Mueller’s Top Deputy Is Leaving, Signalling End to Special Counsel Probe

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There have been many rumors in recent weeks that the special counsel investigation being led by Robert Mueller is nearly over. Some people think Mueller’s report will be issued by the end of the month, but that is just speculation.

There is a piece of new information, however, which is not speculation, but is solid evidence in favor of the conclusion that Mueller’s probe is nearly over.

The special counsel’s top deputy, Andrew Weissmann, who has led the investigation and prosecution of Paul Manafort for the past two years, is reportedly leaving special counsel Robert Mueller’s office and the Department of Justice (DOJ.)

The news was reported this morning by National Public Radio (NPR). NPR cited two unidentified sources in reporting that Weissmann has accepted a teaching position at New York University and will also work on public service projects.

NPR also reported that Weissmann’s departure from the DOJ is a sure sign that Mueller and his team are approaching the end of their special counsel investigation.

Weissmann has been attacked by right-wing critics and by conservative legal interest groups ever since he joined Mueller’s team to take the lead in the case against Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman. Manafort faces 7 1/2 years in prison after he was sentenced by a federal judge in Virginia last week and a federal judge in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in the past had issued a warning about Weissmann when he was appointed to Mueller’s team in 2017. He said Trump would be facing a “killer,” referring to past work of winning criminal indictments and convictions in big cases.

Author Michael Wolff wrote that Bannon told him that Weissmann was like “the LeBron James of money laundering investigations.”

Former Enron prosecutor Kathryn Ruemmler said there’s a reason for the attacks on Weissmann.

“Andrew is attacked because he is feared; those under investigation know just how effective he is,” Ruemmler said. “He has not only peerless technical skills, but the fearlessness necessary for pursuing high profile, complex cases and a passionate commitment to seeing justice is done.”

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Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.