With midterms finished, Mueller facing key decisions
WASHINGTON» For more than seven weeks, special counsel Robert Mueller has been silent.
In the run-up to Election Day, there were no indictments or public pronouncements by the special counsel’s office, in keeping with Department of Justice guidelines that prosecutors should avoid taking steps that could be perceived as intending to influence the outcome of the voting.
With the midterm elections now over, Mueller faces key decision points in his 18month-old investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign — a probe that has already led to charges against 32 people, including 26 Russians. Four aides to President Donald Trump have pleaded guilty to various charges — most recently his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in September.
Among the most pressing matters now before the special counsel: a probe into longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone’s activities and ongoing negotiations with Trump’s legal team over a request to interview him.
For months, Mueller has been seeking to question Trump as part of his investigation, which is also examining whether the president has sought to obstruct the probe.
Shadowing the special counsel’s team is Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ resignation Wednesday at Trump’s request — a shakeup that could spell the end of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s oversight of