Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump

[Lesh]

No. It didn't.

There was already voluminous evidence that the Trump campaign was in bed with the Russians and then Trump fired Comey...to get rid of the "Russia thing" (his words)

 

[bripat9643]

If we are "buffaloed," then why are the snowflakes always screaming about Trump?

I don't know, nor care, about 'snowflakes'. But you are deluded. You've been sold down the river and you can't admit it.

Even if that were true, Hillary was the alternative. How would that have been better?

Believe it or not, you don't have to support either one of them.

True, but the sad reality is one of the two of them wins.

But voters don't have to continue supporting them. I can, almost, understand why someone would choose to vote for the "lesser of two evils". But if they elect a candidate who they're acknowledging is evil, to prevent the victory of the greater evil candidate, why would they go on supporting that evil candidate after the election?

I hope I never concede to this logic. But if I do, if I vote for a lesser-evil candidate and they win - the first thing I'll do is organize a campaign to get them impeached.

We've got to stop settling for evil.

I don't concede that Trump is evil, and neither to 90% of the people who voted for him.

 

[The VOR]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

Hmm.... so they considered using legitimate, Constitutional means to remove the President from office. That's not a crime.

They did a lot more than that, and wearing a wire to spy on the president is a crime.

Who wore a wire?

You can't be that stupid.

Then answer the question, DOUCHEBAG.

Who wore a wire to spy on the president?

 

[bripat9643]

No. It didn't.

There was already voluminous evidence that the Trump campaign was in bed with the Russians and then Trump fired Comey...to get rid of the "Russia thing" (his words)

There is no evidence. None. You're a fucking moron.

 

[Lesh]

I have heard that the dossier was the ONLY evidence presented to the FISA Court. Is that wrong?

You "heard that"?
Yea..it was wrong...and the Nunes memo proved that

 

[bripat9643]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

Hmm.... so they considered using legitimate, Constitutional means to remove the President from office. That's not a crime.

They did a lot more than that, and wearing a wire to spy on the president is a crime.

Who wore a wire?

You can't be that stupid.

Then answer the question, DOUCHEBAG.

Who wore a wire to spy on the president?

Apparently you are that stupid.

 

[80zephyr]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

Hmm. Even if we can agree that our government has to have a way out when we might have a bad president, it doesn't change the fact that the New York Times revealed that the FBI investigation of Trump for alleged treason was little more than retaliation against the president for lawfully firing an incompetent and ethically challenged FBI director.

If thats not the "deep state" I don't know what is.

Mark

 

[The VOR]

Hmm.... so they considered using legitimate, Constitutional means to remove the President from office. That's not a crime.

They did a lot more than that, and wearing a wire to spy on the president is a crime.

Who wore a wire?

You can't be that stupid.

Then answer the question, DOUCHEBAG.

Who wore a wire to spy on the president?

Apparently you are that stupid.

So that would be nobody then, right?

 

[dblack]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

The deep state is real. McCabe just wrote a book where he admits it.

You know, a few years back, I might have agreed. At the very least I had this vague sensation that there was a cabal of powerful people pulling the strings and steering the US, purely according to their own agenda, but steering it nonetheless.

Trump's election convinced me otherwise. No minimally competent "deep state" would have allowed that to happen.

 

[Lesh]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

Hmm. Even if we can agree that our government has to have a way out when we might have a bad president, it doesn't change the fact that the New York Times revealed that the FBI investigation of Trump for alleged treason was little more than retaliation against the president for lawfully firing an incompetent and ethically challenged FBI director.

If thats not the "deep state" I don't know what is.

Mark

Ummm...nope. Trump ADMITTED on National TV that he was firing the head of the FBI to stifle "the Russia thing"

 

[Lesh]

Trump's election convinced me otherwise. No minimally competent "deep state" would have allowed that to happen.

What you call the "deep state" are the norms that keep this nation on a stable course

 

[80zephyr]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

Hmm. Even if we can agree that our government has to have a way out when we might have a bad president, it doesn't change the fact that the New York Times revealed that the FBI investigation of Trump for alleged treason was little more than retaliation against the president for lawfully firing an incompetent and ethically challenged FBI director.

If thats not the "deep state" I don't know what is.

Mark

Ummm...nope. Trump ADMITTED on National TV that he was firing the head of the FBI to stifle "the Russia thing"

Does that change in any way what the New York Times reported?

Mark

 

[EvilCat Breath]

The rogue agents need to be arrested and prosecuted. It should be the No 1 priority for the new AG.

 

[80zephyr]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

The deep state is real. McCabe just wrote a book where he admits it.

You know, a few years back, I might have agreed. At the very least I had this vague sensation that there was a cabal of powerful people pulling the strings and steering the US, purely according to their own agenda, but steering it nonetheless.

Trump's election convinced me otherwise. No minimally competent "deep state" would have allowed that to happen.

They never would have guessed Trump could win, not in 1000 years. Its why they didn't care if they played fast and loose with the rules, they figured the Dems would have swept it under a rug.

Mark

 

[80zephyr]

Trump's election convinced me otherwise. No minimally competent "deep state" would have allowed that to happen.

What you call the "deep state" are the norms that keep this nation on a stable course

The Gestapo kept Germany nice and stable to.

Mark

 

[dblack]

The rogue agents need to be arrested and prosecuted. It should be the No 1 priority for the new AG.

Screw that. Traitors don't deserve a trial. Immediate public executions would be more thematic.

 

[WaitingFor2020]

This so-called "plot". Did anyone actually do anything, or was it just a lot of "What if the President is really . . ."?

Even if they didn't do anything, it's still illegal. Of course, the whole Mueller witch hunt is the end result of their plotting.

Then why are all these "witches" pleading guilty to lying, you stupid piece of fecal matter?
You actually think they have no connection to Trump, you fucking idiot?????

Indicted: Roger Stone

Roger Stone speaks to the media after appearing before the House Intelligence Committee on Sept.26, 2017.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Roger Stone, a longtime informal adviser to President Trump and a self-proclaimed "dirty trickster," was arrested by FBI agents at his home in Florida and charged with seven counts, including obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements in relation to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The special counsel's indictment alleges that Stone was in regular contact with WikiLeaks (identified in the indictment as "Organization 1") and the Trump campaign at key moments as stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign were being released to the public ahead of Election Day in 2016. The timing of these communications, prosecutors allege, suggest officials in the Trump campaign knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks' had stolen the emails and was prepared to leak them.

According to the indictment:

"After the July 22, 2016 release of stolen DNC emails by Organization 1, a senior Trump Campaign official was directed to contact Stone about any additional releases and what other damaging information Organization 1 had regarding the Clinton Campaign."

NPR's terms of use and privacy policy.

The indictment says Stone "thereafter told the Trump Campaign about potential future releases."

As NPR's Philip Ewing and Tamara Keith note, the indictment is the first to charge an American in relation to the theft and release of stolen Democratic Party emails. Moreover, "it shows Mueller wants to try to prove that at least one person in the Trump campaign's orbit colluded with Russian's election interference."

Stone has repeatedly denied that he played any role in helping the Russian attack on the 2016 election. In May, he told NPR that the special counsel was "following a fake news narrative, which continues to repeat incorrectly that I had advance knowledge of the content source or exact timing of the WikiLeaks disclosures."

Read the indictment // More from NPR

Convicted: Paul Manafort

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort leaves federal court in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 30, 2017.

Keith Lane/Getty Images
President Trump's former campaign chairman pleaded guilty in September 2018 to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice — charges that stemmed from a range of alleged crimes committed over more than a decade as a lobbyist, and later, a member of the Trump campaign.

Manafort had been set to go on trial in Washington, D.C., but his plea meant his case did not go before a jury.

As part of his plea deal, Manafort agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation, but in November, the special counsel's office told a federal judge he had "breached the plea agreement."

Prosecutors said Manafort committed new crimes "by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Counsel's Office on a variety of subject matters." Manafort's attorneys said he gave the government useful information.

In an earlier case, a federal jury found Manafort guilty on eight of the 18 counts he faced in a sprawling tax and bank fraud case.

It marked an important milestone for the Mueller investigation: the first case to reach trial. Prosecutors accused Manafort of failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars that he earned as a consultant for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine and kept hidden from the IRS.

The jury deadlocked on 10 counts, prompting U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III to declare a mistrial on those remaining charges.

Read the superseding criminal information // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Trump, exits the federal courthouse in New York City.

Yana Paskova/Getty Images
At one time, lawyer Michael Cohen said he would "take a bullet" for Donald Trump. But by pleading guilty in November 2018 to lying to Congress, Cohen raised new questions about Trump's business interests in Russia during a pivotal period of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Cohen admitted that he lied when he told Congress that discussions about a potential Trump Tower project in Moscow ended in January 2016. Actually, he said, they continued through June of that year.

According to court documents, Cohen also initially said that his overtures to the Russian government went unrequited, but as talks progressed, he eventually heard back from a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin: Dmitry Peskov.

Cohen also pleaded guilty in August 2018 to five counts of tax evasion, one count of falsifying submissions to a bank and two campaign finance violations — a plea that directly implicated the president.

The campaign finance violations stem from two payments that Cohen helped arrange ahead of Election Day in 2016 to buy the silence of former Playboy model Karen McDougal and the adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels. The women say they had sexual relationships with Trump.

Trump has acknowledged that he reimbursed Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Clifford — but denies the alleged relationships with both women.

Cohen told a federal judge that he made the payments "in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office," and that he did so "for the principal purpose of influencing the election."

On Dec. 12, 2018, Cohen was sentenced to 36 months in prison. He had been facing as many as 63 months. Cohen was also ordered to pay nearly $2 million for his crimes.

Read the criminal information // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: W. Samuel Patten
W. Samuel Patten pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a foreign agent for lobbying work he performed for a political party in Ukraine called Opposition Bloc.

Prosecutors said Patten partnered with a Russian national to lobby on behalf of the pro-Russia party, providing political consulting to members, including an unnamed Ukrainian oligarch. They received more than $1 million for that work, which included setting up meetings with government officials and members of Congress, and drafting op-eds to appear on behalf of the oligarch inside U.S. news outlets.

Though unnamed in court papers, the Russian national is believed to be Konstantin Kilimnik, who for years worked closely with Paul Manafort in Ukraine. Patten's case was brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on a referral from the special counsel.

Patten has not yet been sentenced.

Read the criminal information // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: Rick Gates

Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates leaves federal court in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 11, 2017.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
Like Manafort, Rick Gates was once a top aide to Trump, serving as his deputy campaign chairman during the 2016 presidential race, and later, as a senior aide on the presidential inaugural committee.

Before that, Gates spent years as Manafort's protege.

Gates agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation after pleading guilty in February 2018 to financial fraud and lying to federal investigators.

He was originally charged alongside Manafort with conspiracy to launder money, making false statements and other charges in connection to their work advising Russia-friendly politicians in Ukraine.

At Manafort's trial, Gates testified that he and his former partner used offshore bank accounts and wire transfers in order to hide money from the IRS. Gates faces as much as six years in prison. He has continued cooperating with the government as its investigations go forward and has not yet been sentenced.

Read the original indictment // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: Alex van der Zwaan

Alex van der Zwaan arrives at a U.S. district courthouse in Washington, D.C. for his sentencing on April 3, 2018.

Alex Wong/Getty Images
Alex van der Zwaan became the first person to be sentenced in the Mueller probe after he pleaded guilty to lying to investigators.

The son-in-law of a Russia-based billionaire, van der Zwaan acknowledged in federal court in February 2018 that he misled investigators about a conversation he had with Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign aide, in September 2016.

The conversation focused on a report that van der Zwaan's law firm prepared about the prosecution of Yulia Tymoshenko, a political rival of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

He was sentenced to 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Read the statement of the offense // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: Richard Pinedo
Richardo Pinedo is a California man who in February 2018 pleaded guilty to identity fraud.

Pinedo admitted to making tens of thousands of dollars by creating hundreds of bank accounts, often using stolen identities. He then sold those accounts on the Web to unidentified foreign users.

It's unclear to what extent, if any, those users included suspects connected to the Russia investigation. But it's possible they were used as part of a scheme described by Mueller's office in which Russians intent on attacking the 2016 election moved money around the world to pay for virtual private networks, Web hosting services and other such cyber-tools.

In an interview with The New York Times, Pinedo's attorney, Jeremy I. Lessem, said that if his client's actions did assist "any individuals, including foreign nationals, with interfering in the American presidential election, it was done completely without his knowledge or understanding."

Pindedo was sentenced to six months in prison, six months of home confinement and 100 hours of community service.

Read the statement of the offense

Pleaded guilty: Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn arrives at Trump Tower on Jan. 4, 2017.

Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
During the 2016 campaign, Michael Flynn led chants of "lock her up" at the Republican National Convention, and after Trump's victory, was appointed to serve as his first national security adviser.

But he lasted less than a month on the job before resigning, and in December 2017, he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition.

The single count against Flynn related to discussions with ambassador Sergey Kislyak around two issues: Obama administration sanctions on Russia and a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements.

According to court documents, Flynn denied to investigators that he asked Kislyak to either defeat or delay the U.N. vote on settlements, and that he also asked the Russians to refrain from retaliating against the sanctions. The government said Flynn was directed by "a very senior member" of the transition team.

Flynn, a former Army general, would eventually admit to misleading the FBI about those conversations, and as part of his plea deal, agreed to cooperate with the special counsel's investigation. Ahead of his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Flynn had provided "substantial" aid with "several ongoing investigations," telling a court his assistance merited a judge's consideration.

Read the statement of the offense // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: George Papadopoulos

George Papadopoulos arrives at court for his sentencing on Sept. 7, 2018.

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
George Papadopoulos was the first person charged in the Mueller investigation and pleaded guilty in October 2017 to lying to the FBI.

Papadopoulos was a junior foreign policy adviser to the Trump 2016 campaign — one of a number brought on early amidst questions about who would advise Trump about foreign affairs. Trump once praised him as an "excellent guy."

In January 2017, the FBI questioned Papadopoulos about his interactions with a professor based in London with links to the Russian government. The official told Papadopoulos that the Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails," according to court documents.

Prosecutors say Papadopoulos went on to use the professor's connections in an effort to arrange a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

In his interview with the FBI, Papadopoulos originally described the professor as "a nothing," but investigators said that "In truth ... Papadopoulos understood that the professor had substantial connections to Russian government officials."

Papadopoulos' attorney said when he was sentenced that he didn't recall whether he'd communicated the information about the dirt on Clinton to his superiors on the Trump campaign.

He was sentenced to 14 days in prison. In a statement provided to NPR after his release in December 2018, his lawyer emphasized there was no evidence that he colluded with Russia and that he has never been accused of doing so or of being involved in any plot to undermine the presidential election.

 

[WaitingFor2020]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

Hmm. Even if we can agree that our government has to have a way out when we might have a bad president, it doesn't change the fact that the New York Times revealed that the FBI investigation of Trump for alleged treason was little more than retaliation against the president for lawfully firing an incompetent and ethically challenged FBI director.

If thats not the "deep state" I don't know what is.

Mark

Ummm...nope. Trump ADMITTED on National TV that he was firing the head of the FBI to stifle "the Russia thing"

Yes, he did. In front of two Russian operators in the Oval Office in the presence of RT, the Russian television network, and without any American press.
And yet these fucking deadhead, knuckle-dragging, monosyllabic idiots insist on Trump's innocence.
.
.
.

 

[bripat9643]

The deep state is about to implode. Everyone involved in this plot should be in prison:

Andrew McCabe Admits Top NatSec Officials Plotted Coup Against Trump​

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe publicly admitted that after the firing of James Comey, national security officials strategized on invoking the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office.

“There were meetings at the Justice Department at which it was discussed whether the vice president and a majority of the cabinet could be brought together to remove the president of the United States under the 25th Amendment,” Scott Pelley said he learned in his “60 Minutes” interview with McCabe.

Pelley described the top bureaucrats as “counting noses,” and speculating on where various cabinet members might stand on the question of the president’s removal.​

We have the 25th Amendment for a reason.

It's not for taking out a President that deep state traitors don't like.

The Deep State is a figment of your party master's imagination.

quit being such a brain-dead sheep

Hmm. Even if we can agree that our government has to have a way out when we might have a bad president, it doesn't change the fact that the New York Times revealed that the FBI investigation of Trump for alleged treason was little more than retaliation against the president for lawfully firing an incompetent and ethically challenged FBI director.

If thats not the "deep state" I don't know what is.

Mark

Ummm...nope. Trump ADMITTED on National TV that he was firing the head of the FBI to stifle "the Russia thing"

No he didn't.

 

[bripat9643]

This so-called "plot". Did anyone actually do anything, or was it just a lot of "What if the President is really . . ."?

Even if they didn't do anything, it's still illegal. Of course, the whole Mueller witch hunt is the end result of their plotting.

Then why are all these "witches" pleading guilty to lying, you stupid piece of fecal matter?
You actually think they have no connection to Trump, you fucking idiot?????

Indicted: Roger Stone

Roger Stone speaks to the media after appearing before the House Intelligence Committee on Sept.26, 2017.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Roger Stone, a longtime informal adviser to President Trump and a self-proclaimed "dirty trickster," was arrested by FBI agents at his home in Florida and charged with seven counts, including obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements in relation to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The special counsel's indictment alleges that Stone was in regular contact with WikiLeaks (identified in the indictment as "Organization 1") and the Trump campaign at key moments as stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign were being released to the public ahead of Election Day in 2016. The timing of these communications, prosecutors allege, suggest officials in the Trump campaign knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks' had stolen the emails and was prepared to leak them.

According to the indictment:

"After the July 22, 2016 release of stolen DNC emails by Organization 1, a senior Trump Campaign official was directed to contact Stone about any additional releases and what other damaging information Organization 1 had regarding the Clinton Campaign."

NPR's terms of use and privacy policy.

The indictment says Stone "thereafter told the Trump Campaign about potential future releases."

As NPR's Philip Ewing and Tamara Keith note, the indictment is the first to charge an American in relation to the theft and release of stolen Democratic Party emails. Moreover, "it shows Mueller wants to try to prove that at least one person in the Trump campaign's orbit colluded with Russian's election interference."

Stone has repeatedly denied that he played any role in helping the Russian attack on the 2016 election. In May, he told NPR that the special counsel was "following a fake news narrative, which continues to repeat incorrectly that I had advance knowledge of the content source or exact timing of the WikiLeaks disclosures."

Read the indictment // More from NPR

Convicted: Paul Manafort

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort leaves federal court in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 30, 2017.

Keith Lane/Getty Images
President Trump's former campaign chairman pleaded guilty in September 2018 to conspiracy against the United States and conspiracy to obstruct justice — charges that stemmed from a range of alleged crimes committed over more than a decade as a lobbyist, and later, a member of the Trump campaign.

Manafort had been set to go on trial in Washington, D.C., but his plea meant his case did not go before a jury.

As part of his plea deal, Manafort agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation, but in November, the special counsel's office told a federal judge he had "breached the plea agreement."

Prosecutors said Manafort committed new crimes "by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Counsel's Office on a variety of subject matters." Manafort's attorneys said he gave the government useful information.

In an earlier case, a federal jury found Manafort guilty on eight of the 18 counts he faced in a sprawling tax and bank fraud case.

It marked an important milestone for the Mueller investigation: the first case to reach trial. Prosecutors accused Manafort of failing to pay taxes on millions of dollars that he earned as a consultant for pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine and kept hidden from the IRS.

The jury deadlocked on 10 counts, prompting U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III to declare a mistrial on those remaining charges.

Read the superseding criminal information // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Trump, exits the federal courthouse in New York City.

Yana Paskova/Getty Images
At one time, lawyer Michael Cohen said he would "take a bullet" for Donald Trump. But by pleading guilty in November 2018 to lying to Congress, Cohen raised new questions about Trump's business interests in Russia during a pivotal period of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Cohen admitted that he lied when he told Congress that discussions about a potential Trump Tower project in Moscow ended in January 2016. Actually, he said, they continued through June of that year.

According to court documents, Cohen also initially said that his overtures to the Russian government went unrequited, but as talks progressed, he eventually heard back from a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin: Dmitry Peskov.

Cohen also pleaded guilty in August 2018 to five counts of tax evasion, one count of falsifying submissions to a bank and two campaign finance violations — a plea that directly implicated the president.

The campaign finance violations stem from two payments that Cohen helped arrange ahead of Election Day in 2016 to buy the silence of former Playboy model Karen McDougal and the adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels. The women say they had sexual relationships with Trump.

Trump has acknowledged that he reimbursed Cohen for a $130,000 payment to Clifford — but denies the alleged relationships with both women.

Cohen told a federal judge that he made the payments "in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office," and that he did so "for the principal purpose of influencing the election."

On Dec. 12, 2018, Cohen was sentenced to 36 months in prison. He had been facing as many as 63 months. Cohen was also ordered to pay nearly $2 million for his crimes.

Read the criminal information // More from NPR

Pleaded guilty: W. Samuel Patten
W. Samuel Patten pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a foreign agent for lobbying work he performed for a political party in Ukraine called Opposition Bloc.

Prosecutors said Patten partnered with a Russian national to lobby on behalf of the pro-Russia party, providing political consulting to members, including an unnamed Ukrainian oligarch. They received more than $1 million for that work, which included setting up meetings with government officials and members of Congress, and drafting op-eds to appear on behalf of the oligarch inside U.S. news outlets.

Though unnamed in court papers, the Russian national is believed to be Konstantin Kilimnik, who for years worked closely with Paul Manafort in Ukraine. Patten's case was brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on a referral from the special counsel.

Patten has not yet been sentenced.

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Pleaded guilty: Rick Gates

Former Trump campaign official Rick Gates leaves federal court in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 11, 2017.

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Like Manafort, Rick Gates was once a top aide to Trump, serving as his deputy campaign chairman during the 2016 presidential race, and later, as a senior aide on the presidential inaugural committee.

Before that, Gates spent years as Manafort's protege.

Gates agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation after pleading guilty in February 2018 to financial fraud and lying to federal investigators.

He was originally charged alongside Manafort with conspiracy to launder money, making false statements and other charges in connection to their work advising Russia-friendly politicians in Ukraine.

At Manafort's trial, Gates testified that he and his former partner used offshore bank accounts and wire transfers in order to hide money from the IRS. Gates faces as much as six years in prison. He has continued cooperating with the government as its investigations go forward and has not yet been sentenced.

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Pleaded guilty: Alex van der Zwaan

Alex van der Zwaan arrives at a U.S. district courthouse in Washington, D.C. for his sentencing on April 3, 2018.

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Alex van der Zwaan became the first person to be sentenced in the Mueller probe after he pleaded guilty to lying to investigators.

The son-in-law of a Russia-based billionaire, van der Zwaan acknowledged in federal court in February 2018 that he misled investigators about a conversation he had with Rick Gates, the former Trump campaign aide, in September 2016.

The conversation focused on a report that van der Zwaan's law firm prepared about the prosecution of Yulia Tymoshenko, a political rival of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

He was sentenced to 30 days in prison and a $20,000 fine.

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Pleaded guilty: Richard Pinedo
Richardo Pinedo is a California man who in February 2018 pleaded guilty to identity fraud.

Pinedo admitted to making tens of thousands of dollars by creating hundreds of bank accounts, often using stolen identities. He then sold those accounts on the Web to unidentified foreign users.

It's unclear to what extent, if any, those users included suspects connected to the Russia investigation. But it's possible they were used as part of a scheme described by Mueller's office in which Russians intent on attacking the 2016 election moved money around the world to pay for virtual private networks, Web hosting services and other such cyber-tools.

In an interview with The New York Times, Pinedo's attorney, Jeremy I. Lessem, said that if his client's actions did assist "any individuals, including foreign nationals, with interfering in the American presidential election, it was done completely without his knowledge or understanding."

Pindedo was sentenced to six months in prison, six months of home confinement and 100 hours of community service.

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Pleaded guilty: Michael Flynn

Michael Flynn arrives at Trump Tower on Jan. 4, 2017.

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During the 2016 campaign, Michael Flynn led chants of "lock her up" at the Republican National Convention, and after Trump's victory, was appointed to serve as his first national security adviser.

But he lasted less than a month on the job before resigning, and in December 2017, he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition.

The single count against Flynn related to discussions with ambassador Sergey Kislyak around two issues: Obama administration sanctions on Russia and a United Nations resolution condemning Israeli settlements.

According to court documents, Flynn denied to investigators that he asked Kislyak to either defeat or delay the U.N. vote on settlements, and that he also asked the Russians to refrain from retaliating against the sanctions. The government said Flynn was directed by "a very senior member" of the transition team.

Flynn, a former Army general, would eventually admit to misleading the FBI about those conversations, and as part of his plea deal, agreed to cooperate with the special counsel's investigation. Ahead of his sentencing hearing, prosecutors said Flynn had provided "substantial" aid with "several ongoing investigations," telling a court his assistance merited a judge's consideration.

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Pleaded guilty: George Papadopoulos

George Papadopoulos arrives at court for his sentencing on Sept. 7, 2018.

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George Papadopoulos was the first person charged in the Mueller investigation and pleaded guilty in October 2017 to lying to the FBI.

Papadopoulos was a junior foreign policy adviser to the Trump 2016 campaign — one of a number brought on early amidst questions about who would advise Trump about foreign affairs. Trump once praised him as an "excellent guy."

In January 2017, the FBI questioned Papadopoulos about his interactions with a professor based in London with links to the Russian government. The official told Papadopoulos that the Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails," according to court documents.

Prosecutors say Papadopoulos went on to use the professor's connections in an effort to arrange a meeting between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

In his interview with the FBI, Papadopoulos originally described the professor as "a nothing," but investigators said that "In truth ... Papadopoulos understood that the professor had substantial connections to Russian government officials."

Papadopoulos' attorney said when he was sentenced that he didn't recall whether he'd communicated the information about the dirt on Clinton to his superiors on the Trump campaign.

He was sentenced to 14 days in prison. In a statement provided to NPR after his release in December 2018, his lawyer emphasized there was no evidence that he colluded with Russia and that he has never been accused of doing so or of being involved in any plot to undermine the presidential election.

Which one plead guilty to colluding with Russia? Oh yeah, that's right . . . . . none of them.