The special counsel's findings on Russian election interference may only be the beginning.
The Special Counsel Investigation Is Over
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The dam finally burst on Friday, but we'll have to wait a little longer to see how high the water gets.
Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller delivered his report to Attorney General William Barr, marking the end of his nearly two-year investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mueller didn't recommend any more criminal indictments, the Justice Department said. But what else does his report say? And will the American people ever be able to read it in full?
Nobody knows. Yet. But Barr told congressional leaders he expected to be able to brief them about Mueller’s “principal conclusions as soon as this weekend.” He has vowed to be as transparent as possible.
With at least that act left to play out in the saga, along with all the other investigations underway, the end of the Mueller era likely does not mean the end to the Russia imbroglio.
- By Philip Ewing, NPR national security editor
MUELLER TIME(LINE): HOW WE GOT HERE
The report has been a long time in the making. Special counsel Robert Mueller has been working for nearly two years to uncover how Russia attacked the 2016 presidential election and whether anyone associated with the Trump campaign was involved. He was also tasked with looking into "any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation."
The Letter: Attorney General William Barr notified Congress on Friday that Mueller had finished his report and what Barr's next steps will be. Read his letter in full here.
Ongoing Cases: President Trump has called the Russia investigation a "witch hunt," but nearly three dozen individuals have been charged and multiple related investigations are already in progress. Members of Congress have also launched wide-ranging inquiries beyond the Russian interference issue.
Who's Been Charged: Here is a list of people who have faced criminal charges stemming from the special counsel's probe, including the president's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, officials from Trump's 2016 campaign, former aides, advisers and members of the Russian intelligence services.
What Russia Did: The Russian government launched a broad influence campaign against the United States starting in 2014, according to charges by the special counsel's office. Intelligence professionals call it the latest examples of "active measures," secret tools of statecraft that have been used for centuries and were employed throughout the Cold War.
The Trump Camp's Contacts With Russia: Mueller had been investigating whether there are any links between the Russian government and associates of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Here are the contacts we knew about before Mueller finished his report.
The Dossier: Tied up in the Russia imbroglio narrative is a so-called dossier. The 35-page collection of unconfirmed reports and memos includes salacious material that could be embarrassing to the president and could have made him vulnerable to blackmail or coercion.
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