MSNBC’s Ari Melber took the Russia investigation and added clarity about where the investigation is heading by breaking it down into four pieces.
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@AriMelber brought some clarity to the progress of the Russia investigation by breaking it down into four potential crimes. https://t.co/vqimgoXa89 pic.twitter.com/PK0SXOeCc9
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) March 3, 2018
Melber said “Let me extend tonight to what Mueller’s probing, the four issues are Russian election interference, the Russian hack of emails, U.S. Cover-up lying and the cover-up collusion, take these things, did they happen? Authorities say interference, yes, hack, yes, cover-up? Yes, as for collusion, as yet undetermined. In terms of what Mueller has indicted so, Russian meddling, yes, no one’s been indicted for the email hack, the cover-up? Yes, the most common charge against Americans so far, and then there’s the collusion and empty box, no indictments. If you look at that, why does that matter right now? Well, understanding the difference about whether a crime occurred and whether it has been charged actually shines a light on where this probe is headed. Professor Turley who trump is quoting says he doubts collusion because, after a year of indictments, they don’t include the nexus of collusion. That’s not saying because something hasn’t been criminally charged meanings it didn’t happen. But it can’t be determined if the underlying thing has been established. One is for hacks, it would be silly to argue either empty box proves what happened. What’s happening right now is that Mueller is eyeing the email hack against Russians for hacking and leaking emails to hurt Democrats. So actually Mueller may be looking to check that very box on the board, which would only leave the collusion box unchecked. And maybe that box will stay empty, as I have reported, we don’t know. Whether it’s charged, though, does not answer the existential question of what happened, and that’s an important legal distinction for one of the most important stories of our time.”
The Russia scandal is very complicated. It involves people in multiple countries, cyber crimes, financial crimes, potential illegal coordination, lying to law enforcement, and even crimes against the United States of America. It can be hard to follow, but Ari Melber provided a checklist that shows what the investigation has done so far, and where it has yet to go. As new events unfold each day, it would be wise to keep this checklist handy. It is a useful map to where Mueller has been and where he might be going.
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
