Week. Im dave briggs. It is 5 00 a. M. In the east. First, the president standing firmly behind scott pruitt. The epa administrator this morning. As controversy amounts around the embattled epa administrator. Pruitt is the cabinet appoi appointment most effective of ca carrying out the president s agenda. Returning from the event in West Virginia yesterday, the president was asked if he still has confidence in pruitt. I think that scott has done a fantastic job. I think he is a fantastic person. I just left coal and energy country. They love scott pruitt. They feel strongly about scott pruitt. They love scott pruitt. The president s backing is so strong sources tell cnn he floated replacing attorney general Jeff Sessions with scott pruitt as recently as this week. Sessions is a target of the president ever since he recused himself from the russia investigation. The president endorsed pruitt despite the headlines and allegations he sidelined top aides who pushed back on spending. More f
Things, interfering with the 2016 u. S. Election. And it is especially notable for a couple of individuals who have been targeted. Putins soninlaw among them, a billionaire who is part of the special counsel investigation into possible collusion between Trump Associates and russia. Cnns kara scanle is taking a closer look at how the individuals fit into the Mueller Investigation. But i want to start with michelle kosinski. What can you tell us about the key figure in these new sanctions, olwleg deripaska. You mentioned deripaska, hes thought to have had ties with Paul Manafort. Former Trump Campaign chairman, also his partner rick gates, both of whom have been indicted in the Robert Mueller russia probe. Deripaska made a lot of money and is expected to be deeply connected to the russian government. In fact, the way it is described here by the treasury department, he presented himself as essentially being a member of the russian government, even though technically he was not. So that co