The Independent View: Trump Asked NSA to Quash Stories Alleging Campaign Ties to Russia

Trump asked the Head of The National Security Agency (NSA) to Squash Stories Alleging Ties between his Campaign and Russia. The Agency’s Deputy Director deemed it “the most unusual thing he had experienced in 40 years of government service.” The NSA thought his Request was so Strange that they Documented it. So much Effort by Someone who Claims so often to be Not Complicit.

Two Months before Special Counsel Robert Mueller was Appointed in the Spring of 2017, President Trump phoned the Head of the Largest U.S. Intelligence Agency. Trump told Mike Rogers, Director of the NSA, that News Stories Alleging that Trump’s 2016 White House Campaign had Ties to Russia were False and the President asked whether Rogers could do anything to Counter them.

Rogers and his Deputy Richard Ledgett, who was Present for the Call, were taken aback.

Afterward, Ledgett wrote a Memo about the Conversation and Trump’s Request. He and Rogers Signed it and Stashed it in a Safe.

Trump’s Outreach to Rogers, who Retired last year, and other Top Intelligence Officials stands in Sharp Contrast to his Public, Combative Stance toward his Intelligence Agencies.

At the time of the Call, Trump was just some 60 Days into his Presidency, but he already had Managed to Alienate Large Parts of the Intelligence Apparatus with Comments Denigrating the Profession.

The Special Counsel said the Evidence did Not establish that Trump Asked or Directed Intelligence Officials to stop or interfere with the FBI's Russia Investigation. The Requests to those Officials, Mueller said, Were not interpreted by the officials who received them as directives to improperly interfere with the investigation. During the call to Rogers, the President "expressed frustration with the Russia investigation, saying that it made relations with the Russians difficult," according to the Report.

But overall, Mueller says the Evidence shows Trump took Efforts at Obstruction because he Feared a “thorough” probe would uncover facts” about Trump that he “could have understood to be crimes.”