Special Counsel Robert Mueller was intent on gathering as much Intel as possible. His efforts showed he would pursue anyone that he thought were tied to Russia.
He was set on questioning anyone he could get to; only those out of his reach were presently guaranteed exemption.
Mueller now had set his sights upon George Nader who was associated with the ruler of U.A.E. Nader worked closely with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi. Nader was said to accompany the Prince on many occasions.
Mueller had also been questioning Russian oligarchs in relation to the claim of Russian interference. It was believed that Mueller may have some level of information, but continued to search for further evidence that may help.
Another story that had received attention was that it paid to co-operate with Mueller and his investigation.
It Pays To Play
The theory placed before us was that it pays to play. Play along with the rules set out by Mueller and his team.
Names like George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn come to mind. These men found the going much easier after pleading guilty. They made investigator’s job much easier and benefited from being compliant.
“There’s no question that it’s in the Government’s interest to take what steps they can to show that cooperating is in the interest of the defendant,” said Daniel Petalas, a former federal prosecutor. “A basic principle of plea bargaining is that you have to make it worth it to the defendant to admit liability in a criminal matter.”
“There is a societal interest, frankly, in having people cooperate with prosecutors because often the government only can know what’s happened based on documentary evidence and witnesses that it speaks with,” said Sharon McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor in New York. “But insiders who can give insight into conversations and planning and things like that are crucial to being able to make cases.”
Mueller Tactics
“Prosecutors and investigators like the element of surprise when you can get more instinctive (and often truthful) responses,” said Daniel Goldman, a former federal prosecutor, in a text. Mueller’s team is using search warrants to access electronic devices and, Goldman added, “surprise is crucial for those searches because you don’t want anyone to wipe their phone.”
Mueller team still continued to follow the money trail as it digs into any fraudulent acts. It was believed that the money trail could also lead to whether Russia financed anything related to interference during election time.
The Russian probe certainly showed no signs of ending soon. It looked as though we could expect to see a lot more of persons becoming persons of interest.