Mueller’s net is tightening around Trump’s inner circle — and maybe Trump himself
Mueller’s investigation has at least three tracks:
- Russian interference with the 2016 election and the possible involvement of any Trump officials;
- obstruction of justice and related coverup crimes; and
- ancillary crimes discovered during the investigation, such as the money-laundering and other charges filed against Paul Manafort.
.. Mueller’s investigators have been asking witnesses what Trump knew about the stolen emails. These “what did the president know and when did he know it” questions zero in on the key issues in proving any conspiracy: knowledge and intent.
.. If the president or other members of his campaign knew about the hacking or other Russian interference and actively worked with the Russians to help those activities succeed, they could find themselves caught up in conspiracy charges of their own.
.. Mueller has been asking witnesses about the president’s apparent attempts to pressure Attorney General Jeff Sessions into resigning last summer. Those efforts came shortly after Trump had fired FBI director James B. Comey and reportedly had come close to firing Mueller himself.
.. Mueller is probing whether there was a pattern of attempts by the president to obstruct justice by impeding the Russia investigation.
.. Mueller’s investigators have also been asking witnesses about Trump’s business ties to Russia before the 2016 campaign. Although Trump and others have suggested that such inquiries may be out of bounds, any financial entanglements between Trump and Russia are potentially important to Mueller’s probe. They could suggest sources of Russian leverage against the president or be relevant to any possible quid pro quo