Trump, Impeachment and Treason?

Any attempts to suppress freedom of speech, criticism, scrutiny, investigations and suggestions for improvement goes against our Constitution. Add to that attempts to aid, cooperate, coordinate and/or collude ( i.e. come to a secret understanding for a harmful purpose; conspire.) with foreigners, foreign entities or governments to derail, dismantle, interfere with our democratic process, its elections and laws while allowing our national security to be in jeopardy and peril is High Treason. Ignorance being no excuse for breaking the law applies not only to lay persons, but especially to those put in charge by the people! ~Malik Shabazz

There is not, in the Constitution, a syllable that implies that persons, born within the territorial limits of the United States, have allegiance imposed upon them on account of their birth in the country, or that they will be judged by any different rule, on the subject of treason, than persons of foreign birth. ~Lysander Spooner {No Treason (1867-1870)}

Those, however who take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution are bound by the oath and should be held accountable for any violation thereof and thereafter.

The Constitution says:
U.S. Constitution - Article 3 Section 3

“"Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open Court.”

Fired FBI Director James Comey is expected to testify in public before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week after having been "cleared for takeoff" by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a source close to Comey told NBC News.

The source, a former law enforcement official, declined to say whether Mueller had specifically authorized Comey to discuss his interactions with President Trump, but said it was reasonable to expect that subject to come up.

This is key in possible obstruction of justice charges against Trump. 


Comey Cleared to Testify and Clinton Again Defends Her Election Loss 2:04

People close to Comey have said he is eager to testify in public in the wake of his abrupt dismissal, which Comey allies believe was an attempt to thwart the FBI's investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia's election interference.

But there had been some question as to whether Mueller would seek to block Comey's testimony, for fear it could impede his investigation.


When White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was asked Wednesday about Comey's upcoming testimony, he declined to answer and said he was referring all media questions on the matter to President Donald Trump's outside counsel, Marc Kasowitz.

Comey wrote a memo about nearly every phone call and meeting he held with Trump, sources close to him have told NBC News, and he was concerned that Trump did not appear to respect the decades-long tradition that the FBI director should be independent from the White House.


Some critics have suggested that the president's behavior with Comey — coupled with his requests to senior intelligence officials that they state publicly they had seen no evidence of Trump campaign collusion with Russia — could amount to obstruction of justice.

Related: Comey Wrote Memo Saying Trump Urged Him To Drop Flynn Investigation

If Mueller decided to investigate that question, he may not want Comey to discuss his conversations with the president, legal experts have said.


The House Oversight Committee requested the Comey memos, but the FBI initially turned down the request. The Justice Department has a long tradition of resisting turning over internal documents that may be relevant to a criminal investigation.

* Subpoenas: "The House Intelligence Committee issued seven subpoenas on Wednesday, in a sign that its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election is ramping up in scope and intensity, according to people familiar with the matter. The Republican-led committee issued four subpoenas related to the Russia investigation." The other three have to do with the GOP's preoccupation with "unmasking."


* Flynn: "Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn will hand over some personal and business documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee by June 6, a source close to Flynn told NBC News on Tuesday."


HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS 5/31/17

What's Flynn, Kushner, and Trump hiding?

Why the hush? Why the lawyering up, the endless foot-dragging? Why not walk into the press room with Flynn, Kushner, whoever else you knew was doing something with the Russians and spill the beans?


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 5/30/17

Multiple Trump investigations risk hindering each other

Congressman Eric Swalwell of the House Intelligence Committee talks with Joy-Ann Reid about the witness list and evidence the committee is hoping to collect in its investigation of the Donald Trump campaign's ties to Russia. Duration: 15:34


5/30/17

Lawrence: Trump's worst impulse is appointing incompetent people

Donald Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen has been asked to provide documents & information in the Russia probe. Lawrence O'Donnell says if Cohen handles the probe like he's handled Trump's legal cases, the president is in trouble. Ron Klain & Jeremy Bash join. Duration: 9:28

Trump lawyer Michael Cohen says he'll 'gladly' testify -- if Congress subpoenas him

Trump’s Personal Lawyer Refuses to Cooperate With Congressional Inquiries

WASHINGTON — Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, said on Tuesday that he was refusing to cooperate with House and Senate intelligence committee investigations into Russian election meddling. The move may prompt lawmakers to issue subpoenas, compelling him to provide documents, testimony or other records.

Mr. Cohen, a confidant of Mr. Trump who was also a spokesman during the campaign, called the requests “poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered.”

“To date, there has not been a single witness, document or piece of evidence linking me to this fake Russian conspiracy,” he said in a text message. “This is not surprising to me because there is none!” Mr. Cohen’s response was first reported by ABC News.

Mr. Cohen said he would comply with a subpoena should one be issued, “as I have nothing to hide.”

Separately, Boris Epshteyn, a Trump campaign surrogate who briefly served in the White House press office, said in a statement that he had also received a request from the House committee seeking information, a development first reported by CBS News.

The disclosures add Mr. Cohen and Mr. Epshteyn to a growing list of Trump associates under scrutiny as investigators examine whether members of Mr. Trump’s campaign colluded with Russian officials.

Representatives for the senior Republicans and Democrats on the Senate and House panels declined to comment on the requests.

Already a focus of the F.B.I.’s counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference, Mr. Cohen helped propose a peace plan between Ukraine and Russia to Mr. Trump that would allow the president to lift sanctions on Russia — an effort that, while not illegal, appeared troubling given growing questions about the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.

Mr. Cohen’s wife is Ukrainian, and he once worked to build an ethanol business there, in addition to working on deals for the Trump Organization connected to the republic of Georgia and a mixed martial arts fighter from Russia.

Mr. Cohen was named in connection with Russian efforts to interfere in the election in an unverified dossier, paid for by Mr. Trump’s political opponents and compiled by a former British intelligence agent.

Mr. Epshteyn, a lawyer and executive at an investment firm who grew up in Moscow and befriended Mr. Trump’s son Eric at Georgetown University, became known for his combative style during television interviews as he promoted Mr. Trump’s campaign.

The congressional investigations have picked up some momentum in recent weeks, with several committees requesting materials and testimony from James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director whom Mr. Trump fired on May 9, and several of Mr. Trump’s associates.

Last week, Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s first national security adviser, informed Senate investigators that he would not comply with its subpoena for documents, citing the Fifth Amendment’s protections against self-incrimination. He has apparently walked back that refusal and is prepared to give some business-related and personal documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee by next week, The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, citing a person close to Mr. Flynn who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Senator Richard M. Burr, Republican of North Carolina and chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee’s top Democrat, responded after Mr. Flynn’s initial refusal by issuing subpoenas to two firms he owns. The committee later voted to give Mr. Burr and Mr. Warner blanket subpoena power, theoretically allowing them to speed the process through which they solicit information and testimony.


Refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena puts Mr. Flynn at risk of being held in contempt of Congress, a rare move that could subject him to a criminal citation should lawmakers choose to pursue it.

Michael D. Cohen, center, President Trump’s personal lawyer, with Michael T. Flynn, left, and Rick Perry at Trump Tower in December. Credit Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

Investigation Turns to Kushner’s Motives in Meeting With a Putin Ally MAY 29, 2017

Top Russian Officials Discussed How to Influence Trump Aides Last Summer MAY 24, 2017


Ex-C.I.A. Chief Reveals Mounting Concern Over Trump Campaign and Russia MAY 23, 2017