by Chuck Ross
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is planning to present key findings from his investigation of President Trump after next month’s midterm elections, according to a report from Bloomberg News.
Two U.S. officials told Bloomberg that Mueller could very well continue his investigation after presenting his findings to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the Trump-Russia probe because of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal.
Rosenstein will then have the option of releasing the Mueller findings to the public and making recommendations to Congress.
Since May 2017, Mueller has been investigating whether members of the Trump campaign conspired with Russian government officials to release emails stolen from Democrats. He is also investigating whether Trump himself obstructed justice by firing James Comey as FBI director.
Comey’s firing, on May 9, 2017, paved the way for Mueller’s appointment as special counsel.
Mueller’s investigation so far has received mixed reviews, largely along partisan lines. Trump often calls the probe a “witch hunt” that he considers illegal.
Mueller has obtained guilty pleas from former Trump associates Michael Flynn, George Papadopoulos, Paul Manafort, and Rick Gates, though none have admitted to colluding with Russia. He has also indicted another 25 Russian nationals involved in hacking of the DNC’s emails and attempting to influence the election by creating fake online personas.
Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, has also pleaded guilty in New York on charges of tax evasion and bank fraud related to his taxi medallion business. He also pleaded guilty to making an improper campaign contribution by helping arrange a payoff to Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
Cohen is cooperating with federal prosecutors and has met with the special counsel’s office. Manafort is also cooperating with Mueller’s team. It is not clear yet whether either former Trump associate has provided information about the campaign.
There have been some signs that Mueller’s investigation is nearing the end. Trump’s legal team recently began preparing written responses to questions regarding collusion submitted by Mueller’s prosecutors. And at least four of those prosecutors have recently left the special counsel’s office.
One Trump associate who is still in Mueller’s crosshairs is Roger Stone, the political operative who served as an informal adviser to Trump during the campaign. Mueller is investigating Stone’s possible ties to Wikileaks, which published emails stolen from the DNC and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.
The special counsel’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
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Chuck Ross is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation. Follow Chuck on Twitter
