Since Robert Mueller’s appointment in May as special counsel to investigate Russia’s role in Donald Trump’s P’00 2016 presidential campaign, not much progress seems to have been made in understanding how and why the Russians interfered in the election. However, during the week of October 30, several new revelations were made that have catapulted the investigation to the front page of every newspaper.
Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chairman, was indicted on 12 counts, including money laundering and not properly disclosing information regarding his lobbying efforts for a former pro-Russia Ukrainian president. Moreover, a former foreign policy adviser to Trump, George Papadopoulos, was revealed to have pleaded guilty to to lying about his experience with Russian official. His plea to the FBI occurred in July of 2017 s. Since then, Papadopoulos has been assisting Mueller with his investigation. So, what do these two discoveries mean for Trump? For starters, they give some substance to the accusations that Russia interfered in the Presidential Election, which were previously mostly speculation. They also confirm that Trump had some legitimate, influential connection to the Russian government during his presidential campaign. But, these were just the beginning to a revolutionary week for Mueller.
Just two days later, Mueller revealed that in March of 2016, during the campaign season, Papadopoulos advised Trump to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin,. In response, Trump neither supported nor dismissed the idea. His indifference conveys that he was either entertaining the idea of collaborating with the Russians during his campaign, or that it was already happening and he didn’t want to be completely open about it.
The investigation has continued to dominate the news. First, the presidential nominee for chief scientist of the Department of Agriculture, Sam Clovis, took himself out of the running for the position because of connections to the Russia investigation, indicating the far reach of the Russian influence on Trump and his administration. Second, Carter Page, another former foreign policy adviser, testified that he told Attorney General Jeff Sessions in June of 2016 about a trip he would be taking the following month to speak at a Moscow university. Not only does this further connect the Trump administration to Russia, it also lengthens the already long list of lies that Jeff Sessions has told. In October, in response to a question asking if he believed that any Trump campaign officials had spoken with the Russians, Sessions testified that he “did not and [he] is not aware of anyone else that did, and [he doesn’t] believe it happened.” But not only was he aware of Page’s trip to Russia, he also knew about Papadopoulos’s suggestion for a meeting between Trump and Putin. In fact, he was the one who dismissed the idea. And yet, the Attorney General of the United States continued to lie instead of relaying this information to Mueller.
By making these discoveries, Robert Mueller is helping to draw the web of lies, corruption, and deceit that Trump and his administration have been weaving since the beginning of the presidential campaign. Each and every one of these pieces of information are significant, but they are also small pieces of the puzzle. Over the next several months or years, this investigation will most likely continue to make important findings similar to these ones, or perhaps even more damning.
Moreover, this past week has proven Mueller’s investigation to be a legitimate threat to Donald Trump’s presidency. Given the chaos that has erupted in Washington, D.C. due to these revelations, impeachment is becoming more and more possible. Trump might be able to weasel his way out of certain other allegations or derogatory remarks, but the American people cannot deny the developing reality of a fraudulent presidential election. Even his supporters will have difficulty defending a Russian interference in the campaign — all Americans, no matter their political beliefs, understand that fair, democratic elections are the foundation of this country. Even though Trump has traveled to Asia for twelve days, he will not be able to escape the looming threat of the Russia investigation.
