A partial list of fourth quarter 2018 news about the investigation. The Mueller team remained remarkably tight-lipped about their activities. Most information comes from public court filings and hearings. There was a flurry of activity after the midterm elections.
- As expected, Mueller and his team were very quiet in October during the run-up to the midterm elections.
- AG Jeff Sessions is fired by Trump right after the midterm elections and replaced by Matthew Whitaker who says he will now oversee the Mueller investigation. Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein's role is unclear.
- 11/20 - Trump submits his answers to Mueller's questions about Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
- 11/26 - Mueller's team says that Paul Manafort has violated his plea deal by repeatedly lying to the FBI. Both sides have asked that sentencing proceeds on the charges he has already been found guilty of.
- 11/29 - Michael Cohen pleads guilty to additional charges of lying to Congress. He also details Trump's involvement in financial dealings with Russia in 2016.
- 12/04 - Mueller recommends no jail time for Michael Flynn because of his substantial cooperation with the special counsel office.
- 12/07 - Federal prosecutors recommend "substantial" prison time for Michael Cohen, former Trump lawyer and "fixer. They indicate that although he did cooperate with prosecutors, he didn't disclose everything he knew.
- 12/07 - New York Federal prosecutors and Mueller's team filed court papers directly implicating President Trump in plans to buy women’s silence as far back as 2014 and offering new evidence of Russian efforts to forge a political alliance with Trump before he became president.
- 12/07 - In a document filed in federal court, Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III said that Paul Manafort told “multiple discernible lies” during interviews with prosecutors, including about his contacts with an employee who is alleged to have ties to Russian intelligence. Mueller also said Manafort lied about his contacts with Trump administration officials after Trump took office.
- 12/17 - Bijan Kian and Ekim Alptekin, two former business associates of Michael Flynn, are indicted as part of a Turkish conspiracy to violate federal lobbying rules. Alptekin was also charged with lying to the FBI.
- New Senate report says Russian disinformation teams targetted Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Of course they did. Putin is trying to help his buddy, Trump.
- 12/18 - A federal judge delays the sentencing of Michael Flynn. Mueller had recommended no jail time due to Flynn's cooperation.
- 12/19 - Mueller seeks a transcript of Trump associate Roger Stone's testimony to the House Intelligence Committee.
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