US president Donald Trump went on the offensive on Tuesday as the legal and political storm unearthed by the justice department investigation into alleged Russian meddling in last year's presidential election showed no sign of abating.
After charges were announced on Monday against three former members of the Trump campaign team — campaign manager Paul Manafort, deputy campaign manager Rick Gates and policy adviser George Papadopoulos — the president took to Twitter to call Mr Papadopoulos a "low level volunteer" and "an already proven liar".
"Check the DEMS!," he added, referring to the Democrats.
A 12-count indictment was filed against Mr Manafort and Mr Gates, who surrendered to federal authorities and were charged with “conspiracy against the United States”, financial meddling and money laundering. Mr Papadopolous, meanwhile, was indicted on October 5 on charges directly connecting him to Russia’s alleged attempts to meddle in the election. He has already pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Legal experts who spoke to The National on Tuesday described the events of the last 48 hours as a "bombshell" that puts the Trump presidency at risk and predicted that the White House may try to turn what is a legal investigation into a political one.
Mr Trump watched Mr Manafort turn himself in to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) with "rising irritation" on Monday, according to a report by the Washington Post. The president appeared visibly angry "to those who interacted with him, and the mood in the corridors of the White House was one of weariness and fear of the unknown", it added.
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Read more:
First charges filed in US special counsel's Russia investigation
Russia-linked posts 'reached' 126m Facebook users in America
Former presidents decry state of US under Donald Trump
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Ken Gude, a legal expert at the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based think tank, said this reaction was unsurprising.
"[Justice department special counsel] Robert Mueller's actions yesterday are a bombshell that takes the Russia investigation to a new phase and puts the Trump presidency in real jeopardy," he told The National.
The indictment and plea bargain that Mr Papadopoulos struck with the FBI appears to pose the biggest threat to Mr Trump; what the former policy adviser has told investigators since being arrested on July 27 seems to have become a centrepiece of the Mueller investigation.
Paul Rosenzweig, a former deputy assistant secretary for policy at the department of homeland security and founder of the homeland security consulting company Red Branch Consulting, told The National that "the spectre now looms of an increasing aggressive response by the president". Mr Trump "may try to convert the issue from a legal one to a political one", he said.
Such strategy could score Mr Trump some political points but may fall short of changing the course of the legal process against Mr Manafort and Mr Gates.
“The case against Mr Manafort and Mr Gates is extremely strong and it is very likely that one or both of them will agree to co-operate with Robert Mueller in exchange for a lesser sentence,” said Mr Gude.
Now under house arrest, the 68-year-old Mr Manafort could face 15 years in prison if found guilty.
“It is the reality that Mr Mueller has this leverage and that each new revelation has only added to the picture of a deep connection between the Trump campaign and the Russian influence operation that puts the Trump presidency in peril”, Mr Gude added.
Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, Mr Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, suggested that the Mueller investigation would "wrap up soon".
"It would seem that they're toward the end of the witness pile, and I don't know how much longer it could possibly go on. But we're in great hopes that it wraps up,” he said.
The legal experts predicted that the investigation would not be finishing any time soon, however.
Mr Rosenzweig, without mentioning Mr Kelly’s name, described the sentiment as “wishful thinking”.
“The revelations yesterday mean that the Mueller investigation is not going away any time soon. Expressions to the contrary are just wishful thinking,” he added.
Looking to the foreseeable future, Mr Gude said he anticipated that ”the Trump White House and their allies [would] do everything in their power to sabotage Mr Mueller”, while the special counsel would deliver more indictments and “bombshells”.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
The%20specs
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
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if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Napoleon
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Company%20Profile
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
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Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
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The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now