Two days out from President Trump’s controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, all eyes are on Special Counsel Robert Mueller to explain the extent of ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
National security expert Juliette Kayyem joined Boston Public Radio Wednesday to give her predictions for the future of the special counsel's Russia investigation.
“Something big is happening,” she said. “You have indictments on Friday, on Monday and don’t forget ... Mueller wants to get immunity for five U.S. citizens to testify against [former Trump campaign chairman Paul] Manafort.”
Mueller indicted 12 Russian nationals last week, and on Monday the Justice Department’s national security prosecutors charged a Russian woman, Mariia Butina, with trying to execute a Russian plot to influence American politicians.
Robert Mueller has asked a judge for immunity for five witnesses set to testify in Manafort’s trial beginning next week.
“This thing is getting closer to the oval office and to the [Trump] family,” said Kayyem.
She also criticized Trump for his performance during the press conference with Putin, saying Trump missed his opportunity to “reprimand, to name and shame, to put sanctions on, to make it hurt” for Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Kayyem also said the summit will have consequences for how the U.S. is viewed on the world stage.
“If you believe that the United States plays a very important role in world stability, that world doesn’t buy it anymore,” said Kayyem.
National Security expert Juliette Kayyem is a member of the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School, an analyst for CNN and the CEO of ZEMCAR.
