Trump-Russia probe: Mueller reveals 'several ongoing investigations' in court documents

Investigations into Russian election interference are not yet over, the special counsel's office reveals

Robert Mueller has revealed "several" investigations are still ongoing connected to the probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election of Donald Trump, contradicting widespread reports the process had effectively been concluded.

In a filing with the US District Court in Washington, US Special Counsel Robert Mueller cited Mr Trump's former deputy campaign chairman Rick Gates’ continued cooperation with multiple probes and asked permission to update the judge on the case again by May 14.

“Gates continues to cooperate with respect to several ongoing investigations, and accordingly the parties do not believe it is appropriate to commence the sentencing process at this time,” Mr Mueller’s team said in the court filing.

Gates is one of several advisers to the president who have been charged or pleaded guilty to crimes stemming from the federal investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion with Mr Trump’s campaign.

Gates was the longtime business partner of the president's campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who faces more than seven years in prison for financial and conspiracy crimes after sentencing this week in a separate case in federal court in Washington.

Unlike Manafort, who stood trial and was found guilty in one case in Virginia before pleading guilty in another case in Washington, Gates agreed early on to cooperate with Mr Mueller’s team and took the stand to testify against his former business partner.

Gates pleaded guilty in February 2018 to conspiracy against the United States and lying to investigators.

Russia has denied meddling in the 2016 US election. Mr Trump has said there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow, and has characterised the special counsel's probe as a “witch hunt.”

He once again lambasted the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election on Twitter, suggesting it was created under shady circumstances.

“So, if there was knowingly & acknowledged to be ‘zero’ crime when the Special Counsel was appointed, and if the appointment was made based on the Fake Dossier (paid for by Crooked Hillary) and now disgraced Andrew McCabe (he & all stated no crime), then the Special Counsel should never have been appointed and there should be no Mueller Report," the president wrote. "This was an illegal & conflicted investigation in search of a crime. Russian Collusion was nothing more than an excuse by the Democrats for losing an Election that they thought they were going to win."

Additional reporting by Reuters