This week’s court filings by special counsel Robert Mueller on former members of President Trump’s team could be a sign he has gotten “valuable information” from those officials, according to a former prosecutor.
“It’s no coincidence these three matters are coming to a head within days of each other,” Joseph Moreno, a former federal prosecutor, told the Washington Examiner. “In the cases of Michael Flynn and Michael Cohen, it signals that the special counsel has obtained valuable information and is prepared to move forward on it wherever that may lead.”
This week, Mueller filed papers in court saying that former national security adviser Mike Flynn cooperated with his investigation into Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia, and recommending that Flynn not get any time in prison for his help.
On Friday, Mueller is expected to file similar papers on former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and his former lawyer Michael Cohen. A former federal prosecutor said it seems clear Mueller is taking a step toward some conclusion in the Trump investigation, even if no one — including Trump — knows where it’s going.
Peter Zeidenberg, the former federal prosecutor and member of the special counsel team that investigated the leak of a CIA operative’s identity in the George W. Bush administration, said the uncertainty from Mueller is “by design.”
“[B]ecause Mueller is not showing his cards, Trump is left in the dark, and has no real way to fight back. Mueller may wait for the ‘big reveal’ when he is wrapped up with everything; may be a longer wait than some of us predicted,” Zeidenberg told the Washington Examiner.
[Also read: McCabe, Rosenstein opened secret obstruction probe into Trump after he told Comey to drop Flynn investigation: Report]
Mueller’s sentencing memo on Flynn indicated that Flynn was providing some sort of substantial information, as it said the former national security adviser gave “substantial assistance” in several ongoing investigations. Though most of it was redacted, it did have some insight into how much Flynn is being used by prosecutors: he met with them 19 times since his plea deal in December 2017.
In Washington, federal prosecutors are expected to file a memo sometime Friday detailing what Manafort allegedly did to breach the plea agreement he reached in September. Manafort lied on a “variety of subject matters” during a handful of meetings, prosecutors said last week — an accusation that his defense team has disputed.
Even if some parts are redacted, the memo could also give some insight into what Manafort said in his handful of meetings he had with Mueller’s team following the plea deal, as well as detail what the “lies” are.
And in New York sometime on Friday, Mueller’s office is expected to file a memo with its recommendations for Cohen’s sentencing, which comes a week after he took a plea deal and his lawyer’s requested leniency.
Cohen, the president’s longtime lawyer and problem solver, has met with Mueller’s team for more than 70 hours already.
Just as he did in the Flynn filing, Mueller could use Friday’s filing to indicate just how much Cohen has helped, as well as what more he has promised them. It remains to be seen whether Mueller will recommend no jail time for Cohen, which was his recommendation for Flynn.
A spokesman for the special counsel’s office has said both memos will be made public, though like the Flynn memo, some parts could be redacted as to protect ongoing investigations.
The filings are the end for Flynn, Manafort, and Cohen. Late last month, federal prosecutors discussed the possibility of filing additional charges against Manafort.
Next Tuesday, Flynn’s lawyers will file their own sentencing memo in response to the government’s — it is expected to back up Mueller’s suggestion of little to no jail time — and Mueller’s team has until Dec. 14 to respond.
A federal judge in New York will sentence Cohen, on Dec. 12. And on Dec. 18, Flynn will be sentenced by a federal judge in Washington.
Manafort will be sentenced in Virginia on Feb. 8 — he was convicted of bank and tax fraud in August — and on March 5, Manafort will be sentenced in Washington.
