"Toontime: Night of the Living Dwarfs

credit: Joe Heller
BC Idonwanna sez: Toonman left out Apathy!

Robert Mueller's Russian Connection investigation has submerged beneath the surface of the news like a Russian nuclear submarine.  No doubt the veteran prosecutor is minding his etiquette directives not to overshadow the election process.  Nevertheless, the investigation is on-going: Paul Manafort has bee interviewed nine times since he agreed to cooperate as part of his plea deal to avoid life imprisonment.  Hair Further better pray the Democrats do not take over the House;  a politically charged congressional investigation into areas not even touched by Mueller, such as Trump's organization serving as a front for Russian mob money-laundering, would much less polite.

One person likely to be indicted post-election is Roger Stone, a long-time conservative political operative. Trump's campaign manager after Manafort was Stephen Bannon, and he wasted no time contacting Stone when he heard Julian Assange of Wikileaks promise to unload a stash of stolen DNC emails. Stone made himself appear to be an inside conduit to obtaining those emails for political ammunition against Hillary Clinton. [read the emails here courtesy of the NYT]
However Stone is prone to puffery, to put it politely, so Mueller plans to call some of Stone's former employees before a grand jury to put the extent of Stone"s participation in the conspiracy into perspective. Stone said Wednesday in a media interview that he did nothing more than hyperbole and bluff.  He claims he knew nothing more than secondhand information and Assange's public statements. The investigators are honing in on the truth of the statement under oath Stone made to the House Intelligence Committee a year ago that he had no “advance knowledge of the source or actual content of the WikiLeaks disclosures.”

Investigators are also examining Stone's activities that may constitute witness tampering. Allegedly Stone told a former radio broadcaster, Randy Credico, who had knowledge of Wikileaks' plans to unleash a storm of stolen emails They are reviewing Credico's communications with Mr. Stone, including emails and text messages, in which Mr. Stone told Mr. Credico not to talk to the F.B.I. and to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself before the grand jury.   His PAC, the They are reviewing his communications with Mr. Stone, including emails and text messages, in which Mr. Stone told Mr. Credico not to talk to the F.B.I. and to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself before the grand jury. The investigation of Stone apparently includes his political funding since several advisors from his PAC, the Committee to Make America Great Again have been called to testify about donations to the PAC and to whom funds have been distributed.  So, the Russian Connection investigation makes way beneath the waves of "fake news".

credit: Rick McKee, Augusta Chronicle