Robert Mueller Establishes New Facts

Michael Cohen’s confession and the Russia investigation’s climax

The most important aspect of Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation is its ability to establish new facts. Not opinions, partisan spin, or “alternative facts,” but incontrovertible truths almost everyone accepts as reality.

I don’t mean everyone will accept the conclusions of Mueller’s final report, nor that everyone accepts the investigation’s legitimacy. Just that when the special counsel files indictments, secures a conviction, or obtains a plea, it permanently changes the dynamic of the Trump-Russia scandal.

These aren’t just news stories that’ll get replaced in a few cycles. They’re legal documents, which can be cited in future proceedings.

Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort is now a convicted felon. Thirteen Russian individuals and three Russian organizations are under indictment for crimes relating to election influence operations, and twelve Russian intelligence officers are charged with crimes relating to hacking and disseminating prominent Democrats’ emails. Four Trump campaign officials have confessed to federal crimes, including his first National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.