Article snippet: Special counsel MORE and guilty plea of former Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Manafort’s conviction affirmed the credibility of an investigation that has endured near-daily attacks from MORE, while Cohen’s guilty plea to campaign finance violations and other charges could present the special counsel with a key witness willing to cooperate. Neither development is directly related to Mueller’s inquiry into whether there was collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. Still, those closely watching the investigation say that they bolster Mueller’s probe at a critical point and insulate it further from critics calling for its swift end. “Both of yesterday’s developments are important levers for Mueller,” said Stephen Vladeck, a University of Texas law professor. “They are also important politically because, I think, they will at least to some degree undermine the argument for winding his investigation down.” In a mere hour’s time Tuesday afternoon, a striking image emerged of two members of the president’s inner circle facing intense legal peril. A jury in Alexandria, Va., found Manafort guilty on eight counts of bank and tax fraud that together carry a maximum 80 years in prison. A mistrial was declared on 10 other counts. Legal analysts say that Manafort is likely reevaluating whether he should cut a deal with the government in exchange for cooperating with Mueller’s investigation, to reduce his jail time. “In my opinion this trial in a large part is about... Link to the full article to read more