Mueller investigation
Indictment sealed; CNN says arrests may come soon
The first charges have been filed — in a sealed indictment — in the probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign, CNN says.
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., approved Friday the initial charges stemming from the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
First reported by CNN, the charges remain sealed by a federal judge. What the charges are was unknown, but individuals could be taken into custody as soon as Monday, the network said.
The Justice Department in May appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel for the investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives. Deputy Attorney General Ron Rosenstein signed the order.
CNN said a spokesman for the special counsel’s office declined to comment.
Mueller was appointed in May to lead the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible assistance to Republican candidate Donald Trump, who won the election.
Under the regulations governing special counsel investigations, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has oversight over the Russia investigation, would have been made aware of any charges before they were taken before the grand jury for approval, according to people familiar with the matter.
On Friday, top lawyers who are helping to lead the Mueller probe, including veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, were seen entering the court room at the District of Columbia federal court where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation.
Reporters present saw a flurry of activity at the grand jury room, but officials made no announcements.
Shortly after President Donald Trump abruptly fired thenFBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel. Mueller took the reins of a federal investigation that Comey first opened in July 2016 in the middle of the presidential campaign.
Mueller is authorized to investigate “any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation,” according to Rosenstein’s order.
The special counsel’s investigation has focused on potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as obstruction of justice by the President, who might have tried to impede the investigation. CNN reported that investigators are scrutinizing Trump and his associates’ financial ties to Russia.
Mueller’s team has also examined foreign lobbying conducted by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and others.
Mueller’s team has issued subpoenas for documents and testimony to a handful of figures, including some people close to Manafort, and others involved in the Trump Tower meeting between Russians and campaign officials. That meeting included Donald J. Trump Jr., the president’s son, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Last year, the Comey-led investigation secured approval from the secret court that oversees the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor the communications of Manafort, as well as former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, as part of the investigation into Russian meddling.
In addition to Mueller’s probe, three committees on Capitol Hill are conducting their own investigations.