So… sorry for the CNN video, BUT they broke the news, so here we are:
As you’ll remember, 13 Russian nationals were charged through Mueller’s probe late last week. Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein answered, “There is no allegation in the indictment that any American was a knowing participant in the alleged unlawful activity.”
“There is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election.”
This admission appeared to clear the Trump campaign from accusations of collusion with Russia.
So… it’s time for the Mueller investigation to either put out what they know (which I suspect is nothing) or give this whole charade up.
Mueller has filed additional charges today… They STILL do not indicate any sort of collusion went down between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
According to BPR:
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe has charged another individual with lying to the FBI.
On Tuesday, Mueller filed a charge against lawyer Alex Van Der Zwaan, an associate of former Trump staffer Rick aide who is expected later Tuesday to plead guilty to failing to turn over email communication to the Special Counsel’s office, CNN reports.
Mueller’s probe into Van Der Zwaan focused on work he did in 2012 with the international law firm Skadden Arps.
At the time, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort arranged for the firm to be hired by Ukrainian Minister of Justice to prepare a report on the trial Ukrainian politician Yulia Tymoshenko, an opponent of the country’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych.
After Tymoshenko defeated Yanukovych in the 2010 Ukrainian election, she was jailed on charges seen by many outside observers as politically motivated.
Van Der Zwaan helped author a report that said the trial process was legal.
According to CNN:
“The prosecutors’ criminal charge explains how Van Der Zwaan spoke with Gates and an unnamed person in September 2016 about the Ukrainian report and recorded the calls. At the time, Gates was still working with the Trump campaign.”
The outlet also reported:
“The charging document also says he exchanged an “innocuous text message” with Gates in mid-August 2016, and said falsely that was their last interaction.
“He also deleted and then failed to produce emails he exchanged with the unnamed person in September.”
CNN noted that There’s no indication from the document that Van Der Zwaan was in touch with Gates about the political adviser’s work in the [2016 presidential] election.”
Is this really all they’ve got at this point?
It’s getting so old…