Mueller outlines scope of Russia probe in court filing
By Sarah N.
By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office on Thursday gave a federal court a classified memo describing the extent of his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and other related crimes.
The memo was filed in response to questions raised in the court in Virginia two weeks ago by Judge T.S. Ellis that Mueller should not have "unfettered powers."
Ellis demanded to see an unredacted copy of the August 2017 memo written by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that defined Mueller's investigative mandate.
Ellis will review the memo before deciding whether or not to dismiss charges against President Donald Trump's former election campaign manager, Paul Manafort.
Manafort has argued that Rosenstein granted Mueller too much scope when he was appointed exactly a year ago, and that Mueller is exceeding that authority.
Trump's allies have also accused Mueller of exceeding the boundaries laid out by Rosenstein, and questioned whether he is authorized to pursue possible financial crimes committed by Manafort and others.
Mueller has indicted Manafort in federal courts in Virginia and Washington D.C. with an array of allegations of money-laundering and failing to register as a foreign agent, to bank and tax fraud. Manafort has pleaded not guilty.
The judge overseeing the Washington case earlier this week refused Manafort's request that he dismiss the charges there.
When Mueller was appointed special counsel on May 17, 2017, Rosenstein said the probe would include "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation" into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
Russia denies interfering in the 2016 election, and Trump has said there was no collusion with Russia.
In August, Rosenstein authorized Mueller to investigate allegations that Manafort may have "committed a crime or crimes arising out of payments he received from the Ukrainian government" before and while pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych was in office.
Some of Mueller's actions remain under seal. He also has indicted more than 15 others, including 13 Russians and three Russian companies.
Five people have pleaded guilty, including former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who has admitted making false statements to the FBI, and longtime Manafort business partner Rick Gates.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and John Walcott; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool)
This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
also read
France, Germany to agree to NATO role against Islamic State - sources | Reuters
By Robin Emmott and John Irish | BRUSSELS/PARIS BRUSSELS/PARIS France and Germany will agree to a U.S. plan for NATO to take a bigger role in the fight against Islamic militants at a meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday, but insist the move is purely symbolic, four senior European diplomats said.The decision to allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to join the coalition against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq follows weeks of pressure on the two allies, who are wary of NATO confronting Russia in Syria and of alienating Arab countries who see NATO as pushing a pro-Western agenda."NATO as an institution will join the coalition," said one senior diplomat involved in the discussions. "The question is whether this just a symbolic gesture to the United States
China's Xi says navy should become world class | Reuters
BEIJING Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for greater efforts to make the country's navy a world class one, strong in operations on, below and above the surface, as it steps up its ability to project power far from its shores.China's navy has taken an increasingly prominent role in recent months, with a rising star admiral taking command, its first aircraft carrier sailing around self-ruled Taiwan and a new aircraft carrier launched last month.With President Donald Trump promising a US shipbuilding spree and unnerving Beijing with his unpredictable approach on hot button issues including Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, China is pushing to narrow the gap with the U.S. Navy.Inspecting navy headquarters, Xi said the navy should "aim for the top ranks in the world", the Defence Ministry said in a statement about his visit."Building a strong and modern navy is an important mark of a top ranking global military," the ministry paraphrased Xi as saying.