Trump's initial reaction to Mueller's appointment was "this is the end of my Presidency": report
Washington: Donald Trump's first reaction to Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel was "this is the end of my Presidency" and the US President was so furious that he reacted with an expletive, according to the counsel's report.
In a major relief to President Trump, the nearly two-year probe by Mueller found "no evidence" of a "collusion" between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 US elections, Attorney General William Barr announced Thursday.
Barr said the redacted report released Thursday made it clear that the Russian government sought to interfere in American elections, "but thanks to the special counsel's thorough investigation, we now know that the Russian operatives who perpetrated these schemes did not have the cooperation of President Trump or the Trump campaign".
Trump first learned that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel from then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a meeting to interview candidates for FBI director in May 2017, the report said.
Also present were Sessions' chief of staff Jody Hunt and then-White House counsel Don McGahn, the CNN reported.
After Sessions delivered the news, "the President slumped back in his chair," the report said, citing notes from Hunt.
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm f****d," Trump said, according to the report.
Trump became "angry and lambasted" Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, it said. "How could you let this happen, Jeff?" Trump asked his attorney general.
Trump told Sessions, "'you were supposed to protect me,' or words to that effect," Sessions recalled, the Mueller report stated.
"Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels, it ruins your presidency. It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me," Trump said, according to the report.
He then told Sessions he should resign, the report said.
Sessions agreed, left the Oval Office, and the next day returned to the White House to hand Trump his resignation letter, it said.
Trump tucked Sessions' resignation letter in his pocket, but then proceeded to ask Sessions multiple times if he wanted to remain attorney general, the report found.
Sessions said he wished to remain attorney general, but said it was up to Trump, the report said.
Sessions would continue serving as attorney general for another year, but was ousted in November 2018 by Trump, who remained upset over his decision to step away from the Russia probe, the CNN repot said.
Mueller was appointed following the firing of FBI Director James Comey to oversee the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, including potential collusion between Trump's campaign associates and Russian officials. Mueller's team also investigated whether Trump obstructed justice.
The probe could not clear Trump, saying that it was unable to determine that "that no criminal conduct occurred".
Earlier on Thursday, President Trump said the Mueller probe was "Greatest Political Hoax of all time!"
"Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats," tweeted Trump, who refers Clinton as "Crooked".
Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler said he had sent a letter to Mueller - requiring his testimony before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee by May 23.
"We cannot take Attorney General Barr's word for it. We must read the full Mueller report, and the underlying evidence," Nadler said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
