Special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to investigate alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Journalists, Democrats and Never Trump Republicans expected Mueller to deliver the knockout blow to the Trump administration.
But Mueller’s entire case collapsed with this jaw dropping admission.
Special counsel Mueller and his team are set to begin trial proceedings against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort for financial crimes unrelated to his work in the 2016 election.
Manafort has been a prime suspect to have colluded with the Russians for over two years.
Media outlets were fed stories – based on no evidence – that Manafort’s past connections to the Ukrainian government were the door through which Russian intelligence entered the Trump campaign.
But Mueller did not indict Manafort on any charges of conspiring with Russia during the election.
Manafort is standing trial for charges stemming from his work as a foreign lobbyist from 2006 to 2014.
Manafort’s team filed a motion to prevent the government from presenting any evidence about collusion with Russia during the trial.
In a shocking court filing, Mueller’s team answered by admitting they would not be presenting any evidence of collusion with Russia at trial:
“The government does not intend to present at trial evidence or argument concerning collusion with the Russian government and, accordingly, does not oppose the defendant’s motion in that respect.”
Manafort is facing charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.
Mueller isn’t going to bring any more indictments against him for Russian collusion.
But critics don’t believe Mueller agreed to the motion from Mueller’s team out of the kindness of his heart.
Mueller and his pit bull prosecutors would pull every lever at their disposal to convict Manafort or pressure him to flip on President Trump.
The special counsel’s office agreed to the request because they don’t have any evidence of collusion to present.
If Manafort isn’t going to be indicted for colluding with Russia, then who will be?
George Papadopoulos will be sentenced in September for making false statements to the FBI about his contacts with a Maltese professor who claimed the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Papadopoulos has strongly denied colluding with the Russians and there is no evidence the professor he met with is connected to Moscow.
In fact, the only intelligence service he is believed to have worked with is Italy’s.
There is no hint Mueller is going to indict Papadopoulos for conspiring with the Russians since Mueller has informed the court that sentencing can begin, which means Mueller is finished with him in this investigation.
Carter Page is another suspect in the collusion investigation.
But the FBI maintained a FISA warrant on him for nearly one year which allowed them to spy on all his communications.
Page has yet to be indicted for conspiring with the Russians and he has denied colluding with Russia both under oath and in public.
One by one, the prime suspects in the collusion case are not being indicted.
And if the filing in the Manafort case is any indication, it is that after two years of relentless investigations, the FBI and Mueller team have not unearthed any evidence of collusion.
We will keep you up to date on any new developments in this story.
