The status of Robert Mueller’s witch hunt into President Trump has consumed Washington.
Now the end may be in sight.
Mueller just filed one piece of paper that gives a clue about his future plans for Trump.
Congress has been hot after documents surrounding the Michael Flynn case.
Senator Chuck Grassley has requested the transcript of the conversation between Flynn and the Russian Ambassador, as well as the FBI’s 302 forms from the agents who interviewed Flynn.
Mueller induced Flynn to plead guilty to lying to the FBI about this call, but former Director Comey testified that the agents who conducted the interview believed Flynn was truthful.
The DOJ withheld these documents because of the ongoing Mueller investigation.
But Mueller has requested a shorter than usual delay in sentencing for Flynn, which will end on June 29th.
This leads some observers to believe Mueller is pushing to wrap up his probe by the summer.
Byron York of The Washington Examiner wrote:
Now, with Flynn awaiting sentencing, Grassley wants the information he asked for more than a year ago. Plus, he wants the FBI agents’ contemporaneous report on the interview, known as a 302, and any other notes or documents relating to the interview (the interview was not recorded.)
It seems certain that the Justice Department, in conjunction with Mueller’s office, will refuse, citing an ongoing investigation. That will be true until Flynn is sentenced, or until his case concludes in some other way.
There is no way to predict when that will happen. But tea-leaf-readers watching the Flynn case have noticed one small development that might be a hint things are wrapping up.
On Jan. 31, 2018, Flynn and Mueller jointly asked the court to put off sentencing. “Due to the status of the special counsel’s investigation, the parties do not believe that this matter is ready for a sentencing hearing at this time,” they wrote. They asked for and received a 90-day extension, until May 1.
Then, on May 1, the parties again declared themselves unready for sentencing. But this time they asked for a 60-day delay, until no later than June 29. It also was granted.
Does the request for a 60-day extension, rather than another 90-day extension, mean the Flynn case is nearing conclusion? The people who know are refusing to talk. But it could be a clue.
This has major implications for the President.
When Flynn pleaded guilty, there was no mention of collusion with Russia in the agreement.
The same held true for George Papadopoulos, the Trump aide who pleaded guilty to one count of lying to the FBI about when he was approached by a supposed Russian agent about the Russians having Hillary Clinton’s emails.
Mueller indicating he is willing to sentence both men means their cooperation is at an end.
It’s also likely that neither produced any evidence of collusion with Russia.
While the media is holding out hope that Mueller has a secret smoking gun that proves collusion tucked away, the evidence indicates Mueller will begin to finish his investigation and he has come up empty handed.
We will keep you up to date on any new developments in this case.
