
The Friday bombshell of impending charges in the Russia investigation ramped up a bit more on Saturday, as the Wall Street Journal indicated we may see more than one indictment next week.

When CNN dropped a Friday bombshell, reporting that a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., had approved the first charges in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, all thoughts immediately turned to what name might be within the sealed indictment.

Saturday, the Wall Street Journal kicked that speculation into high gear by hinting that it may be more than one.

"At least one person was charged Friday," the Journal notes, adding pointedly, "The number and identity of the defendants, and the charges, couldn't be determined."


It will likely only be mere days before the facts emerge, but the list of possible names is well-known already.

Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, was told by Mueller himself back in July to prepare for indictment, as federal agents executed an early-morning raid on Manafort's home.

Manafort's shadiness regarding possible Russian collusion was about as obvious as it could, as he received a $17 million payment for his work on behalf of a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party at the same time that he was working for the Trump campaign.

Moreover, Mueller has also been investigating Manafort for possible tax evasion and money laundering, possibly as a way to get Manafort to roll on his former boss.

And he was present for the infamous meeting at Trump Tower between multiple Russian operatives, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner — two other names that may appear within the sealed indictment(s).

Trump Jr. initiated the meeting after being promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, possibly in exchange for political favors such as easing sanctions on Russia — something California Rep. Adam Schiff, the highest ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said would constitute "a very serious crime."

"This is about as clear evidence you could find of intent by the campaign to collude with the Russians," Schiff noted at the time.

Kushner has been a person of interest in the investigation for months, who might at the very least have "significant information" related to the inquiry. And of course, Kushner, like others, did his best to hide his multiple meetings with Russian officials.

And then there's disgraced former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was on the job with the Trump administration for less than a month before his lies and deceit regarding his own ties to Russia caught up with him.

And those names don't even comprise the entire slate of possible indictments, which could also include former Trump policy adviser Carter Page and Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

Indeed, Trump's circle is a dark one, and it seems as though no one in his orbit is operating above board.

Come Monday or Tuesday, we'll know for sure which names are at the top of Mueller's list.