SAGE Lecture Spark April 2, 2019

Robert Mueller Completes Investigation: What Happens Next? Special counsel Robert Mueller has completed his investigation into the claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the claims that Trump campaign were complicit. Mueller submitted the final 400-page report to Attorney General William Barr, who on March 24th summarized the primary conclusions and claimed that there was no evidence that implicated the President on the claims that he obstructed justice. Barr’s short summary and review of the report have sparked backlash from Congressional Democrats and the public. Do you believe that the Barr should release the report in its entirety to ensure transparency? Here are a few sources regarding the Mueller Report: Attorney General Barr’s Summary of the Mueller Probe, Annotated By: Andrew Martin Bloomberg 03/24/2019 https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/mueller-report-summary-annotated/ Democrats to authorize subpoena for full Mueller report By: Jeremy Herb and Manu Raju CNN 04/01/2019 https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/01/politics/house-judiciary-subpoena-full-muller-report/index.html Mueller report will be delivered by “mid-April, of not sooner,” attorney general tells Congress By: Devlin Barrett and Karoun Demirjian Washington Post 03/29/2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/mueller-report-will-be-delivered-by-mid-april-if-not-sooner-attorney-general-tells-congress/2019/03/29/288a3692-524c-11e9-a3f7-78b7525a8d5f_story.html?utm_term=.a9d2bbb21188

Key Concepts A brief history of the use of special counsels: During the Nixon Administration, a special prosecutor was appointed by the Attorney General to lead an investigation into the Watergate scandal. Nixon later fired the special counsel, as there were no laws that defined or regulated appointments of that nature. In 1978, the Ethics in Government Act was passed. This law defined the circumstances which individuals could be appointed to conduct independent investigations. The legislation expired in 1999, in the wake of the Clinton scandal. Today, the terms “special prosecutor” or “independent counsel” are no longer utilized and the Department of Justice has regulations which allow an outside “special counsel” to investigate when there is a conflict of interest. The following sources provide some information regarding the history of special counsels in the United States: Special counsel: What is it and what is Robert Mueller doing? BBC News 02/21/2019 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39961732

Key Concepts Information pertaining to the position of a special counsel: Powers: Special counsels can subpoena records, bring criminal charges, prosecute, and also ask for their jurisdiction to be widened. Who can fire them: The attorney general can fire the special counsel for various reasons, such as misconduct, conflict of interest, violation of policies, etc. The following website provides information pertaining to the positions of special counsels: Special counsel: What is it and what is Robert Mueller doing? BBC News 02/21/2019 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39961732

Assessment Writing: What was the purpose of special counsel Robert Mueller’s appointment? Debate: The Mueller report completely exonerates the Trump Administration of collusion and obstruction of justice during the 2016 presidential campaign trail. Poll: Do you believe that reports completed by special counsel’s, such as Robert Mueller, should be released, without redactions, to the public to ensure transparency? Short Answer: What powers does the special counsel have? Current Events Quiz 1. According to various news sources, the President can use which of the following powers to ensure that the report is submitted to them for a review?? A. executive privilege B. veto C. appointment D. convene Congress   2. The special report investigation cost a total of ______ taxpayer dollars. A. 1 million B. 13 million C. 25 million D. 31 million 3. How many Trump associates have plead guilty as a result of the charges brought forth by the Mueller investigation? A. 0 B. 3 C. 5 D. 8 4. The full report without redactions will be available to both Congress and the public in April. (T/F) 5. No one has been indicted as a result of Mueller’s investigation. (T/F) 6. Attorney William Barr does not intend on submitting the report to the White House for review. (T/F) Answers 1) A 2) C 3) C 4) F 5) F 6) T