'No legal basis' for Mueller probe that ruined lives of those connected to Trump campaign

Then-FBI Director Robert Mueller in the White House in 2012. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

A newly unredacted memo to Robert Mueller shows that there was no legal justification for the special counsel investigation that consumed the presidency for two years, helped Democrats win back that House and ruined the lives of many people connected to the Trump campaign in 2016, according to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Graham told the Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity Wednesday night that Attorney General William Barr gave him a copy of the August 2017 "scope" memo on Tuesday.

It shows the targets of the Trump-Russia probe were former Trump campaign volunteers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and onetime campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Graham pointed out that in January 2017, eight months before the memo was issued, the subsource for the Steele dossier disavowed the document.

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First, without the dossier, Graham noted, there would be no warrant to surveill Page. Second, evidence unsealed last week shows the case against Flynn was to be closed in January 2017 for lack of evidence, but it was reopened by FBI lead investigator Peter Strzok. Third, Papadopolous' testimony that he denied working with the Russians had been suppressed. Fourth, the charges against Manafort had nothing to do with the Russia claims.

"So the foundation for the Mueller investigation is crumbling," the senator said.

Graham said the "legal foundation to justify Mueller's appointment in my view does not exist."

"That's why this memo is so important," he said.

"There was no legitimate reason to believe any of these four were working with the Russians on August the 2nd, 2017. Therefore, the entire Mueller investigation was illegitimate to begin with. That’s very important."

Graham acknowledged he was a supporter of the Mueller investigation, saying that at the time "he didn't know."

"Now I know. Now I know why Mueller didn't find anything. Because there was nothing there to find," he said.

Graham pointed out further malfeasance.

In July 2018 – according to a memo that would have been available to Mueller – the FBI told the FISA court that issued the spy warrants that the former British spy Christopher Steele's subsource had verified claims against Trump in his dossier. In fact, the subsource undercut the dossier, saying it was all, in Graham's words, "hearsay bar talk."

Hannity asked: "Senator, all of these people broke the law, didn't they?"

"I'm telling you, man, this is J. Edgar Hoover stuff," Graham said. "We're going to have hearings."

See the interview: