Speaker 1: Well, now it's time for our Bloomberg Law Report. Let's
Speaker 1: get to the legal stories we're watching this morning with
Speaker 1: Deep Podusc in the Bloomberg Washington Newsroom. The US has
Speaker 1: once again refused to qualify China as a market economy.
Speaker 1: This adds to tensions between the economic superpowers. Days before
Speaker 1: President Trump's first trip to Beijing, the Interior Department wants
Speaker 1: to streamline federal regulations governing oil and gas projects, as
Speaker 1: well as diverse activities on federal lands, ranging from the
Speaker 1: largest coal mines to simple brush clearing projects or recreational opportunities.
Speaker 1: And medical device companies are getting more guidance from the
Speaker 1: FDA on how to use an alternative pathway to get
Speaker 1: innovative products on the market faster. Bloomberg Law everything you need,
Speaker 1: all on one legal research platform, including guidance, analysis and
Speaker 1: Bloomberg market Intelligence. Find out more at Bloomberg Law dot com.
Speaker 1: And now let's dig deeper into today's top legal story.
Speaker 1: Special Council Robert Mueller unveiling the first charges in his
Speaker 1: investigation into Russian interference in the election. For more in
Speaker 1: the story, Bloomberg Lahous Doing Grosso and Michael Bess speak
Speaker 1: with William Banks, the professor at Syracuse University Law School,
Speaker 1: and Fordham a Law school professor. Andrew Kent, Bill, you
Speaker 1: have the first indictments. You have two very high ranking
Speaker 1: people having been indicted for things that aren't entire don't
Speaker 1: seem to be related to the actual campaign itself. Where
Speaker 1: these developments tell us about where Mueller's investigation stands right now, Well,
Speaker 1: you know, it is an important signal that the investigation
Speaker 1: is far from over, that it's probably still picking up momentum.
Speaker 1: These are important developments, but they're by no means the end.
Speaker 1: I think in some ways, the Papadopoulos agreement is is
Speaker 1: more central to the concerns that perhaps the Trump administration
Speaker 1: colluded with the Russians. I think the fact that Papadopolis
Speaker 1: was at a meeting early on, or had connections early
Speaker 1: on with Russian government officials while he was employed by
Speaker 1: the Trump campaign is pretty damaging. Andrew, Let's look at
Speaker 1: the timing of what Mueller is doing. First, he announces
Speaker 1: the indictment of Manifort and Gates while everyone is still
Speaker 1: talking about that, and before they've even gone before a judge,
Speaker 1: they unseal a plea in a separate case and George
Speaker 1: Papadopolis pleaded guilty October five. Do you see that Mueller
Speaker 1: is trying to set something up here with these double
Speaker 1: timed announcements. You're probably obviously he's operating in an extremely
Speaker 1: sensitive environment. So I assume Mueller is timing things in
Speaker 1: a way that he thinks will give him the most
Speaker 1: space to continue with an investigation. Is there also a
Speaker 1: sort of a warning to people who are in the
Speaker 1: White House that this is happening and I've got someone
Speaker 1: here who's cooperating with the FBI. I think it absolutely
Speaker 1: is a warning. And it's also uh, you know, you
Speaker 1: saw the talking point from the President before the Papadopulus
Speaker 1: plea was released, you know, saying what you know, this
Speaker 1: was just about stuff in the past, has nothing to
Speaker 1: do with me, has nothing to do with my campaign,
Speaker 1: nothing to do with Russia. Know nothing to see here
Speaker 1: about Manafort, and then um, yeah, and then quickly the
Speaker 1: Papas plea is released, which is all about a test
Speaker 1: to clude with Russia and as fordom A Law School
Speaker 1: professor Andrew Kenton William Banks, a professor at Syracuse University
Speaker 1: Law School, speaking with Bloomberg's Doom Grosso and Michael Best.
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