• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'

3

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

Everything That Happened in the Trump-Russia Investigation This Week

By
Sarah Gray
Sarah Gray
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Sarah Gray
Sarah Gray
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 2, 2018, 7:42 PM ET
Video Poster

President Donald Trump shook up his legal team yet again on Wednesday, signaling a shift in the White House’s approach to the Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

But that’s only the start. A lot of other news broke this week related to the investigation into potential collusion between then-candidate Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. Here’s everything you need to know:

Mueller’s long list of questions:

On Monday, the New York Times obtained a list of questions that Mueller wanted to ask President Trump. The questions, obtained from a source “outside of Mr. Trump’s legal team,” were reportedly dictated to Trump’s legal team by Mueller’s investigators during negotiations to get Trump to speak about the inquiry.

In an interview on the Time’s podcast The Daily, reporter Michael Schmidt explains that about three-quarters of the 49 questions are intended to glean Trump’s motivations behind decisions, statements and tweets about various topics—and indicate that investigators are looking at a potential obstruction of justice case. The other questions focused on potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, the topic that got the inquiry off the ground.

Trump’s angry tweets:

On Tuesday, President Trump tweeted that the leak of the questions was “disgraceful” and he again called the investigation a “witch hunt.”

So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see…you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2018

Legal team shakeup:

On Wednesday, Trump overhauled his legal team yet again. One of his attorneys, Ty Cobb, announced that he would retire from the White House at the end of May. He will be replaced by Emmet Flood, who was part of President Bill Clinton’s legal team during his impeachment. Previously, Flood worked under President George W. Bush as head of the White House Counsel’s Office, and represented Vice President Dick Cheney in a civil suit.

Cobb favored cooperating with Mueller, according to the New York Times, and former mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani, who recently joined Trump’s legal team, agrees with that strategy, according to NPR. Others, including Trump’s former attorney, John Dowd, who left the team in March, have advised Trump to fight more aggressively against the inquiry, and Flood may also be more adversarial, according to the Times.

Each decision comes with risks. According to CNN, Mueller has considered subpoenaing President Trump, to compel him to testify before a grand jury. This is also where things get legally thorny. The Trump administration argues that the special counsel doesn’t have the authority to bring a president before a grand jury. However, an analysis by the Associated Press suggests that a sitting president can be forced to testify.

However, if Trump voluntarily meets with Mueller (which he has said he would do on multiple occasions), his lawyers worry about the president giving false statements or going off script. And Mueller has already successfully sought indictments against people in the investigation for lying to federal authorities.

Also on Wednesday, Trump again lashed out at the Justice Department over the probe following its refusal to give Congress the original directive by Rosenstein that lays out the scope of Mueller’s investigation, citing the fact that it is an ongoing investigation. Trump threatened that “at some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!”

A Rigged System – They don’t want to turn over Documents to Congress. What are they afraid of? Why so much redacting? Why such unequal “justice?” At some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 2, 2018

Kiss Ukraine’s help goodbye:

In another yet another development on Wednesday, the New York Times reported that members of the Ukrainian government had frozen a Ukrainian investigation into former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort to avoid angering Trump before finalizing a deal to buy U.S. anti-tank missiles. Ukrainian officials had previously said they’d cooperate with the Mueller investigation, but they are no longer willing to do so.

About the Author
By Sarah Gray
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

Intuit CFO on why the company is simplifying its structure
NewslettersCFO Daily
Intuit CFO on why the company is simplifying its structure
By Sheryl EstradaMay 21, 2026
30 minutes ago
Anu Madgavkar, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute
AIWorkplace Innovation Summit
McKinsey partner says up to 50% of work hours could be transformed within the next 5 years
By Emma BurleighMay 21, 2026
1 hour ago
Jeff Bezos
SuccessWealth
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
2 hours ago
Legion Recharge Creatine Review (2026): Expert Tested
HealthDietary Supplements
Legion Recharge Creatine Review (2026): Expert Tested
By Christina SnyderMay 21, 2026
3 hours ago
Photo of MacKenzie Scott
SuccessMacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott gave away more than $7 billion last year—but her secretive style got her snubbed from a top donors list
By Sydney LakeMay 21, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for May 21, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for May 21, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 21, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
2 days ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
1 day ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
4 days ago
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
Workplace Culture
Pay transparency is exposing a bigger problem: Most companies can't explain why they pay what they pay
By Sydney LakeMay 20, 2026
21 hours ago
Dr. Bernice King on why companies that walked back DEI were never truly committed: 'If you retreat that quick…that reveals who you really are'
Workplace Culture
Dr. Bernice King on why companies that walked back DEI were never truly committed: 'If you retreat that quick…that reveals who you really are'
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
2 days ago
A 'proudly autistic' workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
Conferences
A 'proudly autistic' workplace expert says putting neurodivergent employees in a typical office is like dropping a polar bear in Austin, Texas
By Tristan BoveMay 20, 2026
21 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.