Trump ‘not target’ of Mueller probe
Advisers fear special counsel may be baiting President into an interview
Uand S special counsel Robert Mueller has informed President Donald Trump’s lawyers that he is continuing to investigate the President but does not consider him a criminal target at this point, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
In private negotiations last month about a possible 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 inves- tigation but there is not sufficient evidence to bring charges.
The special counsel also told Trump’s lawyers that he is preparing a report about 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.
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 the President in greater legal peril.
John Dowd, Trump’s top lawyer dealing with the Mueller probe, resigned last month amid disputes about strategy and frustration that the President ignored his advice to refuse the special counsel’s request for an interview, according to a Trump friend.
The wide-ranging special counsel investigation, which began as an examination of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, has expanded into other areas, including whether Trump sought to obstruct the Russian probe.
Mueller’s investigators have indicated to 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 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 the President’s interview as the last step,” one person familiar with the discussions said of Mueller’s team.
Meanwhile, a Dutch lawyer who lied to federal agents investigating former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was sentenced yesterday to 30 days in prison in the first punishment handed down in the special counsel's Russia investigation. He was also ordered to pay a US$20,000 ($27,450) fine.
Alex van der Zwaan's sentence could set a guidepost for what other defendants charged with lying in Mueller's investigation may receive when their cases are resolved. Among them are a former national security adviser and a Trump campaign foreign policy aide.
Van der Zwaan, 33, had faced up to six months in prison.
District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, citing the need to deter others from lying in an investigation of international importance, said incarceration was necessary.