The first reports from several news outlets noted that special counsel Robert Mueller’s latest probe filling may possibly bring more indictments.
And then news broke that a prosecutor working with the investigation had left Mueller’s team and returned to the Justice Department, possibly pointing to the hunt for Russian collusion coming to an end.
So which one is it—is the investigation ending or are more indictments on the way?
Consider this Black Mirror: Bandersnatch Mueller Edition.
According to a statement viewed by The Hill, Scott Meisler left the special counsel probe in December but he remains on Mueller-related cases.
“Scott Meisler concluded his detail with the Special Counsel’s Office in December 2018 and returned to the Criminal Division but continues to represent the office on specific pending matters that were assigned to him during his detail,” spokesman Peter Carr said.
Reports of Meisler’s departure came just days after the president’s favorite acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker causally told reporters that Mueller’s investigation was “close to being completed.”
This news comes after Mueller’s recent court filings, which references to “uncharged individuals” language that has been used previously in filings made by Mueller that lead to indictments.
From The Hill:
Despite rampant speculation that Mueller is close to finalizing his report, the language used in court documents over the past few months offers clues that suggest his probe might ensnare more individuals.
The latest example came last week, when Mueller said sensitive files in the case involving a Russian troll farm identified “uncharged individuals” suspected of engaging in operations “that interfere with lawful U.S. government functions.” Mueller’s filing sought to keep the evidence restricted from defendants in Russia.
He has also referenced “uncharged individuals” and “ongoing investigations” in the case involving former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Legal analysts told The Hill that if they were betting on which side to take, they’d take “More Indictments On The Way for $100.”
“That implies they’re still working to indict somebody,” said Jack Sharman, who was a special counsel to Congress for the Whitewater investigation during the 1990s, according to The Hill. “It also may essentially mean that they want to keep their methods and their approach held close to the vest until they are done with this defendant.”
The scuttlebutt is that there will be more indictments of Russians and that the investigation is still ongoing and not close to nearing an end, but you didn’t hear it from me because all of this is on the low.
DISCUSSION
No, Mueller will wait until September or so of 2020, the timing is important to him..