This week has revealed that for all of President Donald Trump’s efforts to define the special counsel in narrow terms, Mueller’s investigation is unknowably broad and is possibly expanding further.
Friday’s court hearing for Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign adviser, will offer the latest glimpse of what Mueller knows, capping a frenetic week that put questions of collusion, obstruction and perjury potentially into play.
Longtime Trump political adviser Roger Stone and his associate Jerome Corsi could be bit players or could be key to cases still being built.
(MORE: Robert Mueller appears laser-focused on Roger Stone. These emails explain why.)
Enter Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, whose cooperation could be worth several times what Manafort’s would have been, given his longtime association with Trump and his business interests.
Cohen is admitting to lies that appear relatively minor, except in the context of what they mean for other key players’ truthfulness and their potential motivations for misleading authorities about business interests involving Russia.
Trump’s outbursts at Mueller will continue to draw outsized attention, as will speculation about whether the president will let him finish his work.
But Mueller has already covered too much ground for it all to be walked back. And even now it’s not clear who the final targets may be.
The RUNDOWN with Adam Kelsey
J. Scott Applewhite/APRep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., listens as he speaks with the media after being elected chairman of the House Democratic Caucus for the 116th Congress in January, at the Capitol, Nov. 28, 2018.
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call/APRep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., walks down the House steps of the Capitol after the final votes of the week, Sept. 28, 2018.
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/APRep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., arrives for the House Democrats’ leadership elections at the Capitol, Nov. 29, 2018.
J. Scott Applewhite/APRep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., who helped usher in the majority as chairman of House Democrats’ campaign committee, arrives for the House Democratic Caucus leadership elections at the Capitol, Nov. 28, 2018.
Though it appears the 116th Congress won’t be the one in which Democrats fully pass the leadership torch to a new generation, those yearning for a younger group to steer the party into the future still might find encouragement in this week’s developments.
Since the midterms, political headlines have been dominated by Democrats’ young guns, like 20-something Rep.-elects Abby Finkenauer and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and its aging leadership: Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim Clyburn — 78, 79 and 78, respectively.
But based on the results of the party’s leadership races this week, it’s some of the lesser-known names occupying the generational middle ground who may emerge as a speaker or minority leader in waiting.
There’s Hakeem Jeffries, 48, of New York, the new House Democratic caucus chairman, and caucus vice chair Katherine Clark, 55, of Massachusetts. Plus Cheri Bustos, 57, of Illinois, the incoming Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair, and her predecessor in the position, Ben Ray Lujan, 46, of New Mexico, the new assistant Democratic leader.
The spotlight will continue to shine on the fearless freshmen — and scrutiny of Pelosi shows no sign of letting up — but the efforts of this experienced group will be integral as Democrats maneuver to block the president’s agenda and increase their control in Washington by 2020.
The TIP with John Verhovek
After months of Democratic bickering and congressional candidates avoiding the question of who they will vote for as their next leader in the House, it seems the party is content to move forward under the guidance of Pelosi.
But even as progressive and establishment Democrats drop their fists, the same battle lines that emerged in the party’s House leadership fight seem eerily similar to the ones that will be drawn when it comes time to choose their next nominee for president.
The energy that pulsed within the party throughout 2018 — and led to events such as the ouster of the powerful New York Rep. Joe Crowley by Ocasio-Cortez — was in part responsible for what looks like a 40-seat pickup in the House.
The candidates emerging as 2020 Democratic contenders will have to harness that energy and use it to forge winning campaigns.
Will that candidate be an old-guard, establishment figure like former Vice President Joe Biden, a fresher face like Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke or a progressive hero like Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders?
The stage is set — now we just have to wait to see who steps into that spotlight.
THE PLAYLIST
ABC News’ “Start Here” Podcast. Friday morning’s episode features team coverage of the Michael Cohen plea deal: ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos and ABC News’ Aaron Katersky walk us through the dramatic day which saw the president’s former fixer plead guilty to lying to Congress. ABC News White House correspondent Karen Travers explains how Trump responded. And, ABC News Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl tells us why Trump canceled an upcoming meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit. http://apple.co/2HPocUL
This Week on “This Week”: The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and former Trump adviser Roger Stone come to “This Week” Sunday. And the Powerhouse Roundtable debates the week in politics, with ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce, former New Jersey Governor and ABC News Contributor Chris Christie, ABC News Political Analyst Matthew Dowd, “The View” Co-Host Meghan McCain and Democratic Strategist Donna Brazile.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY
— Bilateral breakfast and remarks with Argentina President Mauricio Macri at 5 a.m.
— Bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at 11:45 a.m.
— Bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at 1 p.m.
— G-20 Leaders Dinner at 6:15 p.m.
The Note has a new look! Download the ABC News app and select “The Note” as an item of interest to receive the day’s sharpest political analysis.
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
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