General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Here's what will happen on DU when the Mueller report is released [View all]The Velveteen Ocelot
(116,218 posts)and in this case that would have to meet the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt - he won't identify Trump as having committed a crime. Since Trump doesn't use email there isn't likely to be a paper trail relating to the Russian election conspiracy. And since he talks in the "code" Cohen described, it might be hard to find an instance where he directed someone to do something. The best possibility of that would seem to be the conversation on AF1 where Trump and others constructed a bogus explanation for the Trump Tower meeting. However, keep in mind that Mueller's job is to investigate how the Russians interfered with the 2016 election, not to bust Trump. And in light of the DoJ opinion letters relating to the indictment of a sitting president, all he is likely to do is set forth facts, if he finds any, connecting Trump to a conspiracy.
Trump's biggest legal problems will be with the investigations taking place in SDNY, since financial crimes almost always have extensive paper trails. And bank fraud has a ten-year statute of limitations. There's also the possibility of violations of state law, particularly in New York, over which the federal DoJ has no control. I'm also wondering whether a state can indict a sitting president, since the DoJ guidance letters don't apply, necessarily, to state prosecutions.
But anyhow, if Mueller doesn't accuse Trump of a crime it doesn't mean the investigation was rigged. It means only that he couldn't find evidence sufficient to support prosecution.