Mueller Failed to Follow Trump’s Money Trail
It was the best way to discern the president’s ties to Russia — a job that may yet be done by the Manhattan district attorney.
He sidestepped a key line of investigation.
Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty ImagesThree years ago, as Special Counsel Robert Mueller pushed ahead with his probe of Team Trump’s intersection with Russia, he issued subpoenas to the German financial giant Deutsche Bank AG. Mueller was seeking information about Paul Manafort’s dealings with the bank, and his request for records about Donald Trump’s former campaign manager apparently set off alarms in the White House.
Trump had also done lots of business with Deutsche Bank, and although Mueller issued his subpoenas secretly, word somehow leaked to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the White House asked Mueller’s team what they were examining, Mueller responded that Manafort, not Trump, was the target.