Robert Mueller speaks on Roger Stone

[Rogue 9]

Since the Mueller investigation superthread is locked, a development: The former Special Counsel has penned an op-ed for the Washington Post concerning Roger Stone's sentencing commutation. Washington Post

Opinion | Robert Mueller: Roger Stone remains a convicted felon, and rightly so
Robert S. Mueller III

Robert S. Mueller III served as special counsel for the Justice Department from 2017 to 2019.

The work of the special counsel’s office — its report, indictments, guilty pleas and convictions — should speak for itself. But I feel compelled to respond both to broad claims that our investigation was illegitimate and our motives were improper, and to specific claims that Roger Stone was a victim of our office. The Russia investigation was of paramount importance. Stone was prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes. He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so.

Russia’s actions were a threat to America’s democracy. It was critical that they be investigated and understood. By late 2016, the FBI had evidence that the Russians had signaled to a Trump campaign adviser that they could assist the campaign through the anonymous release of information damaging to the Democratic candidate. And the FBI knew that the Russians had done just that: Beginning in July 2016, WikiLeaks released emails stolen by Russian military intelligence officers from the Clinton campaign. Other online personas using false names — fronts for Russian military intelligence — also released Clinton campaign emails.

Following FBI Director James B. Comey’s termination in May 2017, the acting attorney general named me as special counsel and directed the special counsel’s office to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The order specified lines of investigation for us to pursue, including any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. One of our cases involved Stone, an official on the campaign until mid-2015 and a supporter of the campaign throughout 2016. Stone became a central figure in our investigation for two key reasons: He communicated in 2016 with individuals known to us to be Russian intelligence officers, and he claimed advance knowledge of WikiLeaks’ release of emails stolen by those Russian intelligence officers.

We now have a detailed picture of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. The special counsel’s office identified two principal operations directed at our election: hacking and dumping Clinton campaign emails, and an online social media campaign to disparage the Democratic candidate. We also identified numerous links between the Russian government and Trump campaign personnel — Stone among them. We did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its activities. The investigation did, however, establish that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency and worked to secure that outcome. It also established that the campaign expected it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts.

Uncovering and tracing Russian outreach and interference activities was a complex task. The investigation to understand these activities took two years and substantial effort. Based on our work, eight individuals pleaded guilty or were convicted at trial, and more than two dozen Russian individuals and entities, including senior Russian intelligence officers, were charged with federal crimes.

Congress also investigated and sought information from Stone. A jury later determined he lied repeatedly to members of Congress. He lied about the identity of his intermediary to WikiLeaks. He lied about the existence of written communications with his intermediary. He lied by denying he had communicated with the Trump campaign about the timing of WikiLeaks’ releases. He in fact updated senior campaign officials repeatedly about WikiLeaks. And he tampered with a witness, imploring him to stonewall Congress.

The jury ultimately convicted Stone of obstruction of a congressional investigation, five counts of making false statements to Congress and tampering with a witness. Because his sentence has been commuted, he will not go to prison. But his conviction stands.

Russian efforts to interfere in our political system, and the essential question of whether those efforts involved the Trump campaign, required investigation. In that investigation, it was critical for us (and, before us, the FBI) to obtain full and accurate information. Likewise, it was critical for Congress to obtain accurate information from its witnesses. When a subject lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government’s efforts to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable. It may ultimately impede those efforts.

We made every decision in Stone’s case, as in all our cases, based solely on the facts and the law and in accordance with the rule of law. The women and men who conducted these investigations and prosecutions acted with the highest integrity. Claims to the contrary are false.

[The Romulan Republic]

It really speaks volumes that Robert Mueller is doing this. His tendency to be tight-lipped, and his aversion to the press, are notorious. That he's going to the press to protect his investigation's reputation suggests to me that he has (understandably) lost a lot of faith in the integrity of the official process.

[Knife]

To little, to late. He had his chance to speak up. He's an institutionalist who didn't realize his institution was corrupted. He had his chance to buck the system and failed.

[Rogue 9]

Just breaking; Senator Graham says he has agreed to a Democratic request to call Director Mueller to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. USA Today

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he will call Robert Mueller to testify before his committee
Kristine Phillips
USA TODAY
Published 1:04 p.m. ET Jul. 12, 2020 | Updated 1:04 p.m. ET Jul. 12, 2020

WASHINGTON – Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday he will call Robert Mueller to testify before his committee, after the former Russia special counsel penned an op-ed pushing back against President Donald Trump's decision to commute the sentence of a longtime ally.

Mueller broke his yearlong silence Saturday, defending the prosecution of Roger Stone and the broader investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. In an op-ed published in The Washington Post, Mueller said the flamboyant political operative was "prosecuted and convicted because he committed federal crimes."

"He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so," Mueller wrote.

Mueller's remarks, prompted by Trump's commutation of Stone's 40-month prison sentence Friday, are the first since he testified before a House committee last year after his team brought charges against at least a half-dozen Trump associates during his campaign and after he took office.

Stone, who was supposed to begin serving his sentence Tuesday, was the last person charged as a result of Mueller's nearly two-year investigation. Mueller's voluminous report, released last year, found that the Trump campaign was an eager beneficiary to Russia's systematic efforts to help Trump win the presidency, but it did not find a conspiracy with the Kremlin. The report also identified instances of possible obstructive behavior by Trump, including attempting to get Mueller fired.

Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and one of Trump's fiercest allies in Congress, said he will grant a request from Democrats to call Mueller to testify before the committee.

"Apparently Mr. Mueller is willing – and also capable – of defending the Mueller investigation through an oped in the Washington Post," Graham said.

In a letter to Graham last year, Senate Democrats said Mueller's report, while comprehensive, leaves many outstanding questions, including about Trump's personal and business ties in Moscow and his campaign's efforts to obtain emails damaging to then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

"We believe Robert Mueller would be best-suited to answer these and other questions – from both sides of the aisle – and we feel the Committee would benefit greatly from his testimony," according to the letter.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson

Wasn't expecting that out of the Senate this close to the election. Buckle up, Trump is going to lose his shit.

[Gandalf]

Looks like Graham is hedging his bets?

[Elheru Aran]

Looks like Graham is hedging his bets?

Either that or it's a token gesture which will consist of 90% Republicans hectoring Mueller, 5% Democrats trying to ask the right questions and 5% Mueller trying to give calm, reasonable answers to an audience that only wants him to either condemn the other side or make a definitive stand for theirs.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Yeah, I mean, the Republicans made out like bandits last time Mueller testified publicly, so Graham probably sees this as another easy win. The Republicans will make the Democrats look like ineffectual whiners since Mueller will be loathe to take a stand one way or the other.

[Rogue 9]

Yeah, I mean, the Republicans made out like bandits last time Mueller testified publicly, so Graham probably sees this as another easy win. The Republicans will make the Democrats look like ineffectual whiners since Mueller will be loathe to take a stand one way or the other.

This is on the heels of him deciding to publish an op-ed in the Washington Post, though. That speaks to a pretty serious change in mood from the "yes/no/read my report" routine he gave the House last year.

[The Romulan Republic]

To little, to late. He had his chance to speak up. He's an institutionalist who didn't realize his institution was corrupted. He had his chance to buck the system and failed.

In fairness to him, if he hadn't gone completely by the book, it would have simply been fodder for the "Illegal witchhunt" crowd and would have potentially been used as a pretext to fire him before his report was ever made.