Trump says Russia investigation 'totally discredited'
AFP/File / NICHOLAS KAMMUS President Donald Trump used a Justice Department report to take aim at former FBI director James Comey, who he fired last year
US President Donald Trump stepped up his offensive Friday against Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, declaring it "totally discredited" following the release of a watchdog report documenting failings by the FBI.
Trump claimed the report "exonerates" him from allegations of collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice -- though it made no mention of either -- while his lawyer Rudy Giuliani said Mueller and his team themselves should be investigated.
"The report yesterday may be more important than anything. It totally exonerates me," Trump told journalists in front of the White House.
"There was no collusion, there was no obstruction, and if you read the report... what you'll really see is bias against me," he said, adding that the investigation is a "ridiculous witch hunt."
Trump's claim came even as his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, facing charges of money laundering and tax evasion, was jailed by a Virginia judge after Mueller's team showed the court evidence of witness tampering.
- Bias in the FBI? -
The long-awaited report released Thursday by the Justice Department's inspector general faulted the FBI and its former director James Comey over the handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe in 2016.
It said Comey was insubordinate and guilty of bad judgement, and also showed several agents involved in the investigation repeatedly expressing anti-Trump bias in private text messages.
GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / ALEX WONG
But the 568-page report found no bias in the investigation itself, or in the ultimate decision announced by Comey not to prosecute Clinton for mishandling classified materials.
The report made little mention of Mueller or the Russia collusion probe, which were not in the scope of the inspector general's review.
But with Mueller possibly accumulating evidence that Trump tried to obstruct the Russia investigation -- which would be an impeachable offense -- and Comey possibly a witness to that, the president took advantage to paint the Mueller team as deeply tainted.
"That is probably the tip of the iceberg," he said of the IG report. "There was total bias, I mean total bias."
He referred to Comey, whom he fired in May 2017, and other senior FBI officials as "the scum at the top" of the bureau and as "total thieves.
The investigation led by Mueller, himself a former FBI director, "has massive conflicts," Trump said.
"I think that the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited."
- 'Investigate Mueller' -
While Trump's claims of exoneration were not supported, the report gave him fresh ammunition in a political fight gaining steam ahead of the November congressional elections.
Mueller, who has already issued indictments of 20 individuals, is still seeking to interview Trump in the case.
It is apparent though that he is building a possible case against Trump for illegally trying to impede the investigation.
That could spark a move in Congress to impeach the president for obstruction, which would be decided in the House of Representatives.
The House is currently controlled by Republicans but Democrats have a chance to seize control in November, which would leave Trump vulnerable.
With voters set to decide the likelihood of an impeachment case, Trump's goal is to convince them that Mueller, his investigators, and potential witnesses all have "tremendous animosity" against him.
He cited the FBI agents' text messages, and especially Comey's role leading both the Clinton and initial Russia collusion investigations.
"What he (Comey) did was criminal. What he did was a terrible thing to the people. What he did was so bad in terms of our constitution, in terms of the well-being of our country," Trump said.
Speaking separately on Fox News Friday, Giuliani called the Mueller investigation corrupt.
"Let's stop it and get rid of all the agents doing the Mueller investigation... We have wasted $20 million on a corrupt investigation engineered by Comey and his goons. Now let's turn to investigate the corrupt investigators and clean up the FBI."
Trump slaps tariffs on China, triggering swift retaliation
AFP/File / NICHOLAS KAMMPresident Donald Trump's announcement of China tariffs brings the world's two largest economies to the brink of all-out trade war
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced 25 percent tariffs on tens of billions in Chinese imports, sparking immediate retaliation from Beijing and bringing the world's two largest economies to the brink of an all-out trade war long feared by markets and industry.
Making good on a pledge to punish the alleged theft of American intellectual property, Trump warned in a statement of "additional tariffs" if China hit back with tit-for-tat duties on American goods and services exports.
"The United States can no longer tolerate losing our technology and intellectual property through unfair economic practices," Trump said in the statement.
"These tariffs are essential to preventing further unfair transfers of American technology and intellectual property to China, which will protect American jobs."
At least initially though, the new tariffs will not cover the full $50 billion that Trump threatened in March and repeated Friday.
China responded swiftly, saying it would imposed "equal" tariffs on US products.
"We will immediately launch tax measures of equal scale and equal strength," the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. It also called on other countries to "take collective action" against this "outdated and backwards behavior."
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the United States would impose the punitive duties on 818 Chinese products valued at $34 billion starting July 6.
About 500 goods initially targeted for sanctions in March were stricken from the list at the behest of US firms that rely on imports.
The USTR announced second list of 284 targeted goods valued at $16 billion that will be subject to review and public comment.
If tariffs are imposed on the full amount that would bring the total goods sanctioned to $50 billion, but it is likely companies will seek more exemptions so the final total could fall short of that amount.
- Confrontation with key partners -
The announcement caps months of sometimes fraught shuttle diplomacy between Washington and Beijing, in which Chinese offers to purchase more US goods failed to assuage Trump's grievances over the soaring trade imbalance and the country's industrial development policies.
China's Ministry of Commerce said the decision to impose tariffs mean "All previously agreed trade negotiation results are no longer valid."
But the White House maintains that any Chinese countermeasures would be unjust and met with further US sanctions.
"We have taken essentially a defensive action," a senior US official told reporters. "If they think that the appropriate response to this is further threats that are going to hurt other industries, I think that would be a mistake on their part."
The official, who asked not to be identified, declined to say whether Trump would make good on a March threat to hit another $100 billion in Chinese goods with tariffs should Beijing retaliate.
AFP / Gal ROMAChina-US economic ties
Beijing in April put retaliatory duties on 128 US goods, including pork, wine and certain pipes in response to US tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by Trump the month before.
Many businesses and governments share the US concern about Beijing's efforts to gain industrial dominance in key sectors through forced technology transfers, the use of state funds to buy companies and raid their intellectual property as well as cybertheft.
But few support tariffs that will hurt US companies and consumers, and disrupt global trading rules.
And the China trade offensive is only one side of Trump's multi-front confrontation with all major US economic partners.
Trump outraged Canadian, Mexican and European leaders last month by imposing punishing tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum to protect American producers from allegedly unfair competition.
Brussels, Ottawa, Beijing and Mexico City already have shown they intend to inflict damage on export industries in politically-sensitive districts -- something which could prove damaging to Republicans already facing a loss of power in November's mid-term elections.
The USTR acknowledged public concern that the tariffs list could raise prices for consumers.
"The list does not include goods commonly purchased by American consumers such as cellular telephones or televisions," the office said.
But on Capitol Hill, influential Texas Republican lawmaker Kevin Brady, chair of a House tax legislation committee, said he was "alarmed" by the tariffs which he said exposed US industries to "devastating retaliation."
"I am concerned that these new tariffs will hurt American manufacturers, farmers, workers and consumers," he said.
And the influential US Chamber of Commerce warned that hundreds of thousands of Americans could lose their jobs if the trade war escalates, and includes tariffs on auto imports that Trump has threatened.
"If these actions continue, our businesses will lose customers, workers will lose jobs, and American consumers will lose family income through higher taxes and higher prices," Chamber President Thomas Donahue said.
He also noted that the metals tariffs have pushed steel prices 40 percent higher since January.
Trump's tariff announcement knocked Wall Street lower, with the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average having sunk a full percentage point shortly before 1500 GMT.
The selloff in New York followed an earlier plunge in Shanghai, where stocks fell to two-year lows.
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