While analyzing special counsel Robert Mueller's uncanny silence over the last few weeks, MSNBC panelists traded predictions for his next move -- and scoffs at the concept that anyone could impose a timeline on the investigation.
"If the president's newly unleashed barrage of attacks on the justice department are any indication, he either seems to think Mueller won't stay quiet or isn't taking any chances," host Chuck Todd observed.
Todd noted that within the last 24 hours, Donald Trump called the special counsel's investigation "illegal," hinted that he may fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions after the midterms and told a crowd in Indiana that he wants the FBI and the Justice Department to "do their jobs."
The host went on to add that the president's attorney, former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani, told NBC earlier Friday that he believes Mueller will observe an unofficial DOJ "rule" barring major revelations from an investigation in the 60 days before an election.
"If Mueller wants to go ahead for legal reasons, the pace of the investigation, the availability of witnesses, whatever, he can do it if his purpose isn't to affect the election," veteran journalist Howard Fineman said.
Vice News' Washington Bureau Chief Shawna Thomas agreed.
"We don't expect Mueller to tell us exactly when he's going to do anything," Thomas said before noting she thinks the special counsel "is aware of the pressure to make this seem as legitimate as possible."
"If it's seen as affecting the election, he may decide, 'Okay, i'm going to just keep on gathering the things I need to gather and keep on doing it,'" she said.
Thomas went on to note that the second trial for Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is slated to begin on September 24, "so there is going to be some other shoe that drops" if the case goes as planned.
After switching gears to discuss the likelihood that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein may bring down indictments against Americans for the hacking of the Democratic National Committee's email server, Todd said that there's even more news to come.
"It's going to be electric," the host concluded.
Watch below, via MSNBC.
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