ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVESTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Fresh off three days of private meetings with his personal lawyers, President Trump renewed his attacks on Thursday [11-15-18] on the special counsel investigation, calling it ‘A TOTAL WITCH HUNT LIKE NO OTHER IN AMERICAN HISTORY!’ The barrage, launched on Twitter, ended a period of relative quiet by the president about the investigation, which has ensnared some of his former aides. The president returned on Sunday from a trip to Paris and faced criticism at home for his decision to skip a solemn visit to an American cemetery in France, part of events to mark 100 years since the end of World War I. When he was back at the White House, Mr. Trump met with his personal lawyers in private meetings and worked to draft answers to questions posed by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Mr. Mueller’s team has been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and any possible ties to the Trump campaign. For months, the president’s legal team and aides have pleaded with him to avoid writing Twitter posts critical of Mr. Mueller, particularly as presidents in previous administrations have respected a wall between the White House and the Justice Department on ongoing criminal investigations.”
–Maggie Haberman, Michael S. Schmidt and Eileen Sullivan, “Mueller Team Has ‘Gone Absolutely Nuts,’ Trump Says, Resuming Attacks on Russia Inquiry,” The New York Times online, November 15, 2018