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According to the Washington Post, Mueller informed Trump's legal team of the report and "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." (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
With President Donald Trump's legal team "in shambles" following resignations and amid an ongoing stuggle to find replacements, the Washington Postreported late Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller has informed Trump's lawyers that he is compiling a report on the president's actions during his time in office, including possible obstruction of justice.
"All today's news tells us is that Mueller hasn't decided to indict Trump at this time. But if Trump's lawyers know what they're doing, they'll tell him that he's still under great risk."
--Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutorCiting anonymous officials familiar with the ongoing probe into possible collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government, the Post noted that Mueller informed the president's attorneys of the report last month and "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."
While Trump has said he would "love" to be interviewed by Mueller "under oath," his lawyers have shot down the idea.
The Post also noted on Tuesday the special counsel has informed the president's lawyers that Trump is a "subject," though not yet considered a "criminal target," of the ongoing probe--a distinction that was reportedly met with relief by Trump and some of his top advisers.
But legal experts were quick to note that the president should not be reassured, given that the "subject" of an investigation can very quickly become a target.
As former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti observed in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, a subject is someone who a prosecutor doesn't intend to charge at the moment, and "federal prosecutors typically don't decide until late in an investigation whether they will charge a person who is under investigation."
\u201c4/ As a practical matter, federal prosecutors typically don\u2019t decide until late in an investigation whether they will charge a person who is under investigation. Usually prosecutors don\u2019t make that judgement until they\u2019ve interviewed witnesses and reviewed the relevant documents.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1522800367
\u201c6/ The prosecutor can just continue to collect evidence and make the decision to indict at a later time. That\u2019s why any good federal criminal defense attorney knows that what really matters most is whether your client is a subject.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1522800367
"So all today's news tells us is that Mueller hasn't decided to indict Trump at this time. But if Trump's lawyers know what they're doing, they'll tell him that he's still under great risk," Mariotti concluded.
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With President Donald Trump's legal team "in shambles" following resignations and amid an ongoing stuggle to find replacements, the Washington Postreported late Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller has informed Trump's lawyers that he is compiling a report on the president's actions during his time in office, including possible obstruction of justice.
"All today's news tells us is that Mueller hasn't decided to indict Trump at this time. But if Trump's lawyers know what they're doing, they'll tell him that he's still under great risk."
--Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutorCiting anonymous officials familiar with the ongoing probe into possible collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government, the Post noted that Mueller informed the president's attorneys of the report last month and "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."
While Trump has said he would "love" to be interviewed by Mueller "under oath," his lawyers have shot down the idea.
The Post also noted on Tuesday the special counsel has informed the president's lawyers that Trump is a "subject," though not yet considered a "criminal target," of the ongoing probe--a distinction that was reportedly met with relief by Trump and some of his top advisers.
But legal experts were quick to note that the president should not be reassured, given that the "subject" of an investigation can very quickly become a target.
As former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti observed in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, a subject is someone who a prosecutor doesn't intend to charge at the moment, and "federal prosecutors typically don't decide until late in an investigation whether they will charge a person who is under investigation."
\u201c4/ As a practical matter, federal prosecutors typically don\u2019t decide until late in an investigation whether they will charge a person who is under investigation. Usually prosecutors don\u2019t make that judgement until they\u2019ve interviewed witnesses and reviewed the relevant documents.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1522800367
\u201c6/ The prosecutor can just continue to collect evidence and make the decision to indict at a later time. That\u2019s why any good federal criminal defense attorney knows that what really matters most is whether your client is a subject.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1522800367
"So all today's news tells us is that Mueller hasn't decided to indict Trump at this time. But if Trump's lawyers know what they're doing, they'll tell him that he's still under great risk," Mariotti concluded.
With President Donald Trump's legal team "in shambles" following resignations and amid an ongoing stuggle to find replacements, the Washington Postreported late Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller has informed Trump's lawyers that he is compiling a report on the president's actions during his time in office, including possible obstruction of justice.
"All today's news tells us is that Mueller hasn't decided to indict Trump at this time. But if Trump's lawyers know what they're doing, they'll tell him that he's still under great risk."
--Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutorCiting anonymous officials familiar with the ongoing probe into possible collusion between Trump's presidential campaign and the Russian government, the Post noted that Mueller informed the president's attorneys of the report last month and "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."
While Trump has said he would "love" to be interviewed by Mueller "under oath," his lawyers have shot down the idea.
The Post also noted on Tuesday the special counsel has informed the president's lawyers that Trump is a "subject," though not yet considered a "criminal target," of the ongoing probe--a distinction that was reportedly met with relief by Trump and some of his top advisers.
But legal experts were quick to note that the president should not be reassured, given that the "subject" of an investigation can very quickly become a target.
As former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti observed in a Twitter thread on Tuesday, a subject is someone who a prosecutor doesn't intend to charge at the moment, and "federal prosecutors typically don't decide until late in an investigation whether they will charge a person who is under investigation."
\u201c4/ As a practical matter, federal prosecutors typically don\u2019t decide until late in an investigation whether they will charge a person who is under investigation. Usually prosecutors don\u2019t make that judgement until they\u2019ve interviewed witnesses and reviewed the relevant documents.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1522800367
\u201c6/ The prosecutor can just continue to collect evidence and make the decision to indict at a later time. That\u2019s why any good federal criminal defense attorney knows that what really matters most is whether your client is a subject.\u201d— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1522800367
"So all today's news tells us is that Mueller hasn't decided to indict Trump at this time. But if Trump's lawyers know what they're doing, they'll tell him that he's still under great risk," Mariotti concluded.