The shape of charges to come?

Whenthe news broke last week about the specific documents sought by RobertMueller, the special counsel heading the federal investigation intoRussia’s role in the 2016 election and whether Donald Trump’s campaigncolluded with the Kremlin, a chill fell over Trump’s already jitteryWhite House. The documents to be turned over covered some familiarevents that could well lead to Trump being charged with obstruction ofjustice, or might show that his campaign was, at the very least,interested in playing with the Russians.The possible or even likelyobstruction charge would derive from Trump’s various efforts to blockthe investigation. In particular, Trump asked FBI director James Comeyto go easy in his investigation of retired General Michael Flynn, theformer national security adviser whom Trump reluctantly fired,ostensibly because he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about thenature of post-election telephone calls with the Russian ambassador. Pencethen reassured the country that Flynn and the ambassador had simplyexchanged small talk, such as Christmas greetings. In fact, they haddiscussed the possibility of Trump lifting sanctions that outgoingPresident Barack Obama had imposed on Russia as punishment for itsinterference in the election. Mueller no doubt wants to know if Trumpwas aware of or consented to Flynn’s discussions.Trump also askedsenior US intelligence figures to try to convince Comey to go easy onFlynn. One mystery is why Trump was so anxious to protect Flynn. DoesFlynn have compromising information about the president?Then therewas Trump’s firing of Comey in May, followed by misleading statementsfrom White House aides regarding why he had done so. But then Trumpblurted out in a television interview that when he fired Comey, he hadin mind “this Russia thing.” The next day, at a meeting in the OvalOffice, Trump told senior Russian officials that firing Comey hadrelieved “great pressure” on him.It’s definitely not a good idea, asRichard Nixon learned during the Watergate scandal, for a president tofire his own investigator. Trump’s firing of Comey saddled him withMueller, a former FBI director in Democratic and Republicanadministrations, praised by politicians in both parties for hisintegrity.Trump is just one of the people at risk of criminalcharges as a result of Mueller’s investigation. Others in Mueller’ssights are Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Trump’sson-in-law, Jared Kushner. Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump (said tobe the president’s favourite child), have offices in the White House,and Kushner is involved in an absurdly broad array of issues, fromresolving the Israel-Palestine conflict to reorganising the federalgovernment.Mueller has hired experts on financial crime – an ominousdevelopment for other targets. While Mueller is investigating Kushner’scampaign activities, he is also understood to be taking a close look atKushner’s immense real estate business. A few years ago, Kushner andhis father bought the most expensive building in New York City, 666Fifth Avenue, leaving them enormously indebted and unable to finance themortgage. Jared Kushner’s eagerness to secure the large sums needed tostay afloat has led him to seek foreign lenders, including a Russianbanker close to Vladimir Putin.Mueller is also known to be puttingthe squeeze on Manafort, a lobbyist and political consultant with ahistory of helping dictators. One of his most infamous clients was thepro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych, who, upon winning the presidency ofUkraine, imprisoned his main rival, the previous prime minister, ontrumped-up charges. Mueller’s team is poring over Manafort’s businessdealings – projects around the world, debts, funds stashed in foreigntax shelters, suspected money laundering, and more. To put pressureon Manafort, Mueller even staged a pre-dawn raid on his home in northernVirginia and let him know that he’ll be indicted – presumably topersuade him to give up information about Trump. Although Manafort wasdropped from the Trump campaign last August, following embarrassing newsstories about his work in Ukraine, Trump, acting against the advice ofaides, continued to talk with Manafort into the early months of hispresidency. Also, it was recently revealed that in 2016, while Manafortwas still campaign chair, he offered to conduct briefings for a Russianoligarch about the presidential campaign. Campaign chairs are usuallytoo busy for such a task.Mueller obviously hopes to “flip” bothFlynn and Manafort. And the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is alsoat risk in the sprawling scandal. Of particular interest to Mueller is ameeting held in Trump Tower in June 2016, between the Trump campaign’stop brass and a Russian lawyer with close Kremlin ties, who had offeredDonald Jr. some dirt on Hillary Clinton, a prospect that excited thecandidate’s son. (“I love it,” he emailed in response.) Donald Jr.first described the meeting as having been a discussion about adoptionsof Russian babies by Americans (which Russian President Vladimir Putinbanned in 2012). In fact, there had been a discussion of the sanctionsand other matters of interest to Russia. Though Kushner and Donald Jr.said nothing came of the meeting, that has not been established. Muelleris also interested in Trump’s role in crafting, on Air Force One on hisway back from Europe, a statement that once again misled the publicabout what was discussed at the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians.Formore than a year, Trump has been adamant that he has no businessinterests in Russia and has received no loans from the country. But hissoftness toward Putin remains puzzling. Recently, it was discovered thatTrump’s business had been trying to build an enormous Trump Tower inMoscow, an effort that continued into his candidacy, before beingdropped for lack of permits and land. The attention paid toMueller’s Russia investigation waxes and wanes in Washington, DC. Butthe inquiry won’t stop until Mueller is satisfied that he knows all heneeds to know. – Project Syndicate* Elizabeth Drew is a regularcontributor to The New York Review of Books and the author, mostrecently, of Washington Journal: Reporting Watergate and Richard Nixon’sDownfall.