The quiet period of Robert Mueller was not very calm

Lawyers who have been dealing with Mueller investigators and other officials expect that the 17-month-old special advocate's efforts will include an active post-election period, a long-awaited report in which Mueller will describe what his investigators decided to pursue decreased.

"[A]At the end of the day, the public will be assured that the evidence we presented justified our actions and that it was an appropriate use of resources. "

A frequent cooperator

On at least nine occasions since he pleaded guilty on Sept. 14, a black Ford SUV brought Manafort to Mueller's office in southwestern Washington, around 10 am. Manafort's lawyers arrive at about the same time and wait in the lobby for the car to arrive. There, they stay in the offices, usually for six hours.

What Manafort shared with prosecutors is still not entirely clear, and if his interviews check facts that have not yet been revealed outside of their own notes. Among the questions, investigators questioned Manafort about his relations with the Russians, according to a source close to the file.

Manafort's lawyers would not discuss their activities for this story.

The visits represent a total of several dozen interviews between Mueller prosecutors and Manafort since the conclusion of his plea agreement. Manafort agreed to cooperate fully with the Justice Ministry in its investigation of the Trump campaign and the actions of the Russian government before the 2016 elections.

At the same time, Trump has distanced himself from the crimes that investigators could still pursue. He has publicly stated this week that the criminal charges brought so far by the Mueller team had nothing to do with him. Trump's lawyers refused to comment on this story.

Other help

Numerous interviews with Manafort and other cooperating defendants leave Trump's legal team in the dark on what Mueller is suing.

Manafort's lawyers shared information with Trump's legal team, but sources close to the case said there is no formal joint defense agreement.

Manafort's criminal confessions and his separate jury conviction largely focused on his work as a lobbyist in Ukraine and his financial relationship before 2016. However, his cooperation should include helping prosecutors prepare criminal cases for coordination between Russian government and the Trump campaign.

In addition to Manafort, three other Trump campaign leaders pleaded guilty. Two of them, the campaign MP, Rick Gates, and the former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, have also agreed to largely assist Mueller's team in his investigation and went to the office of the special council to give interviews since their plea.

Trump Legal Team

Meanwhile, the Trump team is preparing answers to Mueller's questions. Even if the defense team were to sign and deliver their answers quickly, Mueller's office might have additional questions that drag their discussions to length. The legal team, made up of personal lawyers and White House lawyers Jay Sekulow, Marty and Jane Raskin and Emmet Flood, has still not reached an agreement on whether the president will be interviewed in person or he must answer questions about possible obstruction of justice. his removal from FBI director James Comey.

While they are in the limbo of the investigation, Washington's legal circles are increasingly waiting for Mueller to issue a report shortly after the November elections or even before the election. end of the year.

Once completed, Mueller's report should explain the decisions of the Department of Justice to bring or not to institute criminal proceedings during the investigation. Mueller's findings and decisions will be confidential unless senior officials of the Department of Justice decide to make the report public.

For now, Trump's legal team is convinced that Mueller will not finish his job without bringing charges closer to the Trump campaign.

Activity in the Washington Courthouse

Trump's advisor, Roger Stone, could be the next interlocutor of the campaign. He stated publicly that he was waiting to be indicted after nine of his friends and associates approached Mueller's office or were summoned to appear before the grand jury. According to CNN reports, many of Stone's contacts have been in contact with the special attorney's office over the past two weeks.

Special prosecutors also visited the federal courthouse in downtown Washington almost daily.

Once in early September and once in early October, Chief Justice Beryl Howell held one-hour sealed hearings in her courtroom, featuring first-line prosecutors. instance and appeal of Mueller's office. Both times, DOJ lawyers refused to disclose their names, client names or law firms to CNN. Howell oversees the federal grand jury lawsuits that Mueller used to approve indictments in Washington.

Previously, she had ordered two witnesses – a real estate agent and a lawyer – to testify against Manafort before the grand jury. She also found a contempt of Stone's associate Andrew Miller for refusing to comply with a subpoena. Property and attorney orders were released on the eve of Manafort's indictment last October, and Miller's attorneys spoke publicly about the challenge of his subpoena warrant. In progress.

Several times in the courthouse over the last few weeks, Mueller's investigators go to the chief justice's office and then to the clerk's office, indicating a multitude of court documents.

A spokesman for Howell and DC's federal court declined to comment on the nature of the recent activity of the sealed court, just like a spokesman for the special advocate's office.

As the legal process progresses, Trump himself said that he was working to give information to Mueller. When the Associated Press asked him Tuesday he wanted to talk with Mueller or simply answer written questions, as his attorney 's lawyer agreed, Trump said. said, "You know this procedure is ongoing.It is a huge waste of time for the President of the United States."