1:54
- ABC News
- April 17, 2019
5 things to watch for in the Mueller report
On Thursday, Americans will get to read Mueller's report for themselves.
1:54
News of the former White House counsel’s extensive cooperation with the special counsel’s office sent shockwaves through Washington when it was revealed last summer.
Outwardly, at least, White House officials have presented an air of calmness in the West Wing leading up to the report’s release, but what about McGahn’s testimony has them so worried?
According to the New York Times, which first reported on his cooperation in August 2018, McGahn provided “detailed accounts about the episodes at the heart of the inquiry into whether President Trump obstructed justice.”
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/don-mcgahn-gty-ps-190417_hpEmbed_23x16_384.jpg\")
Another White House attorney, William Burck, who was present for McGahn’s 30 hours with investigators, later penned a memo insisting that McGahn “did not incriminate” the president, but ABC News has reported that McGahn’s testimony remains a point of issue for the president’s current legal team.
Manafort, Kilimnik, and a meeting at “the heart” of Mueller’s probe
Despite its characterization as striking at “the heart of what the Special Counsel's Office is investigating” by one of Mueller’s top prosecutors, relatively little is known about former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s tete-a-tete with Konstantin Kilimnik, a man described as a former Russian intelligence officer, in August of 2016.
What might be learned Thursday about this meeting, which took place at the Grand Havana Club in New York – a high-end cigar bar located near Trump Tower – just weeks before Manafort’s dismissal from the campaign?
Aside from knowing where, when, and the apparent significance of this meeting, the content of Manafort and Kilimnik’s discussion remains a secret.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/manafort-gty-ps-190417_hpEmbed_3x2_384.jpg\")
The relationship between Manafort and Kilimnik, who was also indicted in the Manafort case but has been beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement, has remained a low-profile but persistent element of the special counsel’s probe.
In fact, the most illuminating revelation came to light as a result of a mistake. In January, defense attorneys for Manafort inadvertently revealed that their client stands accused of sharing polling data with Kilimnik.
What about WikiLeaks’ role in Russia’s meddling?
The special counsel’s office has already revealed much about Russia’s efforts to meddle in the 2016 campaign by way of its indictments of 34 people and three entities. But one notable omission from Mueller’s patchwork narrative is the role of WikiLeaks and its mercurial founder, Julian Assange, who disseminated hacked documents from the DNC and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Will anything more be learned about WikiLeaks’ hand in tipping the balance of the 2016 presidential election?
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/assange-julian-ap-ps-190417_hpEmbed_13x9_384.jpg\")
The whistleblower organization was referred to in the indictment of Russians accused of hacking those documents as “Organization 1,” but has not itself been the subject of charges. Assange and his lawyers have denied having any involvement with Russian state actors.
Federal prosecutors in the United States unsealed a computer hacking indictment against Assange last week just hours after authorities in the United Kingdom arrested him, but those charges related to an alleged conspiracy dating back to 2010 – completely unrelated to Mueller’s probe.
WikiLeaks advocates and Assange’s legal team leapt to his defense, decrying his arrest and prospective extradition to the U.S.
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