1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Now his time for our daily Bloomberg Law Brief, exploring 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:05,320 Speaker 1: legal issues in the news. It's brought to you by 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:10,120 Speaker 1: the American Arbitration Association. Business disputes are inevitable, resolve faster 4 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: with the American Arbitration Association, the global leader in alternative 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: dispute resolution for over ninety years. More at a dr 6 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,960 Speaker 1: dot org. Today we take a look at Special Council 7 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,799 Speaker 1: Robert Mueller expanding his inquiry into Russian interference in the 8 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,280 Speaker 1: election to include President Trump. Joining us with the details 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: from our Bloomberg newsroom in Washington, as International Economics and 10 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 1: Policy corresponded Michael McKee and Michael, good morning. Please put 11 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: these latest developments and context for us well. It clearly 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: expands Special Council Mueller's investigation, which initially was focused on 13 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: Russia's election meddling and whether any of Trump's associates colluded 14 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:52,840 Speaker 1: with the effort. Remember, fired FBI Director James Comey told 15 00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: Congress last week he assured Trump in January and a 16 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: couple of times after that that he was not personally 17 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: under investigation, and that appears to have changed. Now. We 18 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: don't know exactly what Komy is thinking, but he is 19 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: apparently going to be interviewing members of the national intelligence 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:14,320 Speaker 1: community to see if they were asked by the President 21 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,479 Speaker 1: to impede the investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynt. 22 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,480 Speaker 1: M Michael. One of the things that is ironic here 23 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: is it it appears that Mr. Mueller might be trying 24 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: to corroborate to some things that the President himself has said. 25 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: He was quoted in a New York Times story as 26 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: as telling the Russian ambassador, I faced great pressure because 27 00:01:37,360 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: of Russia. That's taken off. This seems to have grown out, 28 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 1: although we don't know grown out of Coomy's testimony to 29 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: the Congressional Intelligence Committee. But remember there were also stories 30 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coates and National Security 31 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: Agency Director Mike Rogers were asked by the President to 32 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,400 Speaker 1: issue public statements clearing him of any involvement with USHA. 33 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: Both told Congress last week they did not feel pressured 34 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 1: by the President, but both declined to say if he 35 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,960 Speaker 1: indeed asked them. By the way, Coates going to testify 36 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: before the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closed session today, 37 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: of course, uh Comey said he did feel pressured by 38 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,119 Speaker 1: the president wrote memos to that effect which he has 39 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:21,799 Speaker 1: provided to mother. So mother seems to be following up 40 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 1: on what not only Comey said, but on the inquiry 41 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: launched into Coats and Rogers testimony. This might might have 42 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 1: gotten lost as well. During that NBC interview with lester 43 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: Holt that he had, he was defending the coming firing, 44 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 1: and he said, and I'm quoting here, I said to myself, 45 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: I might even lengthen out the investigation, but I have 46 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: to do the right thing for the American people. Yes, 47 00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: he told lester Holt that he fired James Comy because 48 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: of the Russia investigation, which was not, according to the UH, 49 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: the Deputy Attorney General, the reason that he was fired. UH. 50 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: Of course Rod Rosenstein wrote a policy brief blaming Comy 51 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: for his mishandling of the Hillary Clinton emails. And so 52 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: there is a dichotomy there that raises questions about what 53 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: the president's motivation was. Does this necessarily insert more uncertainty? 54 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: I don't know, for the American people, for the markets. 55 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: Because we've seen so many problems developed for the president. 56 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,119 Speaker 1: This is just another one. It is just another one, 57 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: and it is going to be something that takes a 58 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: long time to play out, because no matter what these 59 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: officials tell the Special Counsel, and there will probably be 60 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: leaks about their testimony. Mueller is going to take his 61 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: time to get things done. It makes it harder for 62 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,080 Speaker 1: the president to have the political capital push things through. UH. 63 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: It also makes it harder for Congress to concentrate on 64 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: what is going on. But it doesn't bring any legal 65 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: jeopardy that might affect the president to the four For 66 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:00,520 Speaker 1: quite some time, experts have long said that the Justice 67 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:03,840 Speaker 1: Department that you really don't indict a sitting president for 68 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: a crime. You would present the information to Congress and 69 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: see if they wish to impeach. Were many months, if 70 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: not years away from that. Bloomberg International Economics and Policy 71 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: correspondent Michael McKee joining us from the Bloomberg ninety nine 72 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 1: one newsroom in Washington.