The U.S. Intelligence Community
During an interview aired on Thursday’s edition of CNN’s “Cuomo Primetime,” House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said President Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replaced him with Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker to interfere with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the move was timed to distract from Democrats winning the House. Anchor Chris Cuomo asked, “It was no surprise that the president of the United States would try to distract from the big win for your party in the House. But when that came in the form of a big move, of firing Jeff Sessions, and putting in, as Acting AG, Mr. Whitaker, do you see this as a move, not just to distract from politics, but to interfere with the Mueller probe?” Pelosi responded, “I think the latter is the primary purpose, is to interfere with Mueller. … The timing of it is, of course, to distract from the big defeat that the president suffered in terms of our taking the House.” Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett