Russiagate goes to Grand Jury stage

Investigations into the so-called Russiagate plot led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller have indicated that the case is about to take a significant development in both status and importance. The decision to seat a Grand Jury must be taken seriously since it has the power to demand documents and cite witnesses to testify under oath in court.

In fact, the Grand Jury has already requested information on the meeting between the US president’s eldest son, Donald Jr., and the lawyer who promised “dirty” Russian material from the Kremlin which could be used against Hillary Clinton.

The use of a Grand jury investigation is fairly common, but it shows that Mueller’s work is advancing in secret and that he is determined to delve into the depths of the case on possible links between the campaign of President Donald Trump and the Kremlin, leaving the possibility of accusations and charges being laid in the forseeable future.

It will be months before anything is certain but there is now obviously sufficient and reasonable evidence to warrant such a move.

Trump’s team has downplayed the issue. “The White House is in favour of anything that can lead to a fair conclusion of (Mueller’s) work as speedily as possible,” said Trump’s legal adviser in the matter, Ty Cobb. However, Congressional confidence in the president is almost nil, and Democrat and Republican lawmakers are working on laws to protect the independence of the prosecutor. Trump continues to insist that it is all an invention. “The Russian plot is a total fabrication,” he said early on Friday in an election rally in West Virginia. But with fresh leaks on other questions, the White House has warned staffers against leaking “State Secrets”.