Robert Mueller’s Investigation Of The Russia Scandal Expected To Go Well Into 2018

The Mueller investigation is expected to last well into 2018, and there is little evidence that the Special Counsel wants to talk to Trump anytime soon.

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NBC’s Ken Dilanian shared his thoughts on when the investigation might wrap up on Nicolle Wallace’s MSNBC program Deadline: White House, “We’re hearing a lot about obstruction of justice and the notion that maybe Mueller wants to talk to trump sometime soon about that. That may be true. The obstruction of justice case goes over a shorter period of time. It’s a smaller number of witnesses, and it’s out in the open. It’s people we know about. The collusion and conspiracy aspect is hidden. So I think we should be very cautious about what we don’t know about that case. What witnesses are calling, and the hiring of this cyber expert is interesting. We shouldn’t write off the collusion part. Here’s the thing about the collusion aspect. I’ve talked to a lot of legal experts who say you cannot get to the bottom of collusion until you have the testimony of Paul Manafort. You may not have that testimony unless you convict Paul Manafort and that could be months from now. It’s possible this thing goes well into 2018, and I wouldn’t put too much stock in the idea that Mueller will want to talk to Donald Trump sometime in the next month or two.”

Paul Manafort would have to flip on Trump to speed up the investigation, and there is no indication that Manafort is anywhere near close to cooperating with the Special Counsel. Trump’s lawyers were trying to get ahead of Mueller and cut a favorable deal for the president, but it looks like there is little chance of that happening. Mueller is not going to be rushed.

People who are very interested in this investigation want answers, but the reality is that this is a complex investigation. There will be more indictments and surprises before Robert Mueller finishes up his work.

The Mueller investigation is the first step in what could be a very long process. If Mueller finds that Trump obstructed justice, and Democrats take back at least the House, the country could move on to the impeachment phase of the scandal. The Special Counsel’s investigation will be the beginning of a longer process. Bob Mueller’s findings could open the door for impeachment, but what comes after that could take months or years before justice is delivered in the Russia scandal.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association