Editorial Cartoon

What will 2019 mean for the Mueller investigation?

As many Americans nurse their post-New Year’s Eve hangovers, several others wonder what 2019 will hold for the Mueller investigation. Will the special prosecutor finally find concrete evidence that President Trump worked with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election? Or will he come up empty-handed and prove Trump was innocent?

“I think the biggest question is, is he going to present evidence that Trump committed crimes?” said Harvard law professor and former International Criminal Court prosecutor Alex Whiting while speaking to the Guardian.”Either obstruction of justice or collusion. He wouldn’t bring an indictment because Justice Department policy won’t permit it. But whatever evidence would be handed off, I think, to the Congress, and it will have to be considered. That’s as big as it gets. I think that’s really…that’s the ultimate question.”

While the investigation drags on, there remains unfinished business from last year to attend to. For starters, Paul Manafort has yet to be sentenced. The former Trump campaign chairman was found guilty in 2018 of bank and tax fraud in Virginia and also pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, according to a report from NPR. He is scheduled to face a sentencing hearing sometime in the first few months of 2019. Rick Gates, Manafort’s number two in the campaign who turned witness against the chairman, is still awaiting sentencing as well.

You've reached your daily free article limit.

Subscribe and support our veteran writing staff to continue reading.

Get Full Ad-Free Access For Just $0.50/Week

Enjoy unlimited digital access to our Military Culture, Defense, and Foreign Policy coverage content and support a veteran owned business. Already a subscriber?

As many Americans nurse their post-New Year’s Eve hangovers, several others wonder what 2019 will hold for the Mueller investigation. Will the special prosecutor finally find concrete evidence that President Trump worked with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election? Or will he come up empty-handed and prove Trump was innocent?

“I think the biggest question is, is he going to present evidence that Trump committed crimes?” said Harvard law professor and former International Criminal Court prosecutor Alex Whiting while speaking to the Guardian.”Either obstruction of justice or collusion. He wouldn’t bring an indictment because Justice Department policy won’t permit it. But whatever evidence would be handed off, I think, to the Congress, and it will have to be considered. That’s as big as it gets. I think that’s really…that’s the ultimate question.”

While the investigation drags on, there remains unfinished business from last year to attend to. For starters, Paul Manafort has yet to be sentenced. The former Trump campaign chairman was found guilty in 2018 of bank and tax fraud in Virginia and also pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, according to a report from NPR. He is scheduled to face a sentencing hearing sometime in the first few months of 2019. Rick Gates, Manafort’s number two in the campaign who turned witness against the chairman, is still awaiting sentencing as well.

Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor, will also be sentenced this year. Flynn was initially expected to receive sentencing in late 2018, but the federal judge postponed the hearing to allow Flynn more time to cooperate with federal law enforcement. However, the indictments of these three men, along with 30 others, have yet to provide solid proof that Trump himself took part in any wrongdoing.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

That might change in 2019. According to a report from NBC, sources have indicated Mueller is nearing completion of his investigation, which began in earnest in May of 2017. Still, much of the evidence that Mueller’s team has collected remains maddeningly clandestine. Despite the near leak-proof investigation, speculation remains abundant. Pundits on both sides of the aisle will continue to weigh in on the investigation, each side convinced their opinion is the correct one. For what it’s worth, President Trump appears to at least still enjoy the continued support of rapper Kanye West.

 

Screen shot of Kanye West’s Twitter on 1/1/2019
About Joseph LaFave View All Posts

Joseph LaFave writes about finance, maritime issues, healthcare, the National Guard, and conflicts around the world. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as an EMT in Florida and as an ESH engineer for Lockheed Martin supporting several DoD and NASA satellites. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Management from Southern New Hampshire University.

COMMENTS

You must become a subscriber or login to view or post comments on this article.

More from SOFREP

REAL EXPERTS.
REAL NEWS.

Join SOFREP for insider access and analysis.

TRY 14 DAYS FREE

Already a subscriber? Log In