MUELLER

the investigation.

Sessions’ chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, was appointed acting attorney general.

Rosenstein appointed Mueller last May and has since supervised his work because Sessions, a key Trump surrogate in 2016, recused himself from dealing with matters involving the campaign.

At a post-election news conference Wednesday, before Sessions’ resignation was announced, Trump maintained he has an absolute right to fire anyone — including Mueller — and end the investigation, but said that he would prefer to “let it go on.”

“I could fire everybody right now, but I don’t want to stop it because politically I don’t like stopping it,” he said. “It’s a disgrace. It should never have been started, because there is no crime.”

Jacob Frenkel, a former state and federal prosecu- tor who is now in private practice at Dickinson Wright, noted that by keeping a low profile, Mueller avoided the widespread criticism that then-FBI Director James Comey faced when he made announcements about an investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s email practices in the final weeks of the 2016 race.

But Frenkel said he did not expect Mueller’s silence to continue for long.

“For me, the question is, ‘How many indictments and who?’ ” Frenkel said. “It is not an ‘if.’ ”

A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment.

Mueller’s prosecutors have already laid out detailed allegations of how Russia sought to manipulate Americans through social media, break into state voting systems and hack the email accounts of Democratic committees and party leaders. But the special counsel’s team has not indicated publicly that it has drawn any conclusions about whether Trump associates conspired with the Russians or whether the president obstructed justice.

At some point, the special counsel is expected to issue a confidential report to Rosenstein containing his conclusions about both matters. Those findings — which could be shared with Congress — are eagerly awaited by Democrats, who on Tuesday regained control of the House. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, DCalif., has said that Mueller’s conclusions will affect whether the party pursues impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, said there have been some signs that Mueller may be wrapping up. She noted that he has shed staff members and handed off investigations to prosecutors in New York and Washington. But, she added, it is difficult to predict when Mueller might conclude the probe. If Stone or others were to be charged, McQuade said, Mueller might spend time trying to persuade them to cooperate and use the information they provide to chase new leads.