As 2018 kicked off, it became abundantly clear that the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference and potential collusion within the 2016 presidential election was not slowing down anytime soon. According to sources, Jeff Sessions was interviewed at length just last week by the special counsel’s office, and Steve Bannon followed suit. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office also wants to speak to the president.
So far, only four men have been charged: George Stephanopoulos, Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and former National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn. Manafort, George Stephanopoulos and Gates were charged with money laundering and conspiracy against the United States by failing to disclose their activities in filings. Though very serious charges, the charges have nothing directly to do with their activities in the campaign.

That leaves Flynn, who pled guilty to lying to federal agents on his security clearance form in regard to his contacts within the Russian government. Even though these people were close to the president, so far, none of them are linked directly with the president or 2016’s election. Trump may have not vetted his people properly, that doesn’t make him guilty. It does, however, demonstrate his need to gain better hiring practices. Trump’s senior campaign officials were lobbying foreign governments illegally, yet, it was unrelated to the campaign. While this doesn’t mean Trump did anything wrong, it does mean next time he hires, he should thoroughly do his homework.
That being said, the investigation is moving towards its conclusion. Mueller is about as competent as they come. Time and time again, he has given up lucrative jobs in the private sector and taken cuts in pay to serve his country. I firmly believe that whatever his findings are they will be motivated by the pursuit of truth, not the pursuit of a political agenda. He is one of the brightest American legal minds of this century, having led the FBI during the early stages of the war on terror. It is difficult to say what will come of his investigation.

He has interviewed the NSA Director, the CIA Director, the Director of National Intelligence and former FBI Director James Comey. Given the stature of these individuals, it is possible that Mueller’s investigation is focused on Trump or members of his administration who have attempted to obstruct justice by getting the Intelligence Community to halt investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections. Further, if reports that the President almost fired Mueller in June are true, then that indicates that the president may indeed have something to hide.