New York Times: “Silence as a public relations strategy is risky, especially for someone who is impugned almost daily by Fox News pundits, Trump allies like Rudolph W. Giuliani and tweets from the president himself. Supporters fear that the fusillade is eroding public confidence in the special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election before Mr. Mueller has a chance to present his findings.”

“Yet veterans of similar investigations say that keeping quiet may be Mr. Mueller’s only viable option, given the limited set of strategies available for federal prosecutors to communicate with the public. By law, special counsels must follow Justice Department guidelines that restrict them from sharing details about pending investigations, making leaks a potential criminal matter.”

“Special counsel Robert Mueller’s approval rating for handling the Russia investigation stands at 50% in a new CNN Poll… That outpaces President Trump’s approval rating on the matter by 20 points.”

“Mueller’s approval rating stands at its highest level in CNN polling, rising 3 points since August, a shift within the poll’s margin of sampling error. Trump’s rating, meanwhile, dipped 4 points, narrowly larger than the error margin.”

On the day after Robert Mueller was named special counsel, Bob Woodward writes in Fear, President Trump “erupted into uncontrollable anger, visibly agitated to a degree that no one in his inner circle had witnessed before,” Axios reports.

“He watched a two-hour block of Fox News, and then most of the two-hour long blocks of MSNBC and CNN that he had TiVo’d. … He raged at the coverage. … ‘Everybody’s trying to get me … It’s unfair. Now everybody’s saying I’m going to be impeached … They’re going to spend years digging through my whole life and finances.'”

“The window closes next week for special counsel Robert Mueller to take any more bombshell actions before midterm season officially kicks off, and people in the president’s orbit and across Washington are watching with heightened anticipation that his final pre-election surprise could come soon,” Politico reports.

“The increased attention stems from Justice Department guidelines that recommend against law enforcement taking major investigative or prosecutorial actions close to an election, so as not to unduly influence voters. Although primaries have been underway for months, Giuliani and others have said the 60-day period before the election should be free of any big activity by Mueller’s team.”

Meanwhile, Chuck Todd issued a warning to the press regarding the Russia investigation: “Don’t miss work tomorrow.”

A new Fox News poll finds approval of special counsel Robert Mueller stands at 59%, up 11 points since July, and 40% expect the investigation will find Trump committed criminal or impeachable offenses, up 5 points.

Rudy Giuliani told the Washington Post that he believes special counsel Robert Mueller “might be at the end” of his investigation after his prosecutors won a conviction against Paul Manafort on eight counts against him.

Said Giuliani: “He has to be winding down. What else is there? Near the end.”

President Trump stepped up his twitter attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Said Trump: “Disgraced and discredited Bob Mueller and his whole group of Angry Democrat Thugs spent over 30 hours with the White House Councel [sic], only with my approval, for purposes of transparency.”

He added: “Anybody needing that much time when they know there is no Russian Collusion is just someone … looking for trouble. They are enjoying ruining people’s lives and REFUSE to look at the real corruption on the Democrat side – the lies, the firings, the deleted Emails and soooo much more! Mueller’s Angry Dems are looking to impact the election. They are a National Disgrace!”

“Several top White House officials thought then and think now that President Trump made an epic error in rolling over to cooperate with Robert Mueller in the early stages of the special counsel investigation.” Axios reports.

“Trump himself thought then and thinks now that he personally has nothing to lose because he personally did nothing wrong. Who’s right might very well decide the fate of the Trump presidency.”

“One source close to the Trump team told us the full acquiescence to Mueller was ‘dumb’ and ‘idiotic.'”

Special counsel Robert Mueller “doesn’t have to shut down his Russia investigation in the weeks before November’s congressional elections despite claims by President Trump’s lawyers that he faces a September 1 deadline, according to current and former U.S. officials,” Bloomberg reports.

“Mueller can continue his closed-door inquiries, and even issue new indictments up to and after the November 6 voting, without violating a Justice Department policy against actions intended ‘for the purpose of affecting any election,’ they said, asking not to be identified discussing investigative matters.”

“That’s at odds with repeated assertions by Trump’s lawyers.”