Mired in the prosecutorial equivalent of a blackout period, Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the remaining prosecutors assigned to his detail are said to be preparing their final report on their findings in the probe into whether the Trump Campaign colluded with Russia - a probe that has stretched into a now 18-month odyssey.

But lest reports that the imminent conclusion of the Mueller probe have left readers with a wholly unjustified sense of finality, the Hill is back with a piece published Thursday morning reminding us of all the loose ends that have yet to be tied up - including the fact that a grand jury has continued to interview associates of early Trump advisor Roger Stone.

But the Stone's fate, and whatever information he may have to offer on Trump, isn't even the most important of these unresolved factors. As the Hill reminds us, we still don't know what Paul Manafort - whose decision to cooperate with investigators was made only two months ago - is telling prosecutors. And given his extensive involvement with the Trump campaign, it's very possible that the scope of the information he is providing stretches beyond Trump. According to the Hill, investigators are looking into the Republican Party's decision to soften certain tenants of its platform pertaining to Russia and its annexation of Crimea. And it's possible that Paul Manafort has the answers they seek. It's also believed that Manafort could provide information on other issues like whether Trump was aware of the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting (this after the president changed his story, saying Donald Trump Jr. may have organized the meeting to obtain opposition research, contradicting the Trumps' initial denials), or whether the campaign had advanced knowledge of the hacks of the DNC and Clinton campaign.

While some witnesses, for example, George Papadopoulos, haven't proven all that useful, as  far as witnesses go, Manafort is "leaps and bounds" above the others, one expert said.