THREAD: Welcome to 2019! It's going to be a major year in the Mueller investigation. My colleague @kpolantz tallied up the 16 big questions that still aren't answered, but might be resolved this year. Here's a breakdown. cnn.com/2019/01/05/pol…
1. How does the investigation end? There could be future indictments. And when the dust settles, Mueller will submit a report to the AG. It should address key Qs like: Did Trump obstruct justice? Did campaign aides solicit stolen emails? Anything to the Trump Tower meeting? Etc.
2. Will the public see Mueller's findings? Once the probe is over the the report is submitted, this could be the next colossal fight, and could end up in court. Issues of executive privilege and grand jury secrecy could keep parts of Mueller's report out of the public eye.
3. Will Trump fire Mueller? He tried to in the past, and might in the future. Some of the guardrails, like Don McGahn and General Kelly, are gone now. The WH is adamant that there are no plans to dismiss Mueller. But Trump is constantly seething at the special counsel. We'll see.
4. Will Mueller interview Trump? The President submitted written answers to some questions in November. But CNN reported that there were talks between the sides as recently as a few weeks ago about a possible interview. Giuliani says it'll never happen. Subpoena still possible?
5. How long will Mueller's grand jury continue to meet? The federal grand jury was seated in July 2017 and its term was just extended by a judge. It could continue for up to six months from now. The group meets on most Fridays and has heard testimony from dozens of witnesses.
6. What about House Democrats? Even if Mueller wraps up his investigation they're set to pick up the mantle on Capitol Hill. Senior Dems have shied away from impeachment but they are excited to launch investigations about Trump-Russia contacts, obstruction, and so much more.
7. Will Roger Stone's associate be forced to testify? An obscure figure in the investigation, Andrew Miller, has fought his subpoena for several months, taking things to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. They could rule at any time. He challenged Mueller's legal authority.
8. What company is behind the mystery grand jury appeal? We learned recently that a company owned by a foreign government was subpoenaed by Mueller to hand over documents, but is resisting the move in US courts. We still don't know which company. The mystery continues (for now).
9. How is Rick Gates cooperating? Mueller recently said Gates was helping with "several ongoing investigations." So, what are they? We haven't heard from Gates since he testified against Manafort five months ago. Remember: Gates worked on the Trump campaign AND inauguration.
10. Will powerful Russians exploit the US legal system to get access to national security secrets? You might be wondering how this could even happen. Mueller indicted a Russian company in the troll farm scheme, then they hired top-tier US lawyers and are trying to get discovery.
11. How important is Konstantin Kilimnik? The shadowy Russian was in touch with Manafort and Gates during the 2016 campaign, and Mueller says he had active ties to Russian intel at the time. He has popped up over and over during this investigation. He now lives safely in Russia.
12. How many years will Manafort serve in prison? It's a near certainty that the 69-year-old is heading to prison. The mounting convictions set him up for a decade or more behind bars. His prospects look bleak. But there is one Hail Mary possibility: A presidential pardon.
13. What did Michael Cohen share with Mueller? Prosecutors recently said he provided "credible and reliable information about core Russia-related issues under investigation." That's quite the statement. Does that mean collusion? That's the "core" of the probe. It's not clear yet.
14. Will Julian Assange ever leave the Ecuadorian Embassy? The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up there since 2012. He has been charged in the US in a case that is still secret but was accidentally revealed last year. Seems like Ecuadorians are losing patience. Is this the year?
15. What is the endgame for Roger Stone? There is an ongoing grand jury investigation into his alleged pursuit of hacked emails and his alleged communications with WikiLeaks. An indictment is quite possible. Stone has been feverishly raising money for his legal defense fund.
16. What's next for General Flynn? He was set to be sentenced in December, but that was delayed after a stunning hearing where he was chewed out for his crimes by the judge. It's unclear when he'll be sentenced, but it seems like the judge is prepared to give him some jail time.
That's a wrap. Check out the full analysis here: cnn.com/2019/01/05/pol…
