FBI looks at Mueller smear bid as woman offered $28,000
The FBI is probing an alleged scheme to pay women to accuse Robert Mueller of sexual harassment in a bid to discredit him.
The FBI is probing an alleged scheme to pay women to accuse Russia collusion probe chief Robert Mueller of sexual harassment in a bid to discredit him, his office said yesterday.
The scheme was uncovered after a woman who said she worked for Mr Mueller decades ago told journalists she had been offered $US20,000 ($28,230) to accuse him of sexual misconduct.
“When we learned last week of allegations that women were offered money to make false claims about the special counsel, we immediately referred the matter to the FBI,” Mueller spokesman Peter Carr said.
Mr Carr’s rare statement made it clear that Mr Mueller’s office was taking the claims seriously. When a matter is referred to the FBI, the agency must investigate the merits of the complaint.
On the same day a conservative radio and podcast host known for promoting conspiracy theories, Jack Burkman, said he would “unveil the first of the sex assault victims of Robert Mueller” tomorrow. Burkman denied offering payments as part of the alleged scheme, calling the claims “false”.
“The Left is trying to defend Mueller against sex assault allegations so they attack me in desperation,” he tweeted. “The establishment media knows that Mueller may go down over this — they want to deflect attention.”
The former FBI director is investigating allegations members of Donald Trump’s campaign team colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election in his favour. The probe has expanded to examine possible attempts by the President himself to obstruct the investigation, which could — if proven — lead to his impeachment. The probe has issued 35 indictments and obtained six guilty pleas and one conviction, but Mr Trump has branded the investigation the “illegal Mueller witch hunt”.
The Hill Reporter website said the scheme surfaced after it and several other news outlets were contacted by an anonymous woman saying she had been offered cash by a man to make allegations against Mr Mueller.
She said in an email sent on October 18 that a man offered her $US20,000 and would pay off her large credit card debt to do so.
“I want you to make accusations of sexual misconduct and workplace harassment against Robert Mueller, and I want you to sign a sworn affidavit to that effect,” she quoted the man.
The woman — who has since been unreachable — said the person who contacted her claimed to work for Burkman. Burkman hosts a podcast for an arm of the Newsmax Media group led by Chris Ruddy, a Trump confidant.
He claimed to have evidence of Mueller misbehaviour, including alcoholism and sexual assault, on October 20, two days after the woman emailed the reporters.
AFP
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