Russia probes enter ’18 with no end in sight
WASHINGTON – Congressional investigators are heading into 2018 with no immediate end in sight for their probes into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
Every time the Senate Intelligence Committee interviews a witness, said its chairman, Richard Burr, R-N.C., it learns the names of more people to question. The committee has interviewed more than 100 people since its investigation began in January.
“Every individual that is added, it puts about three more weeks into an investigation, so that’s why it makes it difficult for me to look out,” Burr said at the Council on Foreign Relations this month, adding that revelations in news stories have also contributed to a long witness list.
Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told USA TODAY that he believes the House panel still has “many months of work ahead of us.” He added, however, that he’s worried that Republicans on the committee may be trying to rush the investigation to a “premature” close because of pressure from the White House.
“There are still dozens of witnesses that need to be brought in,” Schiff said. “There are a lot of interactions between the Trump campaign and Russia that still need to be fleshed out.”
Schiff said the committee may seek access to former Trump campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and campaign aide Rick Gates after their trials, which aren’t expected to happen until May at the earliest.
Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty Oct. 30 to charges of money laundering and conspiracy after being indicted by a federal grand jury as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the election.
Mueller’s inquiry appears to be gaining steam. It has produced guilty pleas and pledges of cooperation from excampaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI.
White House Special Counsel Ty Cobb has expressed optimism that Mueller’s investigation is winding down, indicating earlier this month that all interviews that investigators requested of White House staffers have been completed.
Some analysts cautioned that there are no obvious signs of a finish line.
“That may be the view from Mr. Cobb’s eyes, but I would be shocked if (Mueller) was done with the White House inner circle,” said Ron Hosko, a former assistant FBI director who worked for Mueller when Mueller was FBI director.
It is more likely, Hosko said, that some staffers and others in Trump’s orbit would be called back for additional interviews, especially if the information provided in initial discussions did not support evidence already gathered.
Mueller’s criminal probe on behalf of the Department of Justice is separate from the investigations being conducted by three different congressional committees. In addition to the two intelligence committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee has been running a more limited probe.
Mueller’s investigation, including any resulting trials, is likely to go even beyond 2018, said Charles Tiefer, professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law and the special deputy chief counsel for the House Iran-Contra Committee’s investigation of the Reagan administration.