A Democratic member of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he is “99 percent certain” that indictments will be handed down for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
“I’m about 99 percent sure there will be some criminal charges from this investigation,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal told Politico on Tuesday.
Blumenthal said that Flynn and Manafort “are the most prominent” Trump associates who are likely to be indicted, “but there may well be others” charged as part of a sprawling investigation being led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Blumenthal also told Politico that he is less certain that Trump will face any charges related to the investigation, which has expanded to include a look at whether Trump obstructed justice by firing James Comey as FBI director in May.
Mueller and several congressional panels, including Senate Judiciary, are investigating Russia’s role in interfering in the presidential campaign. In addition to obstruction of justice, Mueller’s investigation has expanded into looking at the business dealings of Flynn and Manafort.
Flynn, a retired lieutenant general, operated a private defense consultancy while serving as Trump’s top national security adviser. During that period, he signed a $600,000 contact with a Turkish businessman tied to the Erdogan government.
The Justice Department and Mueller have reportedly issued grand jury subpoenas for Flynn’s business records.
Mueller appears to be going harder after Manafort, a longtime Republican lobbyist and consultant whose work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine appears to be a central focus of the investigation. In July, Mueller obtained a search warrant to conduct a raid on Manafort’s Virginia home. Mueller has also reportedly told Manafort and his legal team that he can expect to be indicted.
Roger Stone, a former Manafort business partner who is in contact with President Trump, said on Tuesday that Manafort’s lawyers have told his lawyers that he is expecting an indictment. (RELATED: Roger Stone Discusses Paul Manafort)
Stone asserts that the forthcoming charges are part of an intimidation campaign to get Manafort to flip on Trump and admit that there was collusion on the campaign. But Stone says the attempt will be unsuccessful because Manafort did not engage in collusion.
WATCH THE COMEY TESTIMONY ON FLYNN AND RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE DETAILS: