After a nearly two-year investigation, Attorney General William Barr announced Sunday that special counsel Robert Mueller did not uncover any evidence that the Trump campaign conspired with Russians to influence the 2016 election.
Though Mueller did not exonerate President Donald Trump on the question of whether or not he obstructed justice in the case, he didn’t find enough evidence to recommend any such charges. Mueller deferred the decision to Barr who said he didn’t see grounds for an obstruction case against the president.
Barr said Mueller did refer some aspects of his investigation to other offices – likely including federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York – but the attorney general said we have seen the last of the indictments from the special counsel.
But before wrapping up, Mueller’s investigation did result in indictments for 34 individuals – seven of whom have been convicted so far – including some senior members of the Trump campaign (although none of the charges involved a conspiracy between the campaign and Russians).
Here is a recap of who ended up in legal peril as a result of the special counsel’s work:
Roger Stone
Stone, a longtime Trump associate and political consultant, was indicted in January on seven charges related to lying to investigators about efforts by top Trump campaign aides to learn about WikiLeaks plans to release emails that Russian operatives had stolen from the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee.
Michael Flynn
Trump’s former national security adviser pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to investigators about meetings with Russians during the presidential transition. He cooperated with Mueller under a plea agreement and still awaits sentencing.
Michael Cohen
Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer pleaded guilty in November 2018 to lying to Congress about a proposed real-estate deal in Moscow. He also pleaded guilty in August 2018 to charges related to making hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had sex with Trump. Cohen was sentenced in December 2018 to three years in prison.
Paul Manafort
Trump’s former campaign chairman was convicted in August of tax and bank charges. He also pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit money laundering, tax fraud and failing to register to represent foreign interests, and to obstruction of justice. Manafort was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.
Rick Gates
Gates worked for Manafort before and during the campaign and also headed Trump’s inaugural committee. He pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy and lying to FBI agents and prosecutors. He cooperated with Mueller and awaits sentencing.
Konstantin Kilimnik
Kilimnik is an alleged Russian spy who worked with Manafort and Gates in Kiev. He was indicted in June 2018 on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
George Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to lying to FBI agents. He served 14 days in prison and was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine and complete 200 hours of community service.
Alex van der Zwaan
Dutch attorney Alex van der Zwaan pleaded guilty in February 2018 to lying to FBI agents about his work for Manafort and Gates. He served 30 days in prison and was fined $20,000.
Richard Pinedo
Pinedo pleaded guilty in February 2018 to identity fraud for trading in bank account numbers from stolen identities that were then used by the Russians. Pinedo was sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.
12 Russian nationals tied to hacking
The twelve Russians were indicted in July 2018 on charges related to a conspiracy to hack Democratic computers with the goal of influencing the 2016 election. Charges included aggravated identity theft and money laundering.
Internet Research Agency
Thirteen Russian nationals and three entities, including the Internet Research Agency, were indicted in February 2018 with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. for interfering with the election. Three were charged with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud. Five were charged with aggravated identity theft.
Contributing: Megan Diskin, Ventura County (Calif.) Star
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