File 030402
Email Chain Discussing Mueller Investigation Strategy and Trump Obstruction Case (File 030402)
Email correspondence between Jeffrey Epstein and attorney Brad Karp regarding suggested edits to Michael Wolff's manuscript about Trump and the Mueller investigation, including detailed discussion of the Special Counsel's obstruction strategy.
Summary
This document is an email chain from June 13, 2018, where Jeffrey Epstein forwards to attorney Brad Karp suggestions for edits to Michael Wolff's manuscript on Trump and the Mueller investigation. The primary content is Wolff's detailed analysis of Mueller's obstruction case against President Trump, discussing legal theories for indictment, the role of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and the investigation's focus on Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Wolff outlines that the obstruction case relies on circumstantial evidence and public statements rather than new information, and discusses the White House's counterarguments regarding Trump's impulsive behavior versus intentional wrongdoing.
From: jeffrey E. [jeeyacation@gmail.com]Sent: 6/13/2018 2:36:34 PMTo: Karp, Brad SSubject: Re: my suggested type of edits. lets talkhe is commited to not doing it - now , if any hint of trouble ill explain on the phone I had a long talk thismorning.On Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 10:24 AM, Karp, Brad S < > wrote:Thanks. It's still quite challenging. Will speak shortly to Michael.Brad S. Karp I ChairmanPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP1285 Avenue of the Americas New York NY 10019-6064http://www.paulweiss.comBio: https://www.paulweiss.com/professionals/partners-and-counsel/Brad-S-Karp.aspxFrom: jeffrey E.Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2018 9:37 AMTo: Karp, Brad SSubject: Fwd: my suggested type of edits. lets talkmy suggested edits----------Forwarded message----------From: jeffrey E. <jeevacation@gmail.com>Date: Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 7:51 AMSubject: my suggested type of edits. lets talkTo: Michael Wolff <The Special Counsel's office, nearly leak-proof since its inception more than a year ago and seeminglyimmune to the President's constant taunts, might appear to be operating in some parallel universe unmoved bythe every-day political turmoil. But in the course of conversations I've had recently, as a I research a new bookon President Trump and the forces arrayed against him, what has become clear is that Robert Mueller and hisoffice are preparing for a life or death confrontation with the President and the mother of all constitutionalcrises.My discussions have been with both White House advisors and people close to the investigation. No sourceinvolved in this story would speak on the record.The sources firmly believe that Special Counsel has ready an aggressive legal theory for the indictment ofthe president for obstruction of Justice. In the last few weeks, as the President has indulged his pardonauthority, the Mueller team has also developed a legal strategy to oppose the ikely pardon of former NationalSecurity Advisor, Michael Flynn, who had previously struck a plea bargain which could include his testimonyagainst the President.Robert Mueller, according to one person familiar with the Special Counsel's thinking, could hardly containhis disgust when Rudy Giuliani, the President's new lawyer—hired to makes a television case for the Presidentand to push back against the Mueller team—in May airily dismissed the notion that a president can be indicted.Adding insult to injury, Giuliani—who a White House source said had likely learned of aspects of the pendingindictment—said Mueller agreed with that assessment. White House sources believe Giuliani was daring theSpecial Counsel to tip his hand. Mueller, in character, contained his outrage and continued to hold his cardsclose as his team finished preparing the obstruction case and refined the legal theories under which it wouldHOUSE OVERSIGHT 030402claim the right to haul the president into court.The Mueller team, according to sources both near the investigation and the White House, has prepared acase, but it requires the approval of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who—with the recusal ofAttorney General Jeff Sessions from the Russia-related investigation—oversees the Mueller team. He wouldneed to set aside He could do this based on a finding that the former opinion was inaccurate re the presidentbeing above the law. ttherby creating an inability to indict a sitting president. Indeed, Rosenstein, as recentlyas April, publicly declared that the President was not a target. This may have been a form of fig leaf to soothe aPresident who regularly demands aides assure him he is not being pursued: the President does not become aformal target until Rosenstein agrees to designate him as one.Any proposed indictment would confront Rosenstein with matters with which he has been intimatelyinvolved. The case, according to my conversations , is fundamentally Trump versus the FBI, JusticeDepartment, and Mueller investigation itself. In many ways, it boils down to the word of former FBI DirectorJames Comey against the word of Donald Trump. Rosenstein, at the President's behest, drafted a memojustifying the Comey firing for how the former FBI Director handled the Hillary Clinton email investigation.But that justification, in an embarrassment for Rosenstein, was shortly brushed aside by the President when headmitted that he fired Comey to disrupt the Russian investigation. What's more, the indictment is said to chargethat the firing of Andrew McCabe, the former Deputy Director of the FBI, who reported directly to Rosensteinafter the Comey dismissal, was an instance of illegal retaliation tampering or consipracy by the Presidentagainst a potential witness.According to a source with knowledge of the strategy, it will be all the more controversial because if findsthe entire narrative of the case for obstruction in plain sight. Almost nothing about the case involves newinformation. "This indictment could have been drafted without anyone being interviewed," said this source.Rather it takes well covered public events and moves them to a set of circumstantial conclusions. There is nosmoking gun beyond the often flagrant, custom-breaking, events of the President's 16 months in office. Indeed,much of the evidence is based on the President's public statements and tweets about those events.This is, according to White House sources who have gotten wind of this approach, good news: the case then,is just an issue of what motives you ascribe to the President's behavior—behavior that is, the President'ssupporters believe it is easy to show, impulsive and not thought out. Hence no intent. For the Mueller team, itis precisely that careless behavior and flagrant disregard for the rules that they aim to put on trial.There is no certainty that the Special Counsel's office will ultimately pursue its plan to indict the President.But, according to a source the worry is that the plan is "more advanced" than previosly believed. . Theinvestigation continues and new evidence or other factors might push both prosecutors and the grand jury inanother direction. Just passing its first anniversary, the Mueller investigation has conducted itself withremarkable secrecy. Descriptions of a proposed indictment provide one of the few insights into its strategy andits sense of the political peril in front of it.It may be noteworthy that there appears now not to be plan for an indictment related to collusion, although,legal experts say, that could come later.The White House view is that without the underlying collusion charge, Mueller will be presenting a weakand politically-motivated case. The Mueller view seems to be that the obstruction charges go to the heart ofexposing how Trump has abused his power and turned the White House into a corrupt fiefdom.The President's scheme to obstruct the FBI's investigation into connections between the Trump campaignand Russian efforts to undermine the U.S. election, according to Mueller began on the 7th day of the Trumpadministration. Three days prior to this, on January 24, National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, lied to theFBI about his contacts with the Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. These were contacts, directed by anunnamed person.That unnamed person, in the view of several lawyers who discussed the case with me, is very likely Trumphimself, and might imply that Trump encouraged Flynn to lie to the FBI, promising to protect him—using hisinfluence or pardon powers.On January 27th, seven days after Donald Trump's inauguration, the President had the one-on-one dinnerwith FBIHOUSE OVERSIGHT 030403please noteThe information contained in this communication isconfidential, may be attorney-client privileged, mayconstitute inside information, and is intended only forthe use of the addressee. It is the property ofJEEUnauthorized use, disclosure or copying of thiscommunication or any part thereof is strictly prohibitedand may be unlawful. If you have received thiscommunication in error, please notify us immediately byreturn e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, anddestroy this communication and all copies thereof,including all attachments. copyright -all rights reservedplease noteThe information contained in this communication isconfidential, may be attorney-client privileged, mayconstitute inside information, and is intended only forthe use of the addressee. It is the property ofJEEUnauthorized use, disclosure or copying of thiscommunication or any part thereof is strictly prohibitedand may be unlawful. If you have received thiscommunication in error, please notify us immediately byreturn e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, anddestroy this communication and all copies thereof,including all attachments. copyright -all rights reservedThis message is intended only for the use of the Addressee and may contain information that is privileged and confidential. If youare not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination of this communication is strictly prohibited. If youhave received this communication in error, please erase all copies of the message and its attachments and notify us immediately.please noteThe information contained in this communication isconfidential, may be attorney-client privileged, mayconstitute inside information, and is intended only forthe use of the addressee. It is the property ofJEEUnauthorized use, disclosure or copying of thiscommunication or any part thereof is strictly prohibitedand may be unlawful. If you have received thiscommunication in error, please notify us immediately byreturn e-mail or by e-mail to jeevacation@gmail.com, andHOUSE OVERSIGHT 030404destroy this communication and all copies thereof,including all attachments. copyright -all rights reservedHOUSE OVERSIGHT 030405