Arrests are imminent after the first charges arising from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation were approved.
Arrests are imminent after a federal grand jury in D. C. approved the first charges arising from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The charges remain sealed, and the targets are not known, fueling speculation about the nature of the indictments, who will be taken into custody and where the probe now stands.
Mueller has been in charge of the investigation into Russian interference in the presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin since May.
CNN first reported the indictment on Friday, citing sources briefed on the matter.
First charges in Russian meddling probe prove it’s no witch hunt
“If the Special Counsel finds it necessary and appropriate, the Special Counsel is authorized to prosecute federal crimes arising from the investigation of these matters,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a May 17 letter appointing Mueller.
While the subjects of the first indictments are not yet clear, there are several top associates m of President Trump who are being eyed as possible targets.
The Republican lobbyist and Trump campaign manager has reportedly been on the FBI’s radar since at least 2014 for his consulting work in Ukraine and shady financial, real estate and possible money laundering dealings.
Manafort’s Virginia home was raided in July and people close to him have been issued subpoenas.
First charges approved in Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation
Michael Zeldin, a lawyer who served as a special assistant to Mueller when he was director of the FBI, suggested an indictment could be used to flip Manafort.
“There is a lot of pressure on people who are under investigation to cooperate with Mueller after this indictment,” Zeldin said.
Trump’s short-lived national security advisor stepped down in February after less than a month on the job after he was caught lying about contacts with Russian officials.
Flynn spoke on the phone with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak after the Obama administration announced sanctions on Moscow, expelling diplomats and other measures over the election.
Lawyer shared Trump Jr. meeting talking points with Kremlin
The former Army general was also paid more than $500,000 in 2016 for lobbying that benefitted the Turkish government and discredited U. S.-based Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.
A Trump campaign adviser on national security, Page is named in the controversial dossier made up of unverified claims about Trump and his associates.
Several memos in the dossier allege that Page met senior Russian officials as an emissary of the Trump campaign.
He discussed quid-pro-quo deals relating to sanctions, business opportunities and Russia’s interference in the election, according to the documents.
Trump claims Clinton, Dems are the ones who colluded with Russia
Page was already on the FBI’s radar after he was a witness in the 2013 federal prosecution of a Russian spy who tried to cultivate him as a source, according to reports.
Stone, a longtime friend and adviser to the President, unleashed a tirade on Twitter on Friday after news of the indictments became public.
He sent a string of insults to CNN’s Don Lemon, whom he called a “c—sucker” and a “dull witted arrogant partyboi.”
His Twitter account was suspended on Saturday.
Trump tweets he’s victim of ‘Fake News’ dossier linked to Clinton
Stone has been questioned by Congress about his connections to Wikileaks and its founder, Julian Assange. Wikileaks published emails hacked from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, during the election.
Mueller is reportedly looking at the President’s son-in-law’s finances and business dealings and his advocating for the firing of James Comey .
Kushner also had private conversations with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador whose meetings and conversations with the likes of Flynn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have cause headaches for the Trump administration.
The young real estate baron reportedly asked Kislyak about establishing back channel communications between the White House and the Kremlin and he met with met with Russian banker, Sergey Gorkov, in December.
Paul Manafort under investigation for possible money laundering
The President’s eldest son has been under scrutiny for a controversial 2016 meeting with Kushner, Manafort and a Russian lawyer who promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Trump Jr. initially lied about the meeting and Mueller is looking at a statement the President may have helped his son craft that disguised the true nature of the sitdown.
The Kremlin-connected lawyer reportedly shared her talking points with a top official in Moscow months earlier, The New York Times reported Friday.
Mueller is investigating Trump for possible obstruction of justice for firing FBI director James Comey.
SEE IT: Protester throws Russian flags at Trump at the Capitol
Trump initially said he fired Coney because of his inadequate leadership, but days later admitted to NBC News that “this Russia thing” was his reason. The President told Russian officials that dismissing Comey, who was previously in charge of the election meddling probe, took “great pressure” off of him.
Comey also told a Senate committee in June that Trump asked him to drop its probe into Flynn.
Investigators have also sought to interview White House staffers who were present when the President dictated Donald Trump Jr.’s initial misleading statement about his Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer.
