MICHAEL COHEN/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA INVSTIGATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Where the investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: WHAT’S THIS ALL ABOUT? Special counsel Robert Mueller is looking into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation. Trump also plays a central role in a separate case in New York, where prosecutors have implicated him in a crime. They say Trump directed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign. New York prosecutors also are looking into Trump’s inaugural fund. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW? The Senate Judiciary Committee approved William Barr’s nomination for attorney general along party lines Thursday [2-7-19]. Republicans praised his credentials and Democrats questioned how transparent he’ll be once Mueller’s Russia investigation concludes.”
–Associated Press, “Where the Investigations Related to President Trump Stand,” The New York Times online, February 7, 2019