Court request from special counsel Mueller hints at future of Russian investigation

A request made from special counsel Robert Mueller in court Wednesday provided a hint of the future of his investigations into Russian election interference and alleged collusion.

Here's what Mueller requested

While many Republican allies of the president are demanding that Mueller wrap up his investigation, the special counsel requested a hundred more "blank subpoenas" from a federal court in Virginia Wednesday.

Mueller had previously asked for 150 blank subpoenas a month prior to the current request.

Recipients of the subpoenas would be expected to appear in a U.S. District Court in Alexandria on July 25, the trial date for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Manafort has been charged with numerous criminal counts including tax evasion and bank fraud, but those that have been made public appear to have been committed before his time as then-candidate Donald Trump's campaign manager.

President Donald Trump distanced himself from Manafort after the charges were made public.

"Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time," the president claimed in a tweet in June.

Mueller's investigation has come under attack by those who claim that recent revelations about the bias of certain FBI officials prove that the probe into collusion and interference was politically motivated to damage Trump.

Defenders of Mueller, including some Republicans, say that the investigation should be allowed to meet its natural conclusion. Others say Trump and his allies are trying to undermine Mueller in anticipation of evidence that might be damaging to the president and his agenda.