Mueller's 'speaking indictments' offer clues to strategy

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has made use of an unusual legal tool that has allowed him to build a narrative about Russian interference in the election while quietly pressing forward with his investigation behind the scenes.

Mueller has made frequent use of "speaking indictments" - a colloquial term used by attorneys and legal experts to describe indictments that go into more detail, and provide more facts, than what is required under law.

"A speaking indictment comes from the idea that the indictment does more than that - it speaks, it tells a story," said Jack Sharman, a former special counsel to Congress during the Whitewater investigation.

It is unclear precisely why Mueller is using speaking indictments, but people familiar with their use suspect he wants to use them to tell the public more about what his investigation believes happened in the 2016 election.

It could also be a way for Mueller to fire warning shots at people he might want to target.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/muellers-speaking-indictments-offer-clues-to-strategy/ar-BBMnfwx?li=BBnb7Kz