Mueller tight-lipped as media leaks shape Russia narrative
Leaked glimpses of special counsel Robert Mueller's activities tell an incomplete story, angering some Trump associates — but likely serving the purposes of others.
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN 03/09/2018 05:05 AM EST
Special counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors aren’t talking to the media, but still the leaks keep coming.
In the past two weeks, anonymously sourced news reports have said the top federal Russia investigator is preparing to indict Russians for hacking Democratic emails in 2016; focusing on why one of President Donald Trump’s longtime lawyers was in talks about a Moscow real estate deal during the campaign; asking questions about Trump son-in-law, Jared Kushner’s business dealings; and probing whether the United Arab Emirates improperly sought to influence Trump White House policy.
Through it all, Mueller has said nothing in public — so far speaking only with indictments, like last month’s charges against Russian nationals accused of election interference, that had not been foreshadowed in the media.
That’s a textbook stance for a prosecutor who must avoid tipping off potential targets or wrongly incriminating people. But the former FBI director’s no-comment policy has also created an powerful information vacuum, one being filled by witnesses, lawyers and others who have caught glimpses of his advancing probe, and who feed the media selective details that serve their personal agendas — but which may or may not accurately reflect Mueller’s main avenues of inquiry.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/09/mueller-russia-probe-leaks-media-narrative-448682