Special counsel office sits vacant for first time in nearly a decade
The era of special counsel investigations into sitting and former presidents has come to a close, but the reverberations of these probes continue to echo through the news cycle. With the release of the final reports, indictments, and verdicts from the various special counsels appointed since 2017, it seems that the investigations have all reached their conclusions and the teams have disbanded.
Starting with Special Counsel Robert Mueller in 2017, who investigated possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and ending with David Weiss in 2023, who continued the investigation into Hunter Biden, each special counsel has played a role in shaping the political landscape of the past decade. Mueller’s conclusion of no collusion, Durham’s findings of FBI mishandling in the Trump-Russia probe, Smith’s charges against Trump, Hur’s decision not to charge Biden, and Weiss’s conviction of Hunter Biden have all left their mark.
Despite the closure of these investigations, the public’s curiosity remains piqued due to the many loose ends and unanswered questions that persist. This curiosity was further fueled by the release of audio from Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Hur, in which the former president struggled with key memories and was described as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”
In a surprising turn of events, former FBI Director James Comey found himself back in the spotlight after posting a now-deleted image on social media that some interpreted as a call for Trump’s assassination. The post, which contained the numbers “86 47,” sparked controversy and led to a visit from the United States Secret Service.
The investigations into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, the origins of the FBI probe, and the actions of both the Trump and Biden administrations have left a lasting impact on the American political landscape. With Trump’s recent executive order to declassify files related to the Crossfire Hurricane investigation, more revelations are expected to come to light in the coming weeks.
As the dust settles on the era of special counsel investigations, the American public is left to sift through the remnants and revelations of past probes, trying to make sense of a tumultuous period in political history. The legacy of these investigations will continue to shape the way we view our political leaders and the institutions that govern us for years to come.
