called for Russia to hack his political opponent?

During a news conference, Trump invited a foreign power to intervene in the election while referring to the emails missing from the private server Hillary Clinton had used as Secretary of State. He said, “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”

The remark was immediately met with condemnation. When later challenged on his remark, he replied, “I’m not going to tell Putin what to do. Why should I tell Putin what to do?”

The Mueller Report later revealed attempts by Russian hackers to breach associated email accounts on the same day. However, the report did not find proof of conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

Politico – Trump urges Russia to hack Clinton’s email
NPR – Former CIA Director Panetta Calls Trump’s Russia Comment ‘Inconceivable’
The Atlantic – Trump’s Call for Russian Hacking Makes Even Less Sense After Mueller
Business Insider – The same day Trump asked Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s missing emails, Russians tried to hack Clinton-affiliated emails

fired FBI Director James Comey?

Comey was fired while on FBI business in Los Angeles. He learned of the firing from a news broadcast on television, and initially thought it was a prank. He is the second FBI Director to ever be dismissed by the President (the first being Bill Clinton’s dismissal of William Sessions).

Trump originally did so at the recommendation of his then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions based his reasoning on a report by then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who had criticized Comey’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email server. Despite the criticism, he never recommended dismissal.

The next day, White Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders revealed that Trump had considered firing Comey for some time. The day after that, Trump negated all of his own administration’s position, saying that he intended to fire Comey all along, and it was entirely his decision:

Lester Holt: “Monday, you met with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Did you ask for a recommendation?”
Trump: “What I did was, I was going to fire. My decision.”
Holt: “You’d made the decision before they came into the room?”
Trump: “I was going to fire Comey. There’s no time to do it.”
Holt: “In your letter, you said, ‘I accept their recommendation.’ ”
Trump: “Oh, I was going to fire, regardless of recommendation. He made a recommendation, he’s highly respected — very good guy, very smart guy. And the Democrats like him, Republicans like him. He made a recommendation, but regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey.”

The day after the firing, he told two Russian officials in the Oval Office that firing Comey would ease pressure from the FBI investigation into Russian election interference. He later admitted to Lester Holt in an interview that he made the decision to fire Comey because of this investigation.

The Hill – Comey learned he was fired from TV, thought it was prank: reports
CBS News – Trump’s Clinton tweets cut against Comey firing explanation
The Washington Post – All of the White House’s conflicting explanations for Comey’s firing: A timeline
Wikipedia – William S. Sessions

tried to fire the Special Counsel?

In June of 2017, former White House Counsel Don McGahn was directed by Trump to have the Acting Attorney General remove the Special Counsel. Though McGahn ignored the request, he stated that he felt “trapped because he did not plan to follow the President’s directive.”

Trump later told McGahn to put in writing that the request to remove the Special Counsel had never been made. Though Trump suggested that he would be fired if he declined, McGahn refused and ultimately resigned. McGahn noted that during his tenure, he had been asked to “do crazy shit.”

The Special Counsel originated in an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and officially formed after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

US Department of Justice – Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election (The Mueller Report), page 85
BBC News – Mueller report: Trump ‘tried to get special counsel fired’
NBC News – Mueller report found Trump directed White House lawyer to ‘do crazy s—“

called the investigation into Russian election interference an “attempted coup”?

He made the claim multiple times, including on Fox News and on the White House lawn to reporters.

He explained to reporters, “It was an illegal investigation…Everything about it was crooked — every single thing about it. There were dirty cops. These were bad people. If you look at McCabe and Comey, and you look at Lisa and Peter Strzok, these were bad people.” He continued, “And this was a — an attempted coup.  This was an attempted takedown of a President.”

Since then, Trump’s own Department of Justice has determined that the FBI acted appropriately when they first launched the probe into election interference in July 2016, before Trump was elected, and that it was not tainted by political bias.

WhiteHouse.gov – Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure
The Washington Post – Trump says he was the target of ‘an attempted coup’ with Mueller investigation
Politico – Trump: Russia investigations an attempted ‘coup’
The Wall Street Journal – Justice Department Watchdog Finds Proper Legal Basis, But Errors, in Russia Probe
CNBC – Justice Department watchdog finds Trump-Russia probe was not tainted by political bias

shared classified intelligence with Russia?

Trump discussed counter terrorism operations in Syria with two Russian officials that he met with in the Oval Office the day after firing FBI Director James Comey, which he claimed would ease pressure from the Russia investigation. Russia’s ally in the region, Iran, is a longtime enemy of Israel, and funds the terrorist organization Hezbollah. The CIA was so concerned with security leaks that they later withdrew a high level informant from the Russian government.

Trump also told the officials that he was unconcerned with Russian interference in US elections.

The Wall Street Journal – Israel Provided Intelligence Trump Shared With Russia, Officials Say
The New York Times – Israel Said to Be Source of Secret Intelligence Trump Gave to Russians
Vanity Fair – Exclusive: What Trump really told Kislyak after Comey was canned
The Washington Post – Trump told Russian officials in 2017 he wasn’t concerned about Moscow’s interference in U.S. election

told Russia and Turkey about a raid on the leader of ISIS, but not Congress?

Trump defended the unusual decision to avoid telling any Congressional leaders about the raid by claiming that Washington DC too frequently leaks important information. Trump had repeatedly leaked sensitive information, including on spy satellites, covert operatives, and the methods used in this very raid on al-Baghdadi.

The Washington Post – Pelosi says Trump notified Russians of Baghdadi raid before telling congressional leaders
Fox News – House Dems angered that Trump told Russia, Turkey of al-Baghdadi raid, but not Pelosi
Independent – Trump-Isis raid: Democrats demand to know why president told Russia about Baghdadi operation before Congress

caused the CIA to extract a high-level informant in the Russian government?

Trump and his regular unsecured discussions with Russian officials led him to be considered such a massive security risk to any intelligence operations in Russia. After Trump gave classified intelligence to Russians about Israeli counter-terrorism operations, there was mounting concern in the intelligence community about a CIA operative inside the Russian government. The information was withdrawn from Russia in 2017, despite having been in place for decades passing on information to the US government.

The New York Times – C.I.A. Informant Extracted From Russia Had Sent Secrets to U.S. for Decades
New York Magazine – U.S. Intelligence Had to Pull Spy From Russia Because Trump Is a Security Risk
CNN – Exclusive: US extracted top spy from inside Russia in 2017

 

asked staff to falsify records related to the Mueller investigation?

After Trump tried to fire the Special Counsel through White House Counsel Don McGahn, Trump later directed McGahn to put in writing that the request had never been made. The President remarked, “if he doesn’t write a letter, then maybe I’ll have to get rid of him.” McGahn refused, and though Trump backed down from his threat, McGahn ultimately resigned.

McGahn noted that during his tenure, he had been asked to “do crazy shit.”

The Special Counsel originated in an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and officially formed after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

US Department of Justice – Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election (The Mueller Report), pages 86, 115-118
The Hill – Mueller tells House panel Trump asked staff to falsify records
NBC News – Mueller report found Trump directed White House lawyer to ‘do crazy s—“

claimed he had no business interests with Saudi Arabia or Russia, despite selling millions in property to Saudis and Russians?

The Washington Post – President Trump has a massive conflict of interest on Saudi Arabia
CNN – Trump in 2015: Saudis buy apartments from me
Newsweek – Trump sold a $40 million estate to a Russian oligarch for $100 million – and a Democratic Senator wants to know why

released intelligence on the Russia investigation at the request of Sean Hannity?

Trump declassified a variety of documents pertaining to the investigation of Russian election interference and his administration’s own possible obstruction of that investigation. It included reports on warrants, interviews, and personal text messages of FBI agents. The intelligence community immediately derided the move as unprecedented and dangerous.

Trump said he had not reviewed any of the documents in question, but made the decision because of Fox News commentators:

I have not reviewed them. I have been asked by many people in Congress as you know to release them. I have watched commentators that I respect begging the president of the United States to release them….I have been asked by so many people that I respect, please — the great Lou Dobbs, the great Sean Hannity, the wonderful great Jeanie Pirro.

The Hill – READ: President Trump’s exclusive interview with Hill.TV 
Wired – The Collateral Damage of Trump’s Extreme Declassifications
New York Magazine – Trump Ordered the Release of Sensitive Intelligence at Sean Hannity’s Request

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