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Robert Mueller, then director of the FBI, at his farewell ceremony in 2013. Mr. Mueller, who is now the special advocate of the Department of Justice and charged with investigating electoral interventions in Russia, could have a great year in 2019.
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The FBI director, Robert Mueller, at his farewell ceremony in 2013. Mr. Mueller, who is now the special advocate of the Department of Justice and charged with investigating Russian electoral interference, could experience a great year in 2019.
Evan Vucci / AP
The Russian imbroglio has entered a new year that could bring even more revelations and political heat than the last – and perhaps even a grand finale.
The criminal cases of several key players are unresolved, new charges could be ripe Democrats in the House are ready to invade Washington with huge ambitions on how to use their powers of investigation and surveillance now that they hold the majority.
Here is what you need to know:
Big business still has not been settled
Three of President Trump's former senior advisers are waiting to be sentenced after entering into plea agreements with prosecutors.
The former President of Mr. Trump's campaign, Paul Manafort was first convicted in a Virginia tax evasion lawsuit and then pleaded guilty . avoid a second federal trial in a conspiracy case in Washington, DC
But the Justice Department said that its cooperation agreement with Manafort had been broken about the government's decisions Manafort had told investigators that it was lies.
Manafort's conviction is scheduled for early 2019. Will he and his lawyers try to save their relationship with prosecutors
And, if that is not the case, the sentencing hearing of Manafort will include new details regarding the base Special advocate Robert Mueller's office was investigating the question: was the Trump campaign conducted in concert with the Russians who attacked the 2016 presidential election? ?
Trump's former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn was to be convicted in December, but in this case a federal judge has otherwise delayed the decision.
Former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, leaves the scene after the delay in his sentencing hearing before the US District Court in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2018.
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Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn leaves the scene after the delay in his US District Court hearing in Washington on December 18, 2018.
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Now, Flynn has no scheduled date for his conviction. Instead, he and the government have been ordered to give Judge Emmet Sullivan an update on his status in March.
In fact, he could appear as a prosecution witness in a case. the government takes action against two former Flynn business partners, who are accused of strategizing to defile an enemy of the Turkish government.
If all goes well for Flynn, serving as a witness to the government may well be the icing on the cake. sundae and make the judge more inclined to be lenient in his final sentence.
Former Trump Deputy Campaign Chairman Rick Gates has not yet scheduled a sentencing date. He has cooperated with prosecutors since he pleaded guilty to charges related to Manafort and served as a star witness to his former mentor at the Virginia trial last summer.
The Department of Justice has asked a judge not to schedule a sentencing hearing for Gates because # & ## 39, he cooperates in so much of his work, much of which still seems to be going on behind the scenes. The time Gates will be sentenced in 2019 could be an important step in the investigation.
New accusations?
The Special Council Office made many suggestions regarding new charges.
They could target a political consultant. Roger Stone – who told NPR that he thought he was being charged – or associates such as conservative commentator Jerome Corsi – who told MSNBC that he had escaped an advocacy deal offered by the ### 39, Mueller's team. Stone and Corsi both deny having committed a wrongdoing.
Political strategist Roger Stone speaks to reporters after speaking at the Priority American conference on December 6, 2018 in Washington, DC.
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Political strategist Roger Stone talks with reporters after speaking at the US Priority Conference on December 6, 2018 in Washington, DC
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In December, the House Intelligence Committee voted in favor of the disclosure to the executive of the transcript of Stone's testimony before the committee. This decision fueled the hypothesis that Mueller may be preparing to accuse Stone of lying to Congress, although there is still no official indication.
Stone and his associates are believed to be potential links between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks, which has released an avalanche of data. stolen by Russian intelligence services for political goals such as the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman.
Stone and Corsi suggested not to testify against Trump and Stone invoked his privilege of the 5th Amendment . submit to an interview or provide documents in response to requests from the highest democrat sitting on the Judiciary Committee of the Senate
If Stone, Corsi or other persons from this part of the history of Russia are finally charged, this could mean new high profile lawsuits. in New York or in the vicinity of Washington, DC
Sunrise on the Capitol in Washington. The year 2019 could result in a number of major developments in the Russian imbroglio, including new revelations from the Democrats of the House.
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Sunrise on the Capitol in Washington. The year 2019 could result in a number of major developments in the Russian imbroglio, including new revelations from Democrats in the House.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
The New Majority in the Democratic House
Congress has always been a dominant force in the Russian imbroglio, but 2019 could bring a big change in content.
Republicans in the House who criticized the Justice Department and Mueller's office will lose their ability to call hearings and summon witnesses. Democrats in the House who sought to defend the DOJ and the Mueller Inquiry will get these powers with a new majority.
A new Democratic president, Maryland representative Elijah Cummings, warned well before the new Congress. On January 11, he announced that he had sent 51 letters to "White House, many federal agencies and other people asking for full compliance", with requests for information existing.
Cummings and Democrats Will Probably Make Other Demands
Representative of California Adam Schiff, who chairs the House's intelligence committee, said he wanted to relaunch the committee's investigation. Attack of Russia against the elections of 2016, a Republican closed its doors in the spring of 2018.
The conclusion was that there is no had none The 2016 presidential campaign of Trump and the contacts between the people involved and the Russians were, at worst, "misguided".
Schiff and the Democrats have called this a whitewash, and they say they want answers from many people involved and open up new avenues for investigation. Specifically, Schiff said he wanted to know if Deutsche Bank was involved in payments to Trump.
The German finance giant has been participating for months in discussions on Russia's investigation, but does not know exactly under which circumstances it might fit. the wider story. He has paid heavy fines to regulators after recognizing his role in money laundering and some investigations appear to be underway.
New MJ Chief
Exterior view of the Department of Justice Headquarters on July 25, 2017 in Washington. , DC
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Exterior view of the Department of Justice headquarters on July 25, 2017 in Washington, DC
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The New Year should also bring a new ultimate leader to Mueller's investigation. President Trump has appointed former Attorney General William Barr to the Department of Justice to replace Jeff Sessions.
Barr should have a confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary early in the year and this could be 39, to prove controversial.
Barr is publicly skeptical about the Mueller investigation – at least part of it may be centered on a possible obstruction of justice by the president. Barr has submitted written criticisms to the administration and, in the past, has taken up Trump's criticism of former FBI director James Comey
. The sessions did. Critics also want the Acting Attorney General, Matthew Whitaker, to challenge, but, as the Department of Justice has explained, he has chosen not to evade the case.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein continued to oversee the investigation anyway. Rosenstein had been questioned about Barr at a press conference held before Christmas
. He had stated that anyone involved in the investigation of Russia – be it him, Mueller, Barr or another official of the Justice Department – would continue to be treated "appropriately".
The final report?
January 1 marked the 595th day since Mueller's appointment. No one outside of his office has a clear idea of how long his team is working.
Trump's attorneys believed that Thanksgiving would end the work of 2017. When Mueller's lawyers left in October 2018
Predictions that "Mueller tightens the net" or "It 's the fourth quarter" have not disappeared – yet the special attorney' s investigation has not gone away.
All that is clear about the roadmap until the end of the special advocate's investigation is as follows: the regulations of the Department of Justice require Mueller to file a confidential report with of the Attorney General at the end of the work of his team. (Another regulation requires the Attorney General to provide certain notifications and reports to the leaders of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.)
Many in Washington expect the Mueller Report to be presented to Congress as well and become public, even public. to make the same kind of footprint as previous reports on President Bill Clinton or the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
However, how and even if that happens, still have big questions – with that all report could mean for Trump.
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