the client "in name only," likening the situation to "Alice in Wonderland." A Podesta employee referred to the nonprofit's certification that it wasn't related to the Ukrainian political party as a "fig leaf on a fig leaf."
Mueller's team also noted that "the head of" the Podesta Group, an apparent reference to Tony Podesta, told his team to think the president of Ukraine is the client.

California Democrat accepts top aide's resignation after his $400G harassment settlement is revealed

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at the "Families Belong Together: Freedom for Immigrants" March in Los Angeles.

A senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., resigned Wednesday over inquiries about a $400,000 harassment lawsuit against him while working at the California Department of Justice.
Larry Wallace resigned after the Sacramento Bee asked about the 2017 settlement, the paper reported.
"We were unaware of this issue and take accusations of harassment extremely seriously," Harris spokeswoman Lily Adams said. "This evening, Mr. Wallace offered his resignation to the senator, and she accepted it."
The lawsuit filed by Danielle Hartley accused Wallace of demeaning her based on her gender while she worked for him as his assistant.
DEMOCRAT KAMALA HARRIS COULD LOSE SEAT ON SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, REPORT SAYS
Hartley said Wallace placed his computer printer under his desk and often asked her to crawl under and refill it with paper as he sat and watched, sometimes with other men in the room. Wallace refused to move the printer to another location when Hartley asked him to do so, according to the suit.
The suit also said Wallace had Hartley run his personal errands, including booking flights for his children and washing and performing maintenance on his car. When she would return from the assigned tasks, the lawsuit states, “co-workers would make hostile comments to her including, ‘Are you walking the walk of shame?’”
She said she reported the alleged harassment in 2011, but was retaliated against. Hartley was involuntarily transferred to another office at the state Department of Justice at the end of 2014, the suit said.
Xavier Becerra, who succeeded Harris as California’s attorney general, said Hartley “unreasonably failed to utilize the procedures during the period of time, and after, the alleged harassment or discrimination was occurring."
Wallace previously served as director of the Division of Law Enforcement under then-California Attorney General Harris and worked for her during her tenure as district attorney for San Francisco.
Harris has been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement and is contemplating whether to launch a 2020 presidential bid. In June, she introduced legislation to ban forced nondisclosure agreements in harassment settlements.
KAMALA HARRIS, AMID 2020 RUMORS, FLOATS $500 A MONTH TAX CREDIT
Hartley is barred from discussing the settlement amount and agreed not to apply for jobs with the state Justice Department. Neither she nor Wallace commented to the Bee.

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