Thread: First charges filed in Mueller investigation, Russia probe

CNN EXCLUSIVE
A federal grand jury has approved the first charges, and someone could be in custody by Monday, sources say






Exclusive: First charges filed in Mueller investigation

By Pamela Brown, Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz, CNN
Updated 8:57 PM ET, Fri October 27, 2017

Washington (CNN)A federal grand jury in Washington, DC, on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter.

The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday, the sources said. It is unclear what the charges are.
A spokesman for the special counsel's office declined to comment.

Mueller was appointed in May to lead the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Under the regulations governing special counsel investigations, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has oversight over the Russia investigation, would have been made aware of any charges before they were taken before the grand jury for approval, according to people familiar with the matter.

Little chance Congress can kill Mueller's funding

On Friday, top lawyers who are helping to lead the Mueller probe, including veteran prosecutor Andrew Weissmann, were seen entering the court room at the DC federal court where the grand jury meets to hear testimony in the Russia investigation.

Reporters present saw a flurry of activity at the grand jury room, but officials made no announcements.

Shortly after President Donald Trump abruptly fired then-FBI Director James Comey, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel. Mueller took the reins of a federal investigation that Comey first opened in July 2016 in the middle of the presidential campaign.
Mueller is authorized to investigate "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation," according to Rosenstein's order.

The special counsel's investigation has focused on potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, as well as obstruction of justice by the President, who might have tried to impede the investigation. CNN reported that investigators are scrutinizing Trump and his associates' financial ties to Russia.



This has been an incredibly confusing week in politics. That's good for Trump.

Mueller's team has also examined foreign lobbying conducted by former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and others. His team has issued subpoenas for documents and testimony to a handful of figures, including some people close to Manafort, and others involved in the Trump Tower meeting between Russians and campaign officials.

Last year, the Comey-led investigation secured approval from the secret court that oversees the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor the communications of Manafort, as well as former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, as part of the investigation into Russian meddling.

In addition to Mueller's probe, three committees on Capitol Hill are conducting their own investigations.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/27/politi...ion/index.html

Top DOJ official Dana Boente resigns

Mueller probe into possible collusion with Russia nets first charges: report

Fox News

Report: First charges filed in Russia probe

The latest on Mueller's investigation.


Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia have reportedly netted its first charges.

It wasn’t immediately clear who could be indicted and what the charges could be; however, the Wall Street Journal reported at least one person could be taken into custody as early as Monday.

The indictment was sealed under orders from a federal judge.
Possible targets in the probe include former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, whose house was raised by FBI agents earlier this summer, as well as former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

MUELLER'S RUSSIA INVESTIGATION: WHAT TO KNOW

Richard Hibey, an attorney for Manafort, told Fox News on Friday that neither he nor any of his colleagues representing Manafort had been informed of any indictment of their client.

Manafort has been the subject of a longstanding investigation into his dealings in the Ukraine several years ago – for which he did not file as a foreign agent until June 2017. In addition to his home being raided, Manafort was reportedly wiretapped by investigators before and after the 2016 presidential election.

A retired Army lieutenant general, Flynn served as a Trump surrogate during the campaign and briefly served as national security adviser before being fired over his conversations with Sergey Kislyak, who was Russia's ambassador to the United States.

Mueller has reportedly probed whether Flynn was involved in a private effort to get former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers.

The special counsel's office declined to comment on the reports of filed charges. There was no immediate comment from the White House.

Trump has denied allegations that his campaign colluded with Russians and condemned investigations into the matter as “a witch hunt”.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017...t-charges.html

Manafort Realtor testified before grand jury in Russia probe

JARED KUSHNER TO BE ARRESTED IN ROBERT MUELLER RUSSIA PROBE? DONALD TRUMP SON-IN-LAW IS TOP TARGET, RUMORS SAY

Mueller is setting himself up for prosecutorial misconduct that will eventually cost him his law license and a whole big bunch of money. Fire away Widdle Bob.

Paul Manafort, Rick Gates indicted by federal grand jury in Russia probe