Page 2 - ARUBA TODAY

A2 UP FRONT
Thursday 5 april 2018
AP source: Mueller says Trump not criminal target currently

By CHAD DAY conversations between our
Associated Press legal team and the Office
WASHINGTON (AP) — Spe- of Special Counsel." White
cial counsel Robert Muel- House lawyer Ty Cobb de-
ler's team of prosecutors clined to comment.
has informed President The Justice Department
Donald Trump's attorneys typically treats people in-
that the president is not volved in investigations as
currently considered a witnesses, subjects or tar-
criminal target in the Russia gets. Mueller's determina-
investigation, according to tion that Trump is a subject
a person familiar with the suggests he's more pivotal
conversation. to the investigation than a
The person, who was not mere witness, a designa-
authorized to speak pub- tion for someone who has
licly about private conver- observed events of interest
sations and spoke on con- to agents and prosecutors.
dition of anonymity, told "The government will say
The Associated Press on you're a subject trending to
Wednesday that the presi- witness or you're a subject
dent is considered a subject trending toward target,"
of Mueller's probe — not a said Sharon McCarthy, a
target. A subject is typically former federal prosecutor
someone whose conduct in Manhattan.
is of interest to investiga- President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference with leaders of Baltic states in the East Room Although targets tend to
of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 3, 2018.
tors but prosecutors are not Associated Press be people the govern-
certain they've gathered ment is gathering evidence
enough evidence to bring against with the goal of
charges. prosecuting, subjects have
The designation could a much looser, broader
change at any time, definition.
though. The development “A subject means we’re still
was first reported Tuesday looking at you,” McCarthy
by The Washington Post. said. “You’re a person of in-
Trump's designation as a terest in this investigation.”
subject came up as pros- Still, the import of the desig-
ecutors and the president's nation wasn’t immediately
legal team negotiate the clear.
terms of an interview with It is not known, for instance,
him. if Mueller’s office has con-
The president has said he cluded that, at the mo-
wants to speak with Muel- ment, there is insufficient
ler's team, but his lawyers evidence to consider
have not publicly commit- Trump a target. It is also
ted to allowing him to be possible that prosecutors
questioned. agree they are bound by
On Wednesday, White a Justice Department legal
House press secretary Sar- opinion that contends that
ah Huckabee Sanders de- a sitting president cannot
clined to say whether the be indicted.
president remains willing to A grand jury is the way in-
be questioned. In response dictments are issued. Yet
to a question about the the White House witnesses
president being a subject, with the most direct infor-
not a target, of the inves- mation about Trump’s ac-
tigation, Sanders reiter- tions in the White House
ated the president's claim have spoken privately with
that his campaign didn't Mueller’s team instead of
collude with Russia during being summoned before
the 2016 presidential cam- the grand jury, a possible
paign. indication that their state-
"We know what we did and ments are being used for
what we didn't do, so none the purposes of assembling
of this comes as much of a a report rather than pursu-
surprise," Sanders said. She ing criminal charges.
referred further questions to Mueller’s team has sig-
Trump's attorneys. naled that they’re interest-
Trump attorney Jay Seku- ed in discussing several key
low declined to confirm or episodes in the early parts
discuss the conversations of the Trump administration
with Mueller, saying: "We do as they probe possible ob-
not discuss real or alleged struction of justice.q