--- title: President Trump Mocks Russia Investigation description: As the Russian investigation intensifies, President Trump is dismissing the probe, rallying his base in West Virginia at a campaign rally. canonical: https://time.com/4887284/president-trump-mocks-russia-investigation/ author: Zeke Miller article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-04T17:19:24.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:51:53.112Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Mocks Russia Investigation og:description: As the Russian investigation intensifies, President Trump is dismissing the probe, rallying his base in West Virginia at a campaign rally. og:url: https://time.com/4887284/president-trump-mocks-russia-investigation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Morning Must Reads og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Mocks Russia Investigation twitter:description: As the Russian investigation intensifies, President Trump is dismissing the probe, rallying his base in West Virginia at a campaign rally. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Mocks Russia Investigation > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Aug 4, 2017 5:19 PM UTC  The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The early morning sun rises behind the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [Zeke Miller](https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/) ## Zeke Miller Aug 4, 2017 5:19 PM UTC As the Russia investigation intensifies with the impaneling of a grand jury by special counsel Robert Mueller, President Donald Trump is dismissing the probe anew. Rallying his base in West Virginia at a campaign rally Thursday evening, Trump called suggestions that Russia interceded on his behalf a “total fabrication” and mocked Democrats and investigators. The event was classic Trump, who riled up his supporters with a “lock her up” chant when he called on Mueller to investigate Hillary Clinton. It’s the latest indication that Trump is taking a political approach to responding to his legal problems. The Department of Justice is getting tough on leaks, attorney general Jeff Sessions announced Friday at a press conference. The Department is reviewing its protections for news media and the FBI is forming a dedicated unit to investigate classified leaks to the press, Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, announced. The crackdown comes after months of pressure from Trump to get tough on leaks—which Trump had signaled was needed for Sessions to keep his job. The Russia probe crosses Trump’s “red line.” The real reason why Susan Rice is keeping her security clearance. And West Virginia’s governor switches parties. _Here are your must reads:_ **Must Reads** [John Kelly Quickly Moves to Impose Military Discipline on White House](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/us/politics/john-kelly-chief-of-staff-trump.html?emc=edit%5Fth%5F20170804&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=55003713&%5Fr=0) But the president proves to be a harder target \[New York Times\] [One year into the FBI’s Russia investigation, Mueller is on the Trump money trail](http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/03/politics/mueller-investigation-russia-trump-one-year-financial-ties/index.html) Crossing Trump’s ‘red line’ \[CNN\] [Special Counsel Robert Mueller Impanels Washington Grand Jury in Russia Probe](https://www.wsj.com/articles/special-counsel-mueller-impanels-washington-grand-jury-in-russia-probe-1501788287) Expansion beyond Flynn grand jury is a sign the investigation in election meddling is ramping up \[Wall Street Journal\] [White House Prop Cost Taxpayers Thousands](http://time.com/4885934/white-house-helicopter-cost/) “Unusual” helicopter flight to South Lawn was ordered at taxpayer expense \[TIME\] [Kelly gives McMaster cover in West Wing battles](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/03/mcmaster-winning-west-wing-fight-trump-241309) Trump’s national security adviser has emerged as one of the most volatile personalities in White House \[Politico\] [The Real Reason McMaster Let Susan Rice Keep Her Security Clearance](http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-real-reason-mcmaster-let-susan-rice-keep-her-security-clearance/article/2009158) It wasn’t the deep state \[The Weekly Standard\] **Sound Off** “The Russia story is a total fabrication. It’s just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of American politics.” —President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in West Virginia. “Are there any Russians here tonight?” —Trump mocking the Russia probe at the rally. **Bits and Bites** [President Trump Dismisses Russia Questions as Grand Jury Impaneled](http://time.com/4887174/donald-trump-russia-west-virginia/) \[TIME\] [Secret Service vacates Trump Tower command post in lease dispute with president’s company](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-service-vacates-trump-tower-command-post-in-lease-dispute-with-presidents-company/2017/08/03/7338de16-785d-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.254885239401) \[Washington Post\] [U.S. Attorney Subpoenas Kushner Cos. Over Investment-For-Visa Program](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-attorney-subpoenas-kushner-cos-over-investment-for-visa-program-1501717119) \[Wall Street Journal\] [ Flynn details tie to data firm, transition pay](https://www.apnews.com/bfc2de11c52f40929f24d42e56014014/APNewsBreak:-Flynn-details-tie-to-data-firm,-transition-pay) \[Associated Press\] [With Few Wins in Congress, Republicans Agree on Need to Agree ](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/us/politics/congress-republican-agree-unity.html?smid=tw-share)\[New York Times\] [West Virginia Governor Is Switching Political Parties](http://time.com/4886810/west-virginia-governor-jim-justice-republican-trump/) \[Associated Press\] [The Obamas’ Interior Designer Responds After President Trump Allegedly Calls the White House a ‘Real Dump’](http://time.com/4886517/obama-designer-trump-white-house/) \[People\] [Here’s Why the NAACP Issued Its First-Ever Travel Advisory for a U.S. State](http://time.com/4886515/naacp-missouri-travel-advisory/) \[TIME\] [The 5 Most Revealing Quotes From Trump’s Leaked Calls With World Leaders](http://time.com/4885703/donald-trump-phone-call-transcripts-mexico-australia/) \[TIME\] [Sen. John McCain aims to revive immigration reform when he returns to Congress](http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2017/08/03/senator-john-mccain-aims-revive-immigration-reform-when-he-returns-congress/537758001/?utm%5Fsource=newsletter&utm%5Fmedium=email&utm%5Fcampaign=newsletter%5Faxiosam&stream=top-stories) \[Arizona Republic\] [Vice President Mike Pence to Headline Koch Summit](http://time.com/4886977/koch-brothers-mike-pence-taxes/) \[TIME\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4887284/president-trump-mocks-russia-investigation/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4887284/president-trump-mocks-russia-investigation/"},"headline":"President Trump Mocks Russia Investigation","datePublished":"2017-08-04T17:19:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T16:51:53.112Z","description":"Morning Must Reads: August 4","url":"https://time.com/4887284/president-trump-mocks-russia-investigation/","keywords":["Morning Must Reads"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zeke Miller","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/zeke-j-miller/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb24c27fcf0ec0da8/6986837dcd6848a30809364f/morning-must-reads1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Morning Must Reads","caption":"Capitol","creditText":"Mark Wilson—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4887284/president-trump-mocks-russia-investigation/","name":"President Trump Mocks Russia Investigation"}}]}] ```