Special counsel Robert Mueller told President Donald Trump’s lawyers last month that the U.S. leader is a subject of the investigation into Russian interference into the 2016 election, but he is not a criminal target at this point, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The Post, citing three sources, said the discussion took place during private negotiations early last month about a possible interview with Trump.
Additionally, the newspaper reported that Mueller told the president’s lawyers he is readying “a report about the president’s actions while in office and potential obstruction of justice.”
The Post also cited legal experts who said that the president still could become a target of the investigation – particularly if investigators get the necessary information from Trump during a potential interview.
Here’s how the Justice Department defines the difference between a “subject” and a “target” of an investigation:
A “target” is a person as to whom the prosecutor or the grand jury has substantial evidence linking him or her to the commission of a crime and who, in the judgment of the prosecutor, is a putative defendant. An officer or employee of an organization which is a target is not automatically considered a target even if such officer’s or employee’s conduct contributed to the commission of the crime by the target organization. The same lack of automatic target status holds true for organizations which employ, or employed, an officer or employee who is a target.
A “subject” of an investigation is a person whose conduct is within the scope of the grand jury’s investigation.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!