Mueller not ready for Trump aide's sentencing, filing says

Rick Gates, a former senior campaign aide to President Donald Trump, will have to wait at least another two months for his sentencing date in the Russia investigation, prosecutors said Tuesday.

In a new court filing, special counsel Robert Mueller's team said they're not ready for Gates' sentencing because he is continuing to cooperate with "several" ongoing investigations. It's unclear if the delay is an indication of the timeline of Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference or a reflection of the status of the other investigations.

Gates has been a key cooperator in Mueller's probe as he works to answer a question that has shadowed the Trump presidency from the start: Did Trump or his associates coordinate with the Kremlin's large-scale effort to sway the election his way?

Aside from the Russia investigation, Gates is involved in probes of foreign lobbying related to his former boss, ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. He is also reportedly involved in a federal investigation of Trump's inaugural committee, where Gates served in a senior role.

The filing adds to conflicting signals about Mueller's endgame in recent weeks. Some signs have indicated he is wrapping sometime soon, including the planned departure in the coming weeks of Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the probe. But a judge also recently extended the service of Mueller's grand jury through at least midsummer and the special counsel's office continues to fight through the appellate courts to compel the testimony of at least one uncooperative witness.

The filing also comes as Trump is directly denying being an agent of the Russian government. The president's comments came after The Washington Post reported that he has hid from top U.S. national security officials the details of his one-on-one interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The New York Times also reported last week that the FBI in 2017 opened a counterintelligence investigation into whether Trump, as the American president, was working on Russia's behalf.

The special counsel took over that investigation into Trump's Russia ties in May 2017 and has not yet directly accused Trump, his campaign officials or any other Americans of actively colluding with the Kremlin.

In Gates' case, he pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy and false statement charges related to Ukrainian lobbying and political consulting he carried out with Manafort. But prosecutors have indicated Gates' cooperation has been wide-ranging, noting last year that his more than 20 meetings with prosecutors weren't confined to his work for Manafort.

Gates, as a top campaign adviser, could provide details about the highest levels of Trump's campaign during key episodes in the presidential election including a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting involving Manafort, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and a Russian attorney that was billed as an opportunity to obtain dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Gates was also a senior official on Trump's inaugural committee, which according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, has also drawn the scrutiny of federal prosecutors in New York. During court testimony last year, Gates also admitted to "possibly" stealing money from the committee. And in a case referred by Mueller, federal prosecutors in Washington have investigated efforts on behalf of Ukrainian interests to circumvent the ban on foreign contributions to the committee.

Gates is also a central figure in another Mueller spin-off investigation led by federal prosecutors in Manhattan. That probe focuses on whether the lobbying firms of Washington insiders Tony Podesta, a prominent Democrat, and Vin Weber, a former GOP congressman, violated federal law by deciding not to register as foreign agents for Ukrainian lobbying directed by Manafort and Gates.

Prosecutors are interested in when Mercury Public Affairs and the Podesta Group knew they were working on behalf of the Ukrainian government, rather than a Brussels-based nonprofit that prosecutors have said served as a cut out for the foreign lobbying work.

The firms have denied any wrongdoing.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont announced Monday he will run for reelection this year, squelching speculation that the 82-year-old progressive icon might retire at a time when the Democratic Party is anxious about the advancing age of its top leaders.

Hailing from a Democratic stronghold, Sanders' decision virtually guarantees that he will return to Washington for a fourth Senate term. And his announcement comes at a critical moment for Democrats as the party navigates a growing divide over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

Sanders has criticized President Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. relationship with Israel even as he's hailed much of Biden's domestic agenda ahead of what could be a tough reelection fight for Biden against presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Sanders said he wants the war in Gaza ended immediately, massive humanitarian aid to follow and no more money sent to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"We are living in a complicated and difficult political moment," Sanders told The Associated Press on Monday. “I very strongly disagree with Biden in terms of the war in Gaza.”

At home, he said, the presidential election is between Biden and Trump, “and Donald Trump is in my view the most dangerous president, has been the most dangerous president in American history.”

With the prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House, Sanders framed his bid to return to the Senate as being driven by concerns about the future of democracy in the U.S. In an announcement video, he said that in many ways the 2024 election “is the most consequential election in our lifetimes.”

“Will the United States continue to even function as a democracy, or will we move to an authoritarian form of government?” he said. He questioned whether the country will reverse what he called “the unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality” and if it can create a government that works for all, and not continue with a political system dominated by wealthy campaign contributors.

Known for his liberal politics and crusty demeanor, Sanders has been famously consistent over his 40 years in politics, championing better health care paid for by the government, higher taxes for the wealthy, less military intervention and major solutions for climate change. He has also spent his career trying to hold corporate executives to account, something that he’s had more power to do as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Sanders is an independent. He was a Democratic congressman for 16 years and still caucuses with the Democrats.

He sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020. He said a year ago that he would forgo another presidential bid and endorse Biden’s reelection this year.

“I have been, and will be if re-elected, in a strong position to provide the kind of help that Vermonters need in these difficult times,” Sanders said in a review of his positions as chairman of the important Senate panel and a member of the chamber's Democratic leadership team, as well as a senior member of various other committees.

AP writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed from Washington.

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., smiles as he addresses Unite Here Local 11 workers holding a rally, April 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a news conference, Jan. 25, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. Sanders is running for re-election. The 82-year-old, from Vermont, announced Monday, May 6, that he's seeking his fourth term in the U.S. Senate. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)