Mueller: Trump Is a Subject of his Investigation

Special counsel Robert Mueller told Der Trumpenführer's attorneys that while Trump is not currently a "target" of Mueller's investigation, he is, in fact, a "subject" of the investigation.  That equates to a reality that Mueller doesn't yet have enough to file criminal charges against Trump, but that matters could be edging closer to targeting Trump.  Either way, one does NOT want to be a subject of this type of investigation, although this reality seemingly has not fully registered with the mental midget in the White House.  One can only hope that Trump does submit to an interview with Mueller and his team since, in my view, the chances of Trump not engaging in lies is slim to none.  And once he lies to the investigators, Trump will have opened a new avenue for criminal or perjury charges.  The Washington Post looks at the current situation.  Here are excerpts:

Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III informed President Trump’s attorneys last month that he is continuing to investigate [Trump] the president but does not consider him a criminal target at this point, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

In private negotiations in early March about a possible [Trump] presidential interview, Mueller described Trump as a subject of his investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Prosecutors view someone as a subject when that person has engaged in conduct that is under investigation but there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges.

The special counsel also told Trump’s lawyers that he is preparing a report about [Trump's] the president’s actions while in office and potential obstruction of justice, according to two people with knowledge of the conversations.

Mueller reiterated the need to interview Trump — both to understand whether he had any corrupt intent to thwart the Russia investigation and to complete this portion of his probe, the people said.

Mueller’s description of [Trump's] the president’s status has sparked friction within Trump’s inner circle as his advisers have debated his legal standing. [Trump] The president and some of his allies seized on the special counsel’s words as an assurance that Trump’s risk of criminal jeopardy is low. Other advisers, however, noted that subjects of investigations can easily become indicted targets — and expressed concern that the special prosecutor was baiting Trump into an interview that could put [Trump] the president in legal peril.

Trump’s chief counsel, Jay Sekulow, and Dowd declined to comment for this report. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders referred questions to White House attorney Ty Cobb.

Mueller’s investigators have indicated to [Trump's] the president’s legal team that they are considering writing reports on their findings in stages — with the first report focused on the obstruction issue, according to two people briefed on the discussions.

Under special counsel regulations, Mueller is required to report his conclusions confidentially to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who has the authority to decide whether to release the information publicly.

“They’ve said they want to write a report on this — to answer the public’s questions — and they need [Trump's] the president’s interview as the last step,” one person familiar with the discussions said of Mueller’s team.

Trump’s attorneys expect [Trump] the president would also face questions about what he knew about any contacts by his associates with Russian officials and emissaries in 2016, several White House advisers said. [Trump's] The president’s allies believe a second report detailing the special counsel’s findings on Russia’s interference would be issued later.

[Trump] The president has privately expressed relief at the description of his legal status, which has increased his determination to agree to a special counsel interview, the people said.

[L]egal experts said Mueller’s description of Trump as a subject of a grand jury probe does not mean he is in the clear.

Under Justice Department guidelines, a subject of an investigation is a person whose conduct falls within the scope of a grand jury’s investigation. A target is a person for which there is substantial evidence linking him or her to a crime.