REPORT: Mueller is asking witnesses about Trump/Wikileaks collusion…

Lots of stuff is leaking today from Mueller’s investigations into Trump/Russia collusion. The first being that Mueller is asking witnesses specific questions about if Trump knew about the stolen emails before it was publicly known:

NBC NEWS – Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team is asking witnesses pointed questions about whether Donald Trump was aware that Democratic emails had been stolen before that was publicly known, and whether he was involved in their strategic release, according to multiple people familiar with the probe.

Mueller’s investigators have asked witnesses whether Trump was aware of plans for WikiLeaks to publish the emails. They have also asked about the relationship between GOP operative Roger Stone and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and why Trump took policy positions favorable to Russia.

The line of questioning suggests the special counsel, who is tasked with examining whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election, is looking into possible coordination between WikiLeaks and Trump associates in disseminating the emails, which U.S. intelligence officials say were stolen by Russia.

Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion and has described the special counsel’s investigation as “illegal” and a “witch hunt.”

In one line of questioning, investigators have focused on Trump’s public comments in July 2016 asking Russia to find emails that were deleted by his then-opponent Hillary Clinton from a private server she maintained while secretary of state. The comments came at a news conference on July 27, 2016, just days after WikiLeaks began publishing the Democratic National Committee emails. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” Trump said.

Witnesses have been asked whether Trump himself knew then that Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta, whose emails were released several months later, had already been targeted. They were also asked if Trump was advised to make the statement about Clinton’s emails from someone outside his campaign, and if the witnesses had reason to believe Trump tried to coordinate the release of the DNC emails to do the most damage to Clinton, the people familiar with the matter said.

If this is where Mueller is in his investigation, it sounds like he doesn’t have anything significant on Trump at all, so he’s digging into the haystack looking for needles.

But at the end of the day, if Trump did nothing wrong and it really looks that way, then all this deep investigating will turn up nothing and it should be ‘comprehensive’ vindication for him.

And then there’s this:

CNN – Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller have recently been asking witnesses about Donald Trump’s business activities in Russia prior to the 2016 presidential campaign as he considered a run for president, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Questions to some witnesses during wide-ranging interviews included the timing of Trump’s decision to seek the presidency, potentially compromising information the Russians may have had about him, and why efforts to brand a Trump Tower in Moscow fell through, two sources said.

The lines of inquiry indicate Mueller’s team is reaching beyond the campaign to explore how the Russians might have sought to influence Trump at a time when he was discussing deals in Moscow and contemplating a presidential run.

Two of the sources said they do not know from the questions asked whether Mueller has concrete evidence to indicate wrongdoing.

“You ask everything even if you don’t think it’s credible,” one of the sources said, adding, “the allegations are out there, and it was checking the box.”

The special counsel’s office, an attorney for the President and the Trump Organization all declined to comment for this story.

Some say this is more evidence of Mueller’s investigation being a grotesque abuse of power. It does look like he’s searching far and wide for something to pin on Trump, that’s for sure.

But like I said, if he doesn’t find anything it will be good for Trump in the end. I know, however, that sometimes these kind of investigations are politically motivated and turn into hit jobs, so I get why people are skeptical.