Understand the big picture
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| Published: | 2018-Nov-16 |
| Last Updated: | 2019-Jan-28 |
| Principal Writer: | Rob Dennis |
 | Understanding The Issue |
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Gov: Executive Branch
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Mueller's investigation
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has indicted or obtained guilty pleas from 37 people and businesses as part of his investigation into a possible conspiracy between Donald Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government.
Those closest to Trump that have been charged include his:
o Former deputy campaign chairman
o Former national security adviser
o Former campaign foreign policy adviser
o Former personal lawyer
o Longtime friend and political adviser
Michael Cohen: Trump's former personal attorney
Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to eight felonies - including campaign law violations.
The case was separate from Mueller's investigation. However, as part of Cohen's plea bargain, he is cooperating with the Mueller investigation.
He was sentenced to three years in prison.
On Nov. 29, 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress about a Moscow real estate project that Trump and his company were pursuing during the 2016 presidential campaign. He was sentenced to two months in prison on Dec. 12, 2018.
Michael Flynn: Trump's former security adviser
Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, pleaded guilty in December 2017 to making false statements to FBI agents.
Flynn lied about his conversations with then-Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition in December 2016.
Rick Gates: Trump's former deputy campaign manager
Rick Gates, Trump's former deputy campaign chairman, was indicted in October 2017. Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort also was indicted.
Charges included money laundering, conspiracy against the United States, and failure to disclose foreign lobbying efforts. The charges stemmed from deals with pro-Russian factions in Ukraine.
In February 2018, as part of a plea bargain, Gates pleaded guilty to some charges and the rest were dismissed. He agreed to cooperate with Mueller and testify against Manafort.
Paul Manafort: Trump's former campaign manager
Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, was indicted in October 2017. Trump's former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates also was indicted.
Charges included money laundering, conspiracy against the United States, and failure to disclose foreign lobbying efforts. The charges stemmed from deals with pro-Russian factions in Ukraine.
In August 2018, Manafort was convicted on eight counts. The jury deadlocked on 10 other counts.
In September 2018, Manafort pleaded guilty to two felonies and agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.
In November 2018, Mueller notified the court that Manafort had breached his plea deal by lying to the FBI and the Special Counsel's Office "on a variety of subject matters" after signing the agreement.
George Papadopoulos: Trump's former foreign policy adviser
George Papadopoulos, former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, pleaded guilty in October 2017 to making false statements to FBI agents by claiming his contacts with individuals tied to the Kremlin happened before he joined the campaign.
In October 2018, he was sentenced to two weeks in prison.
Konstantin Kilimnik: Manafort business associate
Konstantin Kilimnik, an associate of Manafort, was charged in June 2018 with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstruction of justice as part of the indictments against Manafort.
Prosecutors claim Kilimnik has ties to Russian intelligence
Richard Pinedo: Sold American bank accounts to Russians
Richard Pinedo in February 2018 pleaded guilty to identity fraud for selling account numbers to Russians who allegedly interfered in the 2016 presidential election.
In October 2018 he was sentenced to six months in prison.
Roger Stone - Longtime friend and political adviser
Roger Stone, President Donald Trump's longtime friend and adviser, was indicted Jan. 25, 2019 on charges of obstruction, lying, and witness tampering in connection with his alleged contacts with WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign.
Alex van der Zwaan
Alex van der Zwaan in February 2018 pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents about his communications with Gates.
The two worked together for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.
In April 2018 he was sentenced to 30 days in prison.
Russians who have been indicted
13 charged with election interference
Thirteen Russian individuals and three Russian businesses in February 2018 were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States "in order to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes."
In addition, three defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five were charged with aggravated identity theft.
12 charged with hacking
Twelve Russian military intelligence officers were charged with hacking the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's campaign as part of their efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
Eleven were charged with conspiracy to commit computer crimes, eight counts of aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to launder money. Two are charged with a separate count of conspiracy to commit computer crimes.
The indictment claims that the conspirators "also communicated with U.S. persons about the release of stolen documents."
Russians charged by other prosecutors
Charges against other Russians connected to the election have been filed by prosecutors not affiliated with the Mueller probe.
Maria Butina was indicted for her alleged role in a covert Russian influence operation in the United States. She pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in December 2018.
Elena Khusyaynova was charged with being part of a conspiracy to interfere in both the 2016 and 2018 elections.
Other indictments stemming from the Mueller investigation
Gregory Craig
Gregory Craig, Obama administration White House counsel, was indicted for making false and misleading statements in connection to his work on behalf of the pro-Kremlin government of Ukraine in 2012.
Craig, who served as President Barack Obama's White House counsel from 2009 to 2010, was among the Americans who reportedly took part in the Ukrainian lobbying effort led by Paul Manafort.
Click here to read the indictment against Craig.
Bijan Kian and Kamil Ekim Alptekin
Bijan Kian and Kamil Ekim Alptekin, former business associates of Michael Flynn, were indicted in connection with Flynn's lobbying effort to extradite a Turkish cleric and opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Click here to read the indictment against Kian and Alptekin
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