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Trump cautioned not to foil Russia probe
Washington, Feb 3 (IANS) Senior Democrats have warned President Donald Trump not to use a controversial memo as a “pretext” to fire the special counsel probing alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 US election.
Democrats said the memo’s release was a “shameful effort to discredit” the FBI and inquiries into Russian meddling.
They warned that such action could trigger a “constitutional crisis not seen since the Nixon era”, the BBC reported.
The memo, written by Republicans, accused the FBI of abusing its powers.
Trump approved the declassification of the memo on Friday and said it “revealed a disgraceful story”.
The memo focused on the court-approved wiretapping of Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign who was put under electronic surveillance by the FBI.
The memo accused the FBI and the Justice Department of using “unsubstantiated evidence” to obtain the October 2016 warrant.
It said that they did not tell the authorities their claim to the warrant was partially based on a dossier funded in part by the rival campaign of Hillary Clinton, the BBC report said.
It also said that the author of that dossier, a former British intelligence agent called Christopher Steele, told a senior Justice Department official that he was “desperate that Trump not win”.
Democrats said the release of the memo was aimed at disrupting the probe into alleged links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.
Trump, who has consistently denied any such collusion, had in May 2017 even fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey over the probe.
Comey on Friday tweeted that the memo was “dishonest and misleading”. The FBI said key facts had been omitted in the memo.
In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Nancy Pelosi and eight other senior Democrats warned Trump against trying to sack special counsel Robert Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
“We write to inform you that we would consider such an unwarranted action as an attempt to obstruct justice in the Russia investigation,” the statement said.
They said such action could result in a constitutional crisis not seen since the 1970s when then President Richard Nixon gave orders to fire justice officials involved in the Watergate scandal.
The White House later said “no changes” would be made at the Department of Justice and Rosenstein was fully expected to continue in his job.
Asked about the contents of the memo, Trump said a lot of people should be “ashamed of themselves”.
Although Devin Nunes, who commissioned the memo, said it showed “serious violations” of public trust, not all Republicans supported the release of the memo.
Instead, Senator John McCain accused his party colleagues, and Trump, of playing into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, The BBC reported.
“Our nation’s elected officials, including the President, must stop looking at this investigation through the warped lens of politics and manufacturing partisan sideshows,” he said in a statement.
“If we continue to undermine our own rule of law, we are doing Putin’s job for him,” Mccain said.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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