In a new court filing, special counsel Robert Mueller said he supports a gag order on longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone to prevent him from speaking publicly about the case, claiming there's "a substantial likelihood that extrajudicial comments by trial participants will undermine a fair trial."
Why it matters: Stone, who filed a response opposing the gag order, is a notoriously brash and theatrical political operative who frequently posts on social media about his view that the Mueller investigation is a partisan "witch hunt." Stone has pleaded not guilty on charges of lying and witness tampering, and has asked for a new judge to be assigned to his case after Judge Amy Berman Jackson warned him about inappropriately using the case as a "public relations campaign."
France today recalled its ambassador to Italy after the populist government in Rome publicly aligned itself with the protesters attempting to topple President Emmanuel Macron.
A transcript from Paul Manafort's Monday hearing with prosecutors reveals that special counsel Robert Mueller has evidence Manafort continued doing work related to Ukraine in 2018, despite being indicted in October 2017 for charges that include failing to register as a foreign agent.
Details: During the 4-hour hearing, which was convened to discuss whether Manafort breached his plea deal by lying, a prosecutor called attention to Manafort's meetings with business associate Konstantin Kilimnik, who is suspected of having ties to Russian intelligence. He alleges Manafort lied about how many times he discussed a redacted topic with Kilimnik — believed to be a Ukrainian peace plan — and that the two men discussed the matter as late as winter 2018.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner will travel to several Middle Eastern capitals in late February for talks on the Trump administration's upcoming Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal, U.S. officials told me.
Why it matters: The Trump administration is expected to release the long awaited peace plan after the April 9th elections in Israel. Until then, it is trying to mobilize support for the plan, especially in the Arab world, and build a public diplomacy strategy with allies.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that materials obtained in the raid of President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen's home, hotel room and office must be released to the public with appropriate redactions.
Details: A number of media organizations filed suits requesting that the documents be released under the First Amendment, arguing it would be in the public interest because the subject matter "implicates the integrity of the 2016 presidential election." Judge William Pauley ordered that the government must submit the documents with proposed redactions by Feb. 28, at which point the court will review and release them to the public as deemed appropriate.
