Mueller keeps Russia cards close to the vest

BY JONATHAN EASLEY - 01/26/18 05:54 AM EST

Speculation is swirling about whether special counsel Robert Mueller is nearing the end of his Russia probe — and whether he has any evidence that President Trump or his officials colluded with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election.

The allegation that Trump campaign officials illegally coordinated with Moscow has been a central claim made by Democrats, as well as the focus of aggressive reporting by media outlets since Trump was inaugurated last January. But new reports indicate that Mueller’s recent interviews pertain to whether Trump obstructed justice by firing former FBI director James Comey, who had been leading an investigation into Russian election meddling.

Bloomberg reported this week that Mueller is close to finishing the investigation into obstruction of justice and CNN has reported that the special counsel has communicated to Trump’s legal team that Mueller would like to interview the president on why he fired Comey.

Mueller has interviewed most of the principles for an obstruction case, including Comey, attorney general Jeff Sessions, former acting attorney general Sally Yates, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former chief of staff Reince Priebus, CIA director Mike Pompeo and senior adviser Jared Kushner, as well as dozens of White House staffers.

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http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/370793-mueller-keeps-russia-cards-close-to-the-vest