Reports this week that Paul Manafort was under surveillance before, during, and after his six months as chair of Donald Trump’s campaign show that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has access to information showing how the relationship between Trump and Russia evolved over an extended period. According to a report at Axios, there’s another potential long-term source of information for Mueller.
Former colleagues of Sean Spicer tell Axios that he filled "notebook after notebook" during meetings at the Republican National Committee, later at the Trump campaign, and then at the White House.
It’s seems unlikely that Spicer jotted down “and then Trump told us all we were working for Putin,” but the notebooks do provide a good check on dates, attendance, and topics of discussion.
One White House official told me: "People are going to wish they'd been nicer to Sean. … He was in a lot of meetings."
Asked by Axios reporter Mike Allen to comment on the story, Spicer had a succinct reply.
"Mike, please stop texting/emailing me unsolicited anymore. … From a legal standpoint I want to be clear: Do not email or text me again. Should you do again I will report to the appropriate authorities."
Spicer is definitely on the list of Trump staff who Mueller wants to talk with.
Mueller’s interest in the aides, including trusted adviser Hope Hicks, former press secretary Sean Spicer and former chief of staff Reince Priebus, reflects how the probe that has dogged Trump’s presidency is starting to penetrate a closer circle of aides around the president.
No one ever notices that the help is in the room … taking notes.