Trent Franks

In August, I explained that special counsel Robert Mueller is in clear violation of federal code and must resign to maintain the integrity of the investigation into alleged Russian ties. Nothing in that regard has changed.

What has changed is that there is mounting evidence making it even clearer that this investigation is compromised. What a coincidence: Information from the grand jury was leaked (the whole point of a grand jury is secrecy) last Friday to CNN that an indictment was coming Monday, causing every political pundit in the country to surmise about Russia/Trump ties and fueling the conspiracy theory that Donald Trump won the 2016 election because of Russian influence (and not because he campaigned in Michigan and Wisconsin). This, just as the GOP is on the brink of passing landmark, historic tax reform?

Then, the big reveal occurs Monday morning — it’s a nothingburger. Paul Manafort has been investigated by the FBI since 2014. The FBI has been looking to charge him long before Trump was even on the political map.

OUR VIEW: Robert Mueller's investigation gets real

When Manafort’s ties with a Russia-friendly Ukrainian politician became clear in August 2016, Trump immediately fired him. Then, the FBI raided Manafort’s house over the summer and warned him then that he had a pending indictment. The 12-count indictment does not even mention the Trump campaign.

If the American public has an insatiable appetite for Russian collusion stories, why don’t we begin looking at one that’s a little more substantiated: the Uranium One scandal. The Obama administration, knowing that Russia was extorting and bribing its way into the U.S. atomic energy industry, signed off on a deal allowing Moscow-backed Uranium One access to U.S. uranium reserves.

While that deal was made, the Clinton Foundation received $2.35 million from Uranium One, and Bill Clinton got $500,000 for one speaking engagement. Now that’s a story worth looking into.

Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

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