President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing Russia investigation during a recent interview with The New York Times. While many in Trump’s orbit have faced indictments, however, Trump claims he has it on good authority that he’s not in any trouble, as Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told his lawyers as much.
“He told the attorneys that I’m not a subject, I’m not a target,” Trump told the Times. Rosenstein was in charge of overseeing Special Counsel Robert Mueller‘s investigation while Jeff Sessions was Attorney General, as Sessions had recused himself due to his own personal ties to Trump’s campaign. After Sessions resigned late last year, his interim replacement Matthew Whitaker took over.
If true, this would echo what former FBI Director James Comey told Trump about the Russia investigation, before Trump ultimately fired him. This led to Mueller’s appointment and inquiry into possible obstruction of justice.
Trump acknowledged that while he may not be a subject of Mueller’s investigation, he could not necessarily say the same when it comes to investigators in the Southern District of New York.
“I don’t know about that,” Trump said.
The Times noted that Trump would not be subject to indictment while he’s a sitting president, which may or may not explain why he’s not a target. He could still be impeached, depending on how the House of Representatives feels after receiving a report on Mueller’s probe after it ends.
The Russia investigation has been rumored to be nearing its conclusion, but new information regarding substantial evidence against Roger Stone seems to indicate that dealing with that case will take some time. Special Counsel regulations call for Mueller to provide a report to the Attorney General when the investigation is over. The AG would then report to members of Congress. Attorney General nominee William Barr stated that he believes it is important for Congress and the public to have information about the investigation.
Stone’s indictment has been the latest major development in the probe, and he now faces charges of obstruction, witness tampering, and providing false statements. The indictment said that a senior Trump campaign was directed to contact Stone about WikiLeaks and hacked Clinton campaign emails. When asked if he gave any such directions, Trump said, “Never did.”
[Image via LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images]
