Where the investigations related to President Trump stand
By Associated Press
Mar 23, 2019 11:25 PM CDT
Secret Service Agents and staff stand by the limo of Vice President Mike Pence, at the West Wing of the White House, Friday March 22, 2019, in Washington, as news breaks that the special counsel Robert Mueller has concluded his investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination...   (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him:

WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?

Special counsel Robert Mueller has submitted his report on whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president obstructed the investigation.

Trump also plays a central role in a separate case in New York, where prosecutors have implicated him in a crime. They say Trump directed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush-money payments to two women as a way to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign. New York prosecutors also are looking into Trump's inaugural fund.

Congressional investigations also are swirling around the president. Democrats have launched a sweeping probe of Trump, an aggressive investigation that threatens to shadow the president through the 2020 election season.

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WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW?

Attorney General William Barr scoured Mueller's confidential report on the Russia investigation with his advisers Saturday, deciding how much Congress and the American public will get to see about the two-year probe.

Barr was on pace to release his first Moscow's summary of Mueller's findings on Sunday, people familiar with the process said.

The attorney general's decision on what to finally disclose seems almost certain to set off a fight with congressional Democrats, who want access to all of Mueller's findings — and supporting evidence — on whether Trump's 2016 campaign coordinated with Russia to sway the election and whether the president later sought to obstruct the investigation.

Democrats are plotting strategy as they await the conclusions of Mueller's now-completed Russia investigation, with senior lawmakers demanding full transparency and preparing for next steps if the results are favorable to Trump.

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SO ... DID THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN COLLUDE WITH RUSSIA?

There is no smoking gun when it comes to the question of Russia collusion. But the evidence so far shows that a broad range of Trump associates had Russia-related contacts during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition period, and several lied about the communications.

There is evidence that some people in Trump's orbit were discussing a possible email dump from WikiLeaks before it occurred. American intelligence agencies and Mueller have said Russia was the source of hacked material released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks during the campaign that was damaging to Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential effort.

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OTHER QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

—WHAT ABOUT OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE? That is another unresolved question that Mueller was pursuing. Investigators have examined key episodes such as Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey and Trump's fury over Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recusal.

—WHAT DOES TRUMP HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ALL THIS? Trump has repeatedly slammed the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt" and insisted there was "NO COLLUSION" with Russia. He also says Cohen lied to get a lighter sentence in New York.

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For more in-depth information, follow AP coverage at https://apnews.com/TrumpInvestigations