Photos: Menachem Kalish

Almost two years since the FBI began probing links between the Trump campaign and Russian intelligence, we may finally know the truth.

Or maybe not.

Reports indicate that the full details of the long-awaited Mueller investigation may never see the light of day. Robert Mueller and his team of lawyers are bound to deliver their report to the attorney general, the newly appointed William Barr. In turn, Barr has promised he will write a summary of the report’s findings and deliver that to the heads of the justice committees in both houses of Congress.

But beyond that, the details of the two years of interviews and deep-diving into financial and intelligence records may never be known to the wider public. Barr has no obligation to send the results of the Mueller investigation to the White House, which would no doubt be all too happy to publicize details of the report, especially if they exonerate the president. In addition, there is no way for members of Congress to force the attorney general to reveal the full details of the probe, even though there are surely many Democratic members who would like nothing more. But there is an exception: If the summary report includes charges that could potentially lead to the impeachment of the president, the Justice Department will be obligated to transfer the full report to Congress.

Of course, even if the Mueller probe finds no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, Democrats in the House are preparing investigations of their own. And when they do, they will have a card to play: since their party controls the House, they will have the power to subpoena Robert Mueller to testify. There, in front of the cameras (or even in a private hearing), House Democrats will finally be able to ask Mueller all the burning questions that have been bandied about in the media for the last two years. But even in this scenario, the attorney general and the White House have an out. The president can order the Justice Department to refuse to allow Mueller to testify, in which case the entire matter would end up in court.

In the end, wish as we might, the Mueller investigation isn’t going away any time soon. Expect both parties to use its contents (or lack thereof) for their own purposes all the way until Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

2020 Watch

Bernie Sanders is running — again. The socialist Vermont senator launched his 2020 campaign last week, following a strong run in 2016.

Sanders, now 77, would be by far the oldest president in American history if elected. Unlike in 2016, however, there are now a number of younger progressive candidates in the field, including senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Yet Sanders’s enduring popularity is impressive. In the 24 hours following his announcement, the senator raised nearly $6 million from more than 200,000 donors. Another 7 million people viewed his announcement video — all proof he still enjoys strong support from the Democratic and progressive base, despite his 2016 loss to Hillary Clinton and a crop of viable alternatives.

Sanders’s presidential bid will also make Israel a campaign issue. The senator is the most vocal Israel critic to announce his candidacy. The million-dollar question is whether Sanders’s far-left position on Israel will represent the new normal for Democratic voters.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 750)