Special counsel Robert Mueller says President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the Russia investigation "were mostly unsuccessful," but that was because the people surrounding the president "declined to carry out orders to accede to his requests."

AP reporter Chad Day gives an initial review of the two-volume report that exceeds 400 pages.

"The first volume that deals with Russian election interference and the actions of the Trump campaign is a couple of hundred pages long and goes into exhaustive detail about the information that they've gathered," he says.

"Interviewing 500 witnesses, issuing more than twenty eight hundred subpoenas, and putting together probably the most complete picture of what happened during the 2016 election involving the Trump campaign and Russia."

Mueller's report details instances by several officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, former White House counsel Don McGahn and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, ignoring or refusing Trump's requests to interfere in the investigation.

"But some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors," Day says.

Washington, D.C. - 17 April 2019

+++STARTS AND ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE+++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"So the headline today is that Mueller has made two big conclusions out of his report. Number one is that he did not establish that there was a criminal conspiracy between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to interfere in the 2016 election. The other is that he did not exonerate the president on the question of whether he obstructed justice, or tried to influence the Russia probe and crossed over into criminal conduct. Now, it's a 448 page report and portions of it are redacted. We're still kind of gathering the information right now to determine how much has been withheld. We know that the attorney general said that he withheld information about ongoing investigations, grand jury material, information that could be derogatory about uncharged people, and other information that he saw fit to withhold."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"So in particular on the question of obstruction, Mueller examined 10 different episodes in which he was looking at the president's conduct to determine whether or not it crossed over into criminal conduct. Now again, he did not determine, didn't answer the question of whether it was criminal obstruction. But some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"In particular, there's one episode that's related involving his personal attorney of his who is trying to gather information from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Now, this is going back in time a little bit, but Flynn had just cut off contact with the Trump legal team, ahead of his pleading guilty and cooperating with the government. The report says that one of Trump's attorneys then reached out and tried to remind them that the president had warm feelings for Flynn and ask him to see if there was any information that he knew that could implicate the president. Whenever Flynn's attorneys rebuffed that effort, the attorney then said that he would remind the president that that Flynn's actions showed hostility towards the president. So, what they're showing is that they're painting a picture here of a president and people around him who are trying to shape and gather information about the probe but also to in some cases you know take control of it and influence the direction of where it's going."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"The report also details what happened in the months right after Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in May of 2017. In particular, it shows that the president ordered his then White House counsel Don McGahn to try to have a special counsel Robert Mueller removed. Now McGahn rebuffed this effort but it shows how the president and the report quotes him saw the probe as possible into his presidency, and something that would threaten his power. And at that point was trying to take efforts to take control of the investigation by having Mueller removed."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"I think the level of detail in the report is one of the most important take-aways from it. The first volume that deals with Russian election interference and the actions of the Trump campaign is a couple of hundred pages long and goes into exhaustive detail about the information that they've gathered interviewing 500 witnesses, issuing more than 2,800 subpoenas, and putting together probably the most complete picture of what happened during the 2016 election involving the Trump campaign and Russia. The other thing is how much the special counsel grappled with whether or not the president had crossed over the legal line into criminal obstruction. As you see in the second volume of the report. He details these 10 episodes, and also then discusses you know what the law is and how it applies to a president ultimately deciding that they could not answer the question because there are difficult legal issues at play, and leaving that kind of open. As we know after the report was turned in weeks ago, the attorney general then stepped in and decided that the president had not obstructed justice. And today you saw him reflect that in his news conference announcing the report."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"Immediately after the report was announced by the attorney general this morning, Trump and his legal team claimed victory, with Trump kind of touting his usual refrain of 'no collusion.' That there was 'no obstruction' and saying it was a 'total exoneration.' Now, as we know, the report did not exonerate him on the question of obstruction of justice. But his legal team did issue a statement saying that they see this as a victory, and that what it appears is now going to be the president's strategy is to go and try to turn the tables and attack the investigators who carried out the Russia investigation.

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"Also what we will have after this report drops is that Barr will go to to the Hill to testify. Democrats are also calling for him to release the full report and say that they may go to court for that. Barr is scheduled to testify in early May. We also have seen Democrats say that they want to hear from Special Counsel Robert Mueller himself, and Barr said that he wouldn't object to that during his news conference."

+++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE+++

Special counsel Robert Mueller says President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the Russia investigation "were mostly unsuccessful," but that was because the people surrounding the president "declined to carry out orders to accede to his requests."

AP reporter Chad Day gives an initial review of the two-volume report that exceeds 400 pages.

"The first volume that deals with Russian election interference and the actions of the Trump campaign is a couple of hundred pages long and goes into exhaustive detail about the information that they've gathered," he says.

"Interviewing 500 witnesses, issuing more than twenty eight hundred subpoenas, and putting together probably the most complete picture of what happened during the 2016 election involving the Trump campaign and Russia."

Mueller's report details instances by several officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, former White House counsel Don McGahn and former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, ignoring or refusing Trump's requests to interfere in the investigation.

"But some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors," Day says.

Washington, D.C. - 17 April 2019

+++STARTS AND ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE+++

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"So the headline today is that Mueller has made two big conclusions out of his report. Number one is that he did not establish that there was a criminal conspiracy between the Russian government and the Trump campaign to interfere in the 2016 election. The other is that he did not exonerate the president on the question of whether he obstructed justice, or tried to influence the Russia probe and crossed over into criminal conduct. Now, it's a 448 page report and portions of it are redacted. We're still kind of gathering the information right now to determine how much has been withheld. We know that the attorney general said that he withheld information about ongoing investigations, grand jury material, information that could be derogatory about uncharged people, and other information that he saw fit to withhold."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"So in particular on the question of obstruction, Mueller examined 10 different episodes in which he was looking at the president's conduct to determine whether or not it crossed over into criminal conduct. Now again, he did not determine, didn't answer the question of whether it was criminal obstruction. But some of those episodes show that Trump made several attempts to seize control of the investigation try to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller removed from the probe, or that his attorneys were trying to gather information about what people who were cooperating with the investigation were telling prosecutors."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"In particular, there's one episode that's related involving his personal attorney of his who is trying to gather information from former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Now, this is going back in time a little bit, but Flynn had just cut off contact with the Trump legal team, ahead of his pleading guilty and cooperating with the government. The report says that one of Trump's attorneys then reached out and tried to remind them that the president had warm feelings for Flynn and ask him to see if there was any information that he knew that could implicate the president. Whenever Flynn's attorneys rebuffed that effort, the attorney then said that he would remind the president that that Flynn's actions showed hostility towards the president. So, what they're showing is that they're painting a picture here of a president and people around him who are trying to shape and gather information about the probe but also to in some cases you know take control of it and influence the direction of where it's going."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"The report also details what happened in the months right after Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed in May of 2017. In particular, it shows that the president ordered his then White House counsel Don McGahn to try to have a special counsel Robert Mueller removed. Now McGahn rebuffed this effort but it shows how the president and the report quotes him saw the probe as possible into his presidency, and something that would threaten his power. And at that point was trying to take efforts to take control of the investigation by having Mueller removed."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"I think the level of detail in the report is one of the most important take-aways from it. The first volume that deals with Russian election interference and the actions of the Trump campaign is a couple of hundred pages long and goes into exhaustive detail about the information that they've gathered interviewing 500 witnesses, issuing more than 2,800 subpoenas, and putting together probably the most complete picture of what happened during the 2016 election involving the Trump campaign and Russia. The other thing is how much the special counsel grappled with whether or not the president had crossed over the legal line into criminal obstruction. As you see in the second volume of the report. He details these 10 episodes, and also then discusses you know what the law is and how it applies to a president ultimately deciding that they could not answer the question because there are difficult legal issues at play, and leaving that kind of open. As we know after the report was turned in weeks ago, the attorney general then stepped in and decided that the president had not obstructed justice. And today you saw him reflect that in his news conference announcing the report."

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"Immediately after the report was announced by the attorney general this morning, Trump and his legal team claimed victory, with Trump kind of touting his usual refrain of 'no collusion.' That there was 'no obstruction' and saying it was a 'total exoneration.' Now, as we know, the report did not exonerate him on the question of obstruction of justice. But his legal team did issue a statement saying that they see this as a victory, and that what it appears is now going to be the president's strategy is to go and try to turn the tables and attack the investigators who carried out the Russia investigation.

+++BLACK FRAMES+++

SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press

"Also what we will have after this report drops is that Barr will go to to the Hill to testify. Democrats are also calling for him to release the full report and say that they may go to court for that. Barr is scheduled to testify in early May. We also have seen Democrats say that they want to hear from Special Counsel Robert Mueller himself, and Barr said that he wouldn't object to that during his news conference."

+++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE+++

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY

SHOTLIST:

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

1. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"What we've now learned is that in March, during a meeting between special counsel Robert Mueller's prosecutors and President Donald Trump's lawyers, the Muellar team actually kind of floated or broached the subject of possibly subpoena--subpoenaing the president and compelling him to testify as part of the Russian probe."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Bejing - 30 January 2008

2. FILE: Former FBI Director Robert Mueller at news conference (partly coves soundbite)

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

++NIGHT SHOT++

Washington - 28 April 2018

3. US President Donald Trump walking across White House lawn (partly coves soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

4. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"So these have been ongoing negotiations where they're trying to secure an interview with the president where they can question him about a number of different topics. And this is all part of, not only an investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with the Trump campaign but also whether or not the President obstructed justice in any way through his firing of Jim Comey and some of the conversations that and actions that he took regarding the firing of Michael Flynn. And then also pressure that he exerted on Attorney General Jeff Sessions."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 29 April 2011

5. Various STILLS former Trump attorney John Dowd (partly covers soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

6. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"So John Dowd is actually President Donald Trump's former personal attorney. He was on his legal team and leading the legal team. He was the key person in the negotiations between the president's legal team and an Muller's team. But then he resigned last month. Now what we're learning though is that a meeting that occurred in earlier in March when he was still leading this legal team, that's what this whole subpoena issue came up where there was a conversation where they were trying to negotiate the terms of the interview and Mueller's team basically said well you know we could at some point try to compel the President's testimony."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

New York - 12 January 2017

7. Rudy Giuliani talks to reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower (partly coves soundbite)

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington - 2 May 2018

8. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"Right now we're in a little bit of a reset on President Donald Trump's legal team because recently you know Dowd left and they brought in Rudy Giuliani they also brought in two really seasoned former federal prosecutors, Marty and Jane Raskin out of Florida. And so, we're not it's not exactly clear what this kind of what kind of impact this would have on the negotiations currently. I think what why this is important is that any time something like this becomes public it really fires up the president and as we've seen over the last few days and few weeks he has really upped his attacks on the special counsel and the Justice Department at large."

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Chad Day, Associated Press Writer:

"Even if there was a subpoena issued, that doesn't necessarily mean that Trump would actually have to do, to answer any questions. What what would happen is that either they would try to go to court to get the subpoena quashed or they could go into the grand jury room and basically take the Fifth the entire time. Everybody has the Fifth Amendment protection against self incrimination and they cannot compel you to testify against yourself."

POOL - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan - 28 April 2018

10. Trump steps off Air Force One, waves (partly coves soundbite)

STORYLINE:

The special counsel leading the Russia investigation raised the prospect in March of issuing a grand jury subpoena for President Donald Trump, his former attorney said, confirming that investigators have floated the extraordinary idea of forcing a sitting president to testify under oath.

Attorney John Dowd told The Associated Press on Tuesday that special counsel Robert Mueller's team broached the subject during a meeting with Trump's legal team while they were negotiating the terms of a possible interview with the president.

AP reporter Chad Day says Trump's legal team is in the midst of a reset.

"We're not it's not exactly clear what this kind of what kind of impact this would have on the negotiations currently. I think what why this is important is that any time something like this becomes public it really fires up the president and as we've seen over the last few days and few weeks he has really upped his attacks on the special counsel and the Justice Department at large," Day said.

It was not immediately clear in what context the possibility of a subpoena was raised or how serious Mueller's prosecutors were about the move. Mueller is probing not only Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates but possible obstruction of justice by Trump.

Trump lashed out against the investigation in a familiar fashion Wednesday, saying on Twitter: "There was no Collusion (it is a Hoax) and there is no Obstruction of Justice (that is a setup & trap)."

Even if Mueller's team decided to subpoena Trump as part of the investigation, he could still fight it in court or refuse to answer questions by invoking his Fifth Amendment protection from self-incrimination.

===========================================================

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The House Judiciary Committee is expected to prepare subpoenas this week seeking special counsel Robert Mueller's full Russia report as the Justice Department appears likely to miss an April 2 deadline set by Democrats for the report's release.

The Judiciary panel plans to vote on subpoenas Wednesday, a day after the deadline.

The chairmen of several House committees asked for the full report last week after Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary laying out the report's principal conclusions.

Barr said in a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary committees on Friday that a redacted version of the full 300 page report would be released by mid-April, if not sooner.

At the White House, President Donald Trump said the prospect of subpoenas were "ridiculous," but that he would abide by Barr's decision on the matter.

"I think it's a disgrace," Trump said.  "These are just Democrats that want to try and demean this country and it shouldn't be allowed."

The planned committee vote, announced Monday morning, would not automatically issue subpoenas but authorize House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to send them.

The panel will also vote to authorize subpoenas related to a number of President Donald Trump's former top advisers, including strategist Steve Bannon, Communications Director Hope Hicks, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, White House Counsel Donald McGahn and counsel Ann Donaldson. Donaldson served as McGahn's chief of staff before both left the administration.

The five were probably key witnesses in Mueller's probe of possible obstruction of justice.

Washington - 2 April 2019

1. Wide, US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Oval Office  

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"Reporter: There is going to be a vote in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow whether or not to authorize subpoenas to demand an unredacted version of the Mueller report and all of the background materials.  If they do vote out the authority for subpoenas will the White House fight that?

Well, I think it's ridiculous. We went through two years of the Mueller investigation. We have, I mean, not only that you read the wording that was proven ... who could go through that and get wording where it was no collusion, no nothing. So there's no collusion. The attorney general now and the deputy attorney general ruled no obstruction. They said no obstruction and so there's no collusion, there's no obstruction and now we're going to start this process all over again? I think it's a disgrace. These are just Democrats that want to try and demean this country and it shouldn't be allowed. And I'll totally live by what the attorney general ... I have great respect for the attorney general. I'll live by what he said but I will tell you this, nothing you give them, whether it's shifty Schiff (House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff) or (House Judiciary Chairman) Jerry Nadler, who I've known he's been fighting me for half of my life in Manhattan and I was very successful, thank you. But Nadler's been fighting me for years and years in Manhattan. Not successfully I will tell you anything we give them will never be enough."

3. Pan from reporters to Trump

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"This has been a very, very bad thing for our country. The question was asked before about Russia, about Germany, about all of the different things that you and I discussed so often. There's been a very bad thing for the United States. It's been a total waste of time. But what has it been a waste of time is some very bad people started something that should have never been started. And I hope that's going to continue forward, because people did things that were very, very bad for our country and very, very illegal. And you could even say treasonous. OK, thank you very much everybody. "

5. Wide, Oval Office meeting

The House Judiciary Committee is expected to prepare subpoenas this week seeking special counsel Robert Mueller's full Russia report as the Justice Department appears likely to miss an April 2 deadline set by Democrats for the report's release.

The Judiciary panel plans to vote on subpoenas Wednesday, a day after the deadline.

The chairmen of several House committees asked for the full report last week after Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary laying out the report's principal conclusions.

Barr said in a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary committees on Friday that a redacted version of the full 300 page report would be released by mid-April, if not sooner.

At the White House, President Donald Trump said the prospect of subpoenas were "ridiculous," but that he would abide by Barr's decision on the matter.

"I think it's a disgrace," Trump said.  "These are just Democrats that want to try and demean this country and it shouldn't be allowed."

The planned committee vote, announced Monday morning, would not automatically issue subpoenas but authorize House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to send them.

The panel will also vote to authorize subpoenas related to a number of President Donald Trump's former top advisers, including strategist Steve Bannon, Communications Director Hope Hicks, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, White House Counsel Donald McGahn and counsel Ann Donaldson. Donaldson served as McGahn's chief of staff before both left the administration.

The five were probably key witnesses in Mueller's probe of possible obstruction of justice.

Washington - 2 April 2019

1. Wide, US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Oval Office

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"Reporter: There is going to be a vote in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow whether or not to authorize subpoenas to demand an unredacted version of the Mueller report and all of the background materials. If they do vote out the authority for subpoenas will the White House fight that?

Well, I think it's ridiculous. We went through two years of the Mueller investigation. We have, I mean, not only that you read the wording that was proven ... who could go through that and get wording where it was no collusion, no nothing. So there's no collusion. The attorney general now and the deputy attorney general ruled no obstruction. They said no obstruction and so there's no collusion, there's no obstruction and now we're going to start this process all over again? I think it's a disgrace. These are just Democrats that want to try and demean this country and it shouldn't be allowed. And I'll totally live by what the attorney general ... I have great respect for the attorney general. I'll live by what he said but I will tell you this, nothing you give them, whether it's shifty Schiff (House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff) or (House Judiciary Chairman) Jerry Nadler, who I've known he's been fighting me for half of my life in Manhattan and I was very successful, thank you. But Nadler's been fighting me for years and years in Manhattan. Not successfully I will tell you anything we give them will never be enough."

3. Pan from reporters to Trump

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"This has been a very, very bad thing for our country. The question was asked before about Russia, about Germany, about all of the different things that you and I discussed so often. There's been a very bad thing for the United States. It's been a total waste of time. But what has it been a waste of time is some very bad people started something that should have never been started. And I hope that's going to continue forward, because people did things that were very, very bad for our country and very, very illegal. And you could even say treasonous. OK, thank you very much everybody. "

5. Wide, Oval Office meeting

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

Washington, DC - 26 July 2019

1. Wide, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler walks into briefing room, along with members of committee

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up. And if that were not enough. Director Mueller's testimony removed all doubt. He told us that Donald Trump obstructed justice and abused his office by tampering with witnesses, attempting to block the investigation and attempting to fire the special counsel. He told us that Donald Trump lied to the public about the Trump Tower meeting in New York. Lied to the public about his plans for Trump Tower in Moscow and lied in his written responses to the special counsel. He told us in a remarkable exchange with Mr. (Ted) Lieu that but for the Department of Justice policy from prohibiting, prohibiting from doing so, he would have indicted President Trump."

3. Wide, news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"The court filings today are the next step and we'll continue down that road to see whether we have the strong case that is needed to put to the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democrat - California:

"Well if you shut up expecting a Broadway show sure you may have been disappointed but if you listened to what he said he said that the Russians attacked us they had a preference for Donald Trump. The Trump campaign welcomed it and planned around it and when the police investigated it they took great lengths to cover it up including the president and the president is the only person in America who would be shielded from being held accountable because of what they did. That is pretty cut and dry. And what you've seen is not members who have called for impeachment saying take me off of that call in light of what Mr. Mueller have said. Six members since have come forward and have said add me to that call for impeachment."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"And what I believe we really should be focused on is not the performance of Mr. Mueller but the performance or behaviors of this president, obstructing justice. That's the performance you need to be examining. The performance of the Trump administration welcoming, wallowing in interference by Russia. The performance of Russia interfering with our elections in massive and sweeping ways that will continue. And a Senate yesterday that did nothing, in fact blocked attempts, to take care of or protect our elections."

8. Wide

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat - Texas:

"We're crossing a threshold. Absolutely. When you think about the, the, the mode that we were operating under before it really was an oversight function. We're now crossing a threshold with the filing of this, of this, with this filing and we are now officially entering into an examination of whether or not to recommend the articles of impeachment. So it's we have crossed a threshold. I just wanted to make that real clear."

10. Pan as members walk away

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

1. Wide, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler walks into briefing room, along with members of committee

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up. And if that were not enough. Director Mueller's testimony removed all doubt. He told us that Donald Trump obstructed justice and abused his office by tampering with witnesses, attempting to block the investigation and attempting to fire the special counsel. He told us that Donald Trump lied to the public about the Trump Tower meeting in New York. Lied to the public about his plans for Trump Tower in Moscow and lied in his written responses to the special counsel. He told us in a remarkable exchange with Mr. (Ted) Lieu that but for the Department of Justice policy from prohibiting, prohibiting from doing so, he would have indicted President Trump."

3. Wide, news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"The court filings today are the next step and we'll continue down that road to see whether we have the strong case that is needed to put to the American people."

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democrat - California:

"Well if you shut up expecting a Broadway show sure you may have been disappointed but if you listened to what he said he said that the Russians attacked us they had a preference for Donald Trump. The Trump campaign welcomed it and planned around it and when the police investigated it they took great lengths to cover it up including the president and the president is the only person in America who would be shielded from being held accountable because of what they did. That is pretty cut and dry. And what you've seen is not members who have called for impeachment saying take me off of that call in light of what Mr. Mueller have said. Six members since have come forward and have said add me to that call for impeachment."

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Madeleine Dean, Democrat - Pennsylvania:

"And what I believe we really should be focused on is not the performance of Mr. Mueller but the performance or behaviors of this president, obstructing justice. That's the performance you need to be examining. The performance of the Trump administration welcoming, wallowing in interference by Russia. The performance of Russia interfering with our elections in massive and sweeping ways that will continue. And a Senate yesterday that did nothing, in fact blocked attempts, to take care of or protect our elections."

8. Wide

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Veronica Escobar, Democrat - Texas:

"We're crossing a threshold. Absolutely. When you think about the, the, the mode that we were operating under before it really was an oversight function. We're now crossing a threshold with the filing of this, of this, with this filing and we are now officially entering into an examination of whether or not to recommend the articles of impeachment. So it's we have crossed a threshold. I just wanted to make that real clear."

10. Pan as members walk away

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus121022

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler said his committee is filing a court petition Friday in an effort to obtain secret grand jury material underlying former special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

The panel is also expected to file a lawsuit next week to try to enforce a subpoena against former White House counsel Donald McGahn, a key Mueller witness, if he doesn't comply before then.

That suit is expected to challenge the White House's claim that former White House employees have "absolute immunity" from testifying before Congress.

The move comes after Mueller's testimony Wednesday to Congress saying he had not "exculpated" President Donald Trump. Democrats are trying to focus public attention on Mueller's words and on his 448-page report's contents, including several episodes in which Trump sought to influence the special counsel's investigation into Russia election interference.

Mueller concluded that he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction of justice. He also concluded that there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

The panel has struggled to bring in witnesses like McGahn who spoke extensively to Mueller because the White House has directed them to refuse to testify. Trump has said he will fight "all of the subpoenas."

Nadler said the committee is still negotiating with McGahn for documents and testimony, and the committee will file the lawsuit "in very short order" if he does not comply.

The court battles are beginning as the House leaves for a six-week recess and Democrats are debating whether to impeach the Republican president. More than 90 House Democrats have said they favor starting the impeachment process, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she wants to build the strongest case possible before making that decision, including by going to court to force witnesses to comply.

Nadler said the court filing will include a line saying that the materials are necessary "to determine whether the committee should recommend articles of impeachment."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman: ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY OVERLAID++

"Before he (Robert Mueller) ever stepped into our hearing room, the director had rendered our country a great and necessary public service. He showed through his report and his indictments that the United States was attacked and remains under siege by a foreign adversary. He showed that the Trump campaign both welcomed and benefited from this attack on our country. And he showed that the president repeatedly lied to cover it up."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

POOL

Washington - 24 July 2019

2. Various Robert Mueller testifying

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 26 July 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chairman:

"We will continue to seek testimony from key fact witnesses.  As many of you know the committee has authorized several additional subpoenas. Our work will continue into the August recess and we will use those subpoenas, if we must. We will also continue to seek important documents from the Department of Justice and the White House. We have made some progress on this front. There appears to be compelling evidence of the President's misconduct outside of the four corners of the redacted version of the Mueller Report. And we will work to uncover that evidence as well. Finally, today we are filing an application for the grand jury material underlying the Mueller report. That information is critically important for our ability to examine witnesses including former White House counsel Don McGahn and to investigate the president's misconduct. I will not comment on reports of our ongoing negotiations with Mr. McGahn but unless he complies with our accommodation efforts in very short order we expect to file an additional suit to enforce a subpoena for his testimony and that would be next week or earlier next week."

US President Donald Trump says his White House will be "fighting all the subpoenas" issued by House Democrats in their investigations into his administration.

Trump is criticizing those investigations and telling reporters at the White House that he "thought after two years we'd be finished with it".

The president made the comments as he left the White House for Atlanta, where he'll talk about the opioid crisis.

Democrats have stepped up their inquiries in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.

Trump says "it's enough" and that "we're fighting all the subpoenas".

One congressional subpoena the administration is expected to challenge has gone out to Don McGahn, former White House counsel who cooperated with Mueller.

The White House is also pushing back on other fronts, including House Democratic efforts to obtain Trump's tax returns and his business' financial records.

Washington - 24 April 2019

1. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk on White House South Lawn

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"So the stock market and our country from an economic standpoint is doing the best probably it's ever done. We're hitting new highs again. We've hit new highs I guess close to or over a hundred times since I'm president from the time of the election. Unemployment numbers are the best they've ever been, by far. We have almost 160 million people working today in the United States. That's more than we've ever had working in our country before. We're doing well on trade. We're doing well with China."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Well, the subpoena is ridiculous. We have been, I have been the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far. We just went through the Mueller witch hunt, where you had, really 18 angry Democrats that hate President Trump, they hate him with a passion. They were contributors in many cases to Hillary Clinton, hate him with a passion. How they picked this panel I don't know. And they came up with no collusion and they actually also came up with no obstruction. But our attorney general ruled based on the information, there was no obstruction. So you have no collusion, no obstruction. Now we're finished with it. And I thought after two years, we'd be finished with it. No, now the House goes and starts subpoenaing. They want to know every deal I've ever done. Now Mueller, I assume, for thirty five million dollars, checked my taxes, checked my financials, which are great by the way, you know they're great. All you have to do is go look at the records, they're all over the place. But they checked my financials and they checked my taxes, I assume. It was the most thorough investigation probably in the history of our country. I think I read where they interviewed 500 people. I say it's enough. Get back to infrastructure, get back to cutting taxes, get back to lowering drug prices. That's what, really that's what we should be doing.

(reporter questions, inaudible)

Well we're fighting all the subpoenas. Look, these aren't like impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020. They're not going to win with the people that I see and they're not going to win against me. The only way they can maybe luck out, and I don't think that's going to happen, it might make it even the opposite, that's what a lot of people are saying. The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense. But they should be really focused on legislation, not the things that have been, this has been litigated, just so you understand, this has been litigated for the last two years almost since I got into office. Now, if you want to litigate, go after the DNC, Crooked Hillary, the dirty cops, all of these things. That's what should be litigated because that was a rigged system and I'm breaking down, I am breaking down the swamp. If you look at what's happening, they're getting caught. They're getting fired. Who knows what's going to happen from now on. But I hope it's, I hope it's very strong. But if you look at drain the swamp, I am draining the swamp. Thank you very much."

4. President Trump and Melania Trump walk across South Lawn and board Marine One

President Donald Trump says his White House will be "fighting all the subpoenas" issued by House Democrats in their investigations into his administration.

Trump is criticizing those investigations and telling reporters at the White House that he "thought after two years we'd be finished with it."

The president made the comments as he left the White House for Atlanta, where he'll give remarks on the opioid crisis.

Democrats have stepped up their inquiries in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Trump says "it's enough" and that "we're fighting all the subpoenas."

One congressional subpoena the administration is expected to challenge has gone out to Don McGahn, former White House counsel who cooperated with Mueller.

And the White House is pushing back on other fronts, including House Democratic efforts to obtain Trump's tax returns and his business' financial records.

Washington - 24 April 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Well, the subpoena is ridiculous. We have been, I have been the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far. We just went through the Muller witch hunt, where you had, really 18 angry Democrats that hate President Trump, they hate him with a passion. They were contributors in many cases to Hillary Clinton, hate him with a passion. How they picked this panel I don't know. And they came up with no collusion and they actually also came up with no obstruction. But our attorney general ruled based on the information, there was no obstruction. So you have no collusion, no obstruction. Now we're finished with it. And I thought after two years, we'd be finished with it. No, now the House goes and starts subpoenaing. They want to know every deal I've ever done. Now Muller I assume, for thirty five million dollars, checked my taxes, checked my financials, which are great by the way, you know they're great. All you have to do is go look at the records, they're all over the place. But they checked my financials and they checked my taxes, I assume. It was the most thorough investigation probably in the history of our country. I think I read where they interviewed 500 people. I say it's enough. Get back to infrastructure, get back to cutting taxes, get back to lowering drug prices. That's what, really that's what we should be doing.

(reporter questions, inaudible)

Well we're fighting all the subpoenas. Look, these aren't like impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020. They're not going to win with the people that I see and they're not going to win against me. The only way they can maybe luck out, and I don't think that's going to happen, it might make it even the opposite, that's what a lot of people are saying. The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense. But they should be really focused on legislation, not the things that have been, this has been litigated, just so you understand, this has been litigated for the last two years almost since I got into office. Now, if you want to litigate, go after the DNC, Crooked Hillary, the dirty cops, all of these things. That's what should be litigated because that was a rigged system and I'm breaking down, I am breaking down the swamp. If you look at what's happening, they're getting caught. They're getting fired. Who knows what's going to happen from now on. But I hope it's, I hope it's very strong. But if you look at drain the swamp, I am draining the swamp. Thank you very much."

2. President Trump and Melania Trump walk across South Lawn and board Marine One

President Donald Trump and his lawyers are laying out an extraordinarily expansive vision of executive authority that scholars say is mostly untested in court and could portend a drawn-out fight with the prosecutors now investigating him.

A memo submitted by the president's lawyers to special counsel Robert Mueller asserts as fact that presidents cannot obstruct justice because, as the country's chief law enforcement officer, they have ultimate control of the Justice Department and executive branch.

His lawyers have repeatedly insisted that it's beyond dispute that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted, while Trump tweeted Monday that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself.

As Mueller's investigation moves forward, courts may have to confront questions with minimal if any historical precedent.

Those include whether a president can be forced to answer questions from prosecutors, whether it's possible for a commander-in-chief to criminally interfere in investigations and whether a president's broad pardon power can be deployed for corrupt purposes.

Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump took steps to shut down that investigation through actions including the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Though Trump insists he did nothing wrong, the statements from him and his lawyers, including the January memo to Mueller, make clear how much of their defense revolves around establishing that he was constitutionally empowered to take the actions he took that are now under investigation.

The defense argument suggests that protocols meant to protect against abuses of power are merely norms the American public has come to expect, rather than laws binding upon a president.

There's some historical precedent for the court clash that could be instigated by the Trump investigation, but in many ways the arguments remain unsettled and tested.

The Supreme Court has never definitively ruled on the question of whether a president could be forced to testify, though the justices in 1974 did rule that President Richard Nixon had to turn over recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed.

TWITTER @RealDonaldTrump

Internet - 4 June 2018

1. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!"

2. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "The appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So President Donald Trump tweeted this morning that he has the absolute power to pardon himself if he wants to, though he quickly added that he has no intention of doing so because he's done nothing wrong."

POOL

Washington - 1 June 2018

4. Trump walking toward camera

ASSOCIATED PRESS

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what the president is getting at is actually something that has been historically untested, so nobody actually really knows whether it is true or not if the president can pardon himself because there's never been a Supreme Court that's weighed in on the opinion because frankly no president has ever thought to try to pardon himself or been in the position where they were going to do that. So, we're getting into unchartered territory to the extend that we're talking about this is a reasonable possibility. It's never reached the Supreme Court. I would however note that there is a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion from 1974 that suggests the president cannot act as his or her own judge. And so therefore would mitigate against pardoning himself or herself."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 1 June 2018

6. Trump walking on White House lawn

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what we're seeing from the series of public statements and tweets both from the president and his lawyers are really expansive visions of constitutional presidential authority and power. And so we are realizing that the defense for the president in the Mueller investigation is not so much a factual defense about what I did or didn't do as much as as I am president and therefore I am entitled to carry out the very acts that you're now investigating me for and so if I want to fire the FBI director, I can. If I want to ask the FBI director to shut down a particular investigation. I can. I'm the president. I control the executive branch. And so we are now getting into fairly untested arguments about the scope of the constitutional authorities vested in the president."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill

ASSOCIATED PRESS

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So a lot's going to depend on whether the president consents to an interview. So if he agrees to an interview, that would sort of seem to suggest there won't be a hugely drawn out court fight. If he rejects the interview request formally and then Mueller chooses to subpoena, him which is not something that we're aware that he's going to do. But should he subpoena him, we will anticipate a very significant court fight, potentially up to the Supreme Court that will really test some of these issues that we're talking about, whether the president can be subpoenaed for his testimony, whether he could be compelled to speak to investigators. These are really significant issues that suggest that a big court fight could be ahead."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 13 June 2013

10. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"I guess what's really interesting to me, at least, is how much of this is truly unknown. So you have legal experts and academics on one side of the spectrum who say this can never happen. You have others who say, 'well actually, technically when you look at the Constitution it doesn't preclude the types of behaviors or responses that the president's talking about.' So to the extent that we are moving into areas that we've never been before. I think there's going to be an opportunity to create new law and there's not going to be much to look at that guides us in terms of this is the one true right answer. So it's sort of fascinating in that sense."

POOL

Joint Base Andrews - 31 May 2018

12. Trump walking up steps to Air Force One

President Donald Trump and his lawyers are laying out an extraordinarily expansive vision of executive authority that scholars say is mostly untested in court and could portend a drawn-out fight with the prosecutors now investigating him.

A memo submitted by the president's lawyers to special counsel Robert Mueller asserts as fact that presidents cannot obstruct justice because, as the country's chief law enforcement officer, they have ultimate control of the Justice Department and executive branch.

His lawyers have repeatedly insisted that it's beyond dispute that a sitting president cannot be criminally prosecuted, while Trump tweeted Monday that he has the "absolute right" to pardon himself.

As Mueller's investigation moves forward, courts may have to confront questions with minimal if any historical precedent.

Those include whether a president can be forced to answer questions from prosecutors, whether it's possible for a commander-in-chief to criminally interfere in investigations and whether a president's broad pardon power can be deployed for corrupt purposes.

Mueller is investigating whether Trump associates coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump took steps to shut down that investigation through actions including the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Though Trump insists he did nothing wrong, the statements from him and his lawyers, including the January memo to Mueller, make clear how much of their defense revolves around establishing that he was constitutionally empowered to take the actions he took that are now under investigation.

The defense argument suggests that protocols meant to protect against abuses of power are merely norms the American public has come to expect, rather than laws binding upon a president.

There's some historical precedent for the court clash that could be instigated by the Trump investigation, but in many ways the arguments remain unsettled and tested.

The Supreme Court has never definitively ruled on the question of whether a president could be forced to testify, though the justices in 1974 did rule that President Richard Nixon had to turn over recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed.

TWITTER @RealDonaldTrump

Internet - 4 June 2018

1. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself, but why would I do that when I have done nothing wrong? In the meantime, the never ending Witch Hunt, led by 13 very Angry and Conflicted Democrats (& others) continues into the mid-terms!"

2. Donald Trump tweet reading (English) "The appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Despite that, we play the game because I, unlike the Democrats, have done nothing wrong!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

3. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So President Donald Trump tweeted this morning that he has the absolute power to pardon himself if he wants to, though he quickly added that he has no intention of doing so because he's done nothing wrong."

POOL

Washington - 1 June 2018

4. Trump walking toward camera

ASSOCIATED PRESS

5. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what the president is getting at is actually something that has been historically untested, so nobody actually really knows whether it is true or not if the president can pardon himself because there's never been a Supreme Court that's weighed in on the opinion because frankly no president has ever thought to try to pardon himself or been in the position where they were going to do that. So, we're getting into unchartered territory to the extend that we're talking about this is a reasonable possibility. It's never reached the Supreme Court. I would however note that there is a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion from 1974 that suggests the president cannot act as his or her own judge. And so therefore would mitigate against pardoning himself or herself."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 1 June 2018

6. Trump walking on White House lawn

ASSOCIATED PRESS

7. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So what we're seeing from the series of public statements and tweets both from the president and his lawyers are really expansive visions of constitutional presidential authority and power. And so we are realizing that the defense for the president in the Mueller investigation is not so much a factual defense about what I did or didn't do as much as as I am president and therefore I am entitled to carry out the very acts that you're now investigating me for and so if I want to fire the FBI director, I can. If I want to ask the FBI director to shut down a particular investigation. I can. I'm the president. I control the executive branch. And so we are now getting into fairly untested arguments about the scope of the constitutional authorities vested in the president."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 13 June 2013

8. Robert Mueller testifies on Capitol Hill

ASSOCIATED PRESS

9. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"So a lot's going to depend on whether the president consents to an interview. So if he agrees to an interview, that would sort of seem to suggest there won't be a hugely drawn out court fight. If he rejects the interview request formally and then Mueller chooses to subpoena, him which is not something that we're aware that he's going to do. But should he subpoena him, we will anticipate a very significant court fight, potentially up to the Supreme Court that will really test some of these issues that we're talking about, whether the president can be subpoenaed for his testimony, whether he could be compelled to speak to investigators. These are really significant issues that suggest that a big court fight could be ahead."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beijing - 13 June 2013

10. Mueller at news conference

ASSOCIATED PRESS

11. SOUNDBITE (English): Eric Tucker, AP Writer:

"I guess what's really interesting to me, at least, is how much of this is truly unknown. So you have legal experts and academics on one side of the spectrum who say this can never happen. You have others who say, 'well actually, technically when you look at the Constitution it doesn't preclude the types of behaviors or responses that the president's talking about.' So to the extent that we are moving into areas that we've never been before. I think there's going to be an opportunity to create new law and there's not going to be much to look at that guides us in terms of this is the one true right answer. So it's sort of fascinating in that sense."

POOL

Joint Base Andrews - 31 May 2018

12. Trump walking up steps to Air Force One

President Donald Trump says his White House will be "fighting all the subpoenas" issued by House Democrats in their investigations into his administration.

Trump is criticizing those investigations and telling reporters at the White House that he "thought after two years we'd be finished with it."

The president made the comments as he left the White House for Atlanta, where he'll give remarks on the opioid crisis.

Democrats have stepped up their inquiries in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Trump says "it's enough" and that "we're fighting all the subpoenas."

One congressional subpoena the administration is expected to challenge has gone out to Don McGahn, former White House counsel who cooperated with Mueller.

And the White House is pushing back on other fronts, including House Democratic efforts to obtain Trump's tax returns and his business' financial records.

Washington - 24 April 2019

1. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walk on White House South Lawn

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"So the stock market and our country from an economic standpoint is doing the best probably it's ever done. We're hitting new highs again. We've hit new highs I guess close to or over a hundred times since I'm president from the time of the election. Unemployment numbers are the best they've ever been, by far. We have almost 160 million people working today in the United States. That's more than we've ever had working in our country before. We're doing well on trade. We're doing well with China."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, US President:

"Well, the subpoena is ridiculous. We have been, I have been the most transparent president and administration in the history of our country by far. We just went through the Mueller witch hunt, where you had, really 18 angry Democrats that hate President Trump, they hate him with a passion. They were contributors in many cases to Hillary Clinton, hate him with a passion. How they picked this panel I don't know. And they came up with no collusion and they actually also came up with no obstruction. But our attorney general ruled based on the information, there was no obstruction. So you have no collusion, no obstruction. Now we're finished with it. And I thought after two years, we'd be finished with it. No, now the House goes and starts subpoenaing. They want to know every deal I've ever done. Now Mueller, I assume, for thirty five million dollars, checked my taxes, checked my financials, which are great by the way, you know they're great. All you have to do is go look at the records, they're all over the place. But they checked my financials and they checked my taxes, I assume. It was the most thorough investigation probably in the history of our country. I think I read where they interviewed 500 people. I say it's enough. Get back to infrastructure, get back to cutting taxes, get back to lowering drug prices. That's what, really that's what we should be doing.

(reporter questions, inaudible)

Well we're fighting all the subpoenas. Look, these aren't like impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020. They're not going to win with the people that I see and they're not going to win against me. The only way they can maybe luck out, and I don't think that's going to happen, it might make it even the opposite, that's what a lot of people are saying. The only way they can luck out is by constantly going after me on nonsense. But they should be really focused on legislation, not the things that have been, this has been litigated, just so you understand, this has been litigated for the last two years almost since I got into office. Now, if you want to litigate, go after the DNC, Crooked Hillary, the dirty cops, all of these things. That's what should be litigated because that was a rigged system and I'm breaking down, I am breaking down the swamp. If you look at what's happening, they're getting caught. They're getting fired. Who knows what's going to happen from now on. But I hope it's, I hope it's very strong. But if you look at drain the swamp, I am draining the swamp. Thank you very much."

4. President Trump and Melania Trump walk across South Lawn and board Marine One

The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony.

That's according to a person familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. The committee has renewed interest in talking to President Donald Trump's eldest son after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year.

Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only "peripherally aware" of the proposal.

The Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The subpoena is a sign that the panel is still conducting its investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican member of the panel, hinted after Cohen spoke behind closed doors to the Senate intelligence panel that the committee would want to talk to Trump Jr. again. She said senators "clearly need to re-interview some witnesses whose accounts (Cohen) contradicts."

Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., did not immediately respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

The subpoena was first reported by Axios.

POOL

Lynchburg, Virginia - 1 March 2019

1. ARCHIVE: Wide, Jerry Falwell, Junior and Donald Trump, Junior on stage

2. ARCHIVE; Various Donald Trump Junior, son of President Donald Trump speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cleveland, Ohio - 19 July 2016

3. ARCHIVE: Various of Donald Trump, Jr. on stage

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sun City, Arizona - 1 November 2018

4. ARCHIVE: Medium view of U.S. senate candidate Martha McSally introducing Donald Trump Jr.

5. ARCHIVE Donald Trump Jr., Executive Vice President, The Trump Organization speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 2 April 2018

6. ARCHIVE: Various of Donald Trump, Jr (pink tie) walking with children, followed by Vanessa Trump (blue jacket) and Tiffany Trump (pink jacket)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - July 26, 2018

7. ARCHIVE: Various STILLS of Donald Trump Jr and Vanessa Trump arriving for divorce hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 11 June 2018

8.ARCHIVE: From left, US professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Son of US President Donald Trump, Eric Trump, former US professional golfer Jack Nicklaus (who designed the course), Son of US President Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and US professional golfer Dustin Johnson cut ribbon to open new clubhouse at Trump Golf Links in the Bronx

9. ARCHIVE: Zoom out from Eric and Donald Trump Jr., to wider group posing for photos

10. ARCHIVE: Donald Trump Jr. (with Eric Trump on stage with him), speaking

The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony.

That's according to a person familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. The committee has renewed interest in talking to President Donald Trump's eldest son after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year.

Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only "peripherally aware" of the proposal.

The Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The subpoena is a sign that the panel is still conducting its investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican member of the panel, hinted after Cohen spoke behind closed doors to the Senate intelligence panel that the committee would want to talk to Trump Jr. again. She said senators "clearly need to re-interview some witnesses whose accounts (Cohen) contradicts."

Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., did not immediately respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

The subpoena was first reported by Axios.

POOL

Lynchburg, Virginia - 1 March 2019

1. ARCHIVE: Wide, Jerry Falwell, Junior and Donald Trump, Junior on stage

2. ARCHIVE; Various Donald Trump Junior, son of President Donald Trump speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cleveland, Ohio - 19 July 2016

3. ARCHIVE: Various of Donald Trump, Jr. on stage

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sun City, Arizona - 1 November 2018

4. ARCHIVE: Medium view of U.S. senate candidate Martha McSally introducing Donald Trump Jr.

5. ARCHIVE Donald Trump Jr., Executive Vice President, The Trump Organization speaking

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 2 April 2018

6. ARCHIVE: Various of Donald Trump, Jr (pink tie) walking with children, followed by Vanessa Trump (blue jacket) and Tiffany Trump (pink jacket)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - July 26, 2018

7. ARCHIVE: Various STILLS of Donald Trump Jr and Vanessa Trump arriving for divorce hearing

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 11 June 2018

8.ARCHIVE: From left, US professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau, Son of US President Donald Trump, Eric Trump, former US professional golfer Jack Nicklaus (who designed the course), Son of US President Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., and US professional golfer Dustin Johnson cut ribbon to open new clubhouse at Trump Golf Links in the Bronx

9. ARCHIVE: Zoom out from Eric and Donald Trump Jr., to wider group posing for photos

10. ARCHIVE: Donald Trump Jr. (with Eric Trump on stage with him), speaking

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington as part of an investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, a person familiar with the probe said Thursday.

The use of a grand jury, a standard prosecution tool in criminal investigations, suggests that Mueller and his team of investigators are likely to hear from witnesses and demand documents in the coming weeks and months. The person who confirmed to The Associated Press that Mueller had turned to a grand jury was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the use of a grand jury.

Grand juries are common vehicles to subpoena witnesses and records and to present evidence, though they do not suggest any criminal charges are near or will necessarily be sought. It was not immediately clear how or whether the Washington grand jury was connected to the work of a separate one in Alexandria, Virginia. That panel has been used to gather information on Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.

A spokesman for Mueller's team did not return an email seeking comment.

Mueller's reliance on a grand jury is the "logical next step in this investigation" given that it's the traditional method for prosecutors to gather evidence, said Washington defense lawyer Jacob Frenkel.

Meanwhile, lawyers for President Donald Trump said they were unaware of the existence of a grand jury and had no information to suggest the president himself was under federal investigation.

"With respect to the news of the federal grand jury, I have no reason to believe that the president is under investigation," defense attorney John Dowd told the AP.

Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, said he wasn't aware Mueller had started using a new grand jury.

"Grand jury matters are typically secret," Cobb said. "The White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly. ... The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller."

It was not clear what witnesses might appear before the grand jury or what evidence it might be accumulating or presented with.

Mueller was appointed special counsel in May by the Justice Department following the firing by Trump of FBI Director James Comey. He has since assembled a team of more than a dozen investigators, including current and former Justice Department prosecutors with experience in international bribery, organized crime and financial fraud.

That team has been working at an undisclosed location in Washington, so presenting evidence inside a federal courthouse in the city could be more convenient for the group of investigators than working out of Alexandria. Mueller also worked as a prosecutor in Washington before becoming FBI director, a job he held for 12 years.

A grand jury "increases the power of the prosecutors," said David Levine, law professor at the University of California Hastings College of Law. "Instead of asking for people to provide testimony, they can demand testimony under the penalty of perjury and under risk of contempt of court. And with respect to documents, instead of asking people for documents, they can demand documents. And so for example the tax returns, a subpoena can unlock those tax returns," he said.

News of the grand jury came as senators introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at protecting Mueller from being fired by Trump, with both parties signaling resistance to any White House effort to derail the investigation into Russian meddling in last year's election.

Trump's defense team has been looking into potential conflicts of interest among members of Mueller's team, such as past political contributions to Democrats including Hillary Clinton, and Trump has warned that any effort by Mueller to look into his finances would fall outside the scope of Mueller's appointment.

Under the regulations, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the government official empowered to fire Mueller under limited circumstances, such as conflict of interest and dereliction of duty. Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, has publicly said he has seen no basis for firing him.

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

1. David Levine looks at news story on phone

2. Screen showing news story about grand jury in Russia probe

3. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

++ covered by video ++ "What we've learned is that special counsel Mueller and the lawyers working with him ++ are using a grand jury to further their investigation into the questions about Russian collusion and related areas such as financial transactions and other matters."

Washington, D.C. - June 21, 2017

4. AP Photo of former FBI director Robert Mueller arriving for meeting at Capitol Hill

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

++ covered by video ++ "It increases the power of the prosecutors. ++ Instead of asking for people to provide testimony, they can demand testimony under the penalty of perjury and under risk of contempt of court. And with respect to documents, instead of asking people for documents, they can demand documents. And so for example the tax returns, a subpoena can unlock those tax returns."

Huntington, West Virginia - Aug. 3, 2017

6. AP Photo of President Donald Trump speaking at rally

Washington, D.C. - Dec. 11, 1998

7. AP Photo of President Bill Clinton walking to Rose Garden to deliver statement on impeachment

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

++ covered by video ++ "If it's somebody in the United States, they are subject to subpoena. And that would include the president of the United States. Famously President Bill Clinton appeared before a grand jury. It turned out not very well for him."

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

9. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"We're probably months and months away before we hear formally ++ covered by video ++ from Mr. Mueller as to whether and who might be indicted and for what." ++

Washington, D.C. - June 21, 2017

10. AP Photo of former FBI director Robert Mueller arriving for meeting at Capitol Hill

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington as part of an investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, a person familiar with the probe said Thursday.

The use of a grand jury, a standard prosecution tool in criminal investigations, suggests that Mueller and his team of investigators are likely to hear from witnesses and demand documents in the coming weeks and months. The person who confirmed to The Associated Press that Mueller had turned to a grand jury was not authorized to discuss the investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the use of a grand jury.

Grand juries are common vehicles to subpoena witnesses and records and to present evidence, though they do not suggest any criminal charges are near or will necessarily be sought. It was not immediately clear how or whether the Washington grand jury was connected to the work of a separate one in Alexandria, Virginia. That panel has been used to gather information on Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.

A spokesman for Mueller's team did not return an email seeking comment.

Mueller's reliance on a grand jury is the "logical next step in this investigation" given that it's the traditional method for prosecutors to gather evidence, said Washington defense lawyer Jacob Frenkel.

Meanwhile, lawyers for President Donald Trump said they were unaware of the existence of a grand jury and had no information to suggest the president himself was under federal investigation.

"With respect to the news of the federal grand jury, I have no reason to believe that the president is under investigation," defense attorney John Dowd told the AP.

Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, said he wasn't aware Mueller had started using a new grand jury.

"Grand jury matters are typically secret," Cobb said. "The White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly. ... The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller."

It was not clear what witnesses might appear before the grand jury or what evidence it might be accumulating or presented with.

Mueller was appointed special counsel in May by the Justice Department following the firing by Trump of FBI Director James Comey. He has since assembled a team of more than a dozen investigators, including current and former Justice Department prosecutors with experience in international bribery, organized crime and financial fraud.

That team has been working at an undisclosed location in Washington, so presenting evidence inside a federal courthouse in the city could be more convenient for the group of investigators than working out of Alexandria. Mueller also worked as a prosecutor in Washington before becoming FBI director, a job he held for 12 years.

A grand jury "increases the power of the prosecutors," said David Levine, law professor at the University of California Hastings College of Law. "Instead of asking for people to provide testimony, they can demand testimony under the penalty of perjury and under risk of contempt of court. And with respect to documents, instead of asking people for documents, they can demand documents. And so for example the tax returns, a subpoena can unlock those tax returns," he said.

News of the grand jury came as senators introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at protecting Mueller from being fired by Trump, with both parties signaling resistance to any White House effort to derail the investigation into Russian meddling in last year's election.

Trump's defense team has been looking into potential conflicts of interest among members of Mueller's team, such as past political contributions to Democrats including Hillary Clinton, and Trump has warned that any effort by Mueller to look into his finances would fall outside the scope of Mueller's appointment.

Under the regulations, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is the government official empowered to fire Mueller under limited circumstances, such as conflict of interest and dereliction of duty. Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller, has publicly said he has seen no basis for firing him.

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

1. David Levine looks at news story on phone

2. Screen showing news story about grand jury in Russia probe

3. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"What we've learned is that special counsel Mueller and the lawyers working with him are using a grand jury to further their investigation into the questions about Russian collusion and related areas such as financial transactions and other matters."

Washington, D.C. - June 21, 2017

4. AP Photo of former FBI director Robert Mueller arriving for meeting at Capitol Hill

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

5. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"It increases the power of the prosecutors. Instead of asking for people to provide testimony, they can demand testimony under the penalty of perjury and under risk of contempt of court. And with respect to documents, instead of asking people for documents, they can demand documents. And so for example the tax returns, a subpoena can unlock those tax returns."

Huntington, West Virginia - Aug. 3, 2017

6. AP Photo of President Donald Trump speaking at rally

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

7. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"If it's somebody in the United States, they are subject to subpoena. And that would include the president of the United States. Famously President Bill Clinton appeared before a grand jury. It turned out not very well for him."

Washington, D.C. - Dec. 11, 1998

8. AP Photo of President Bill Clinton walking to Rose Garden to deliver statement on impeachment

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

9. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"If I was in the White House, I would be concerned that the investigation has gone up a notch or appears to have gone up another notch. In short order probably people who are in the administration or former members of the administration or former members of the campaign will be getting subpoenas to testify and provide documents."

Washington, D.C. - June 21, 2017

10. AP Photo of former FBI director Robert Mueller arriving for meeting at Capitol Hill

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

11. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"And as the word gets around in the White House as to who is getting subpoenas and what is being asked, at least some members of the administration will obviously be getting more more nervous. This is why so many of them already have - the parlance is they've lawyered up. So many of those senior officials each have their own lawyer or series of lawyers because of their concerns of where this may lead."

Huntington, West Virginia - Aug. 3, 2017

12. AP Photo of President Donald Trump speaking at rally

Oakland, California - Aug. 3, 2017

13. SOUNDBITE (English) David Levine, law professor, University of California, Hastings College of the Law

"We're probably months and months away before we hear formally from Mr. Mueller as to whether and who might be indicted and for what."

14. David Levine looking at phone

The vice dean of Emory University School of Law, Robert Ahdieh, spoke to the Associated Press Friday on issues surrounding the naming of a special prosecutor to lead an independent federal Trump-Russia investigation.

The Justice Department this week hired former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel to lead the investigation.

Ahdieh says Mueller will have "full legal authority to bring, to conduct investigations, to direct the FBI to gather information, to issue subpoenas for information, and ultimately to bring an indictment".

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed a special counsel to investigate allegations that Donald Trump's presidential campaign collaborated with Russia.

The announcement, the latest in the shock-a-day Washington saga, was made a day ahead of Rosenstein's scheduled closed-door appearance Thursday afternoon before the Senate.

Democratic senators had been prepared to press him to appoint a special prosecutor, and his decision defused their complaints, leading to praise instead.

Atlanta, Georgia - 19 May 2017

1. Robert Ahdieh, vice dean, Emory University School of Law, walking

2. Emory School of Law building entrance

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Ahdieh, Vice Dean, Emory University School of Law:

"So, the former FBI director Robert Mueller is now functioning in essence as a equivalent of a US attorney. He is an employee of the Department of Justice with full legal authority to bring, to conduct investigations, to direct the FBI to gather information, to issue subpoenas for information, and ultimately to bring an indictment. So, in that sense he functions as, in some ways, a surrogate for the Attorney General, just as a US attorney does. He has the full ambit of authority that goes with that. That extends as far as, and we think of this in some ways as the outer-bound of prosecutorial authority, to investigating the president directly, including going so far as seeking testimony from and even perhaps compelling testimony from the president."

4. Emory School of Law 100 year anniversary banner

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Ahdieh, Vice Dean, Emory University School of Law:

"So as in any criminal case, a prosecutor has to seek an indictment from a grand jury. The very famously, of course, there is the expression that, 'a good prosecutor can get an indictment against a ham sandwich.' So how much of a barrier that will present to Robert Mueller is unclear. But he is required to go through that process, and again, he has all the full powers of impaneling a grand jury, seeking indictment from a grand jury, bringing witness and testimony and other evidence before the grand jury and the like."

6. Emory School of Law signage

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Ahdieh, Vice Dean, Emory University School of Law:

"You know, there's the famous adage that it's not the crime it's the cover-up. That may have great application here in the sense that there appears to be indication that some individuals with some authority engaged in some contact that was likely at least unwise if not impermissible, if not illegal. The question is what happened after that, and to what extent does the administration now cooperate with the investigation that identifies any wrongdoing and pursues addressing that wrongdoing. The structure now having a special counsel means there is no way to avoid that. There's no dodging that, there's no rallies and political pressure, and demands from members of Congress are not going to deter Robert Mueller. He's going to pursue this where it should be pursued, and no further I suspect. But in that sense it's serious that it will be impossible for this to not reach a conclusion because of politics. And if in fact the conclusion it reaches is problematic, if there is evidence of active collusion of some sort of the Trump campaign with Russia in some fashion, that obviously will be very serious for our democracy and for our political order."

8. Ahdieh at his desk working

A person familiar with an investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign says Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington as part of the probe.

The person was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal first reported the grand jury.

Mueller was appointed special counsel in May following the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Grand juries are common vehicles to subpoena witnesses and records, though they do not suggest any criminal charges are near.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press has also learned that President Trump's former national security adviser is now detailing previously undisclosed paid speaking engagements, business positions and income from the presidential transition that he left off his public financial disclosure.

A person close to Michael Flynn tells the AP the filing shows Flynn entered into a consulting agreement with the British parent company of data firm Cambridge Analytica, which aided the Trump campaign.

The person says Flynn didn't perform work or accept payment under the agreement. He terminated it after Trump's election victory.

Flynn reports earning about $28,000 from the transition and more than $5,000 as a consultant to an aborted plan to build nuclear power plants across the Middle East.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

1. Donald Trump walking across the White House South Lawn, waves

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"So what we're learning tonight is that special counsel Robert Mueller is using a Washington, DC-based grand jury as part of his probe into Russia's meddling in the election and any possible ties of collusion between Trump associates. And why this is important, this is kind of a procedural step really in the grand scheme of things, because he's going to use this grand jury to issue subpoenas and call witnesses as he continues his investigation."

3. Various shots of the federal courthouse where the grand jury will convene

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"I would caution anybody to think this is a very substantial you know move in this investigation. This isn't a sign that indictments are imminent or that they settled on charges or that they know specifically that someone is in trouble criminally. What this is is just showing that, you know, Robert Muller is in a position now where he can take some of the evidence that he's gathered or just what he has so far to a grand jury to have subpoenas issued and to compel people to testify potentially as he furthers the investigation."

POOL

Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

5. FILE of Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"You can't read too much into this. I think everybody should kind of take a deep breath about it. But it is a sign that this is a serious inquiry and that Mueller has kind of gotten to that point where people are going to have to talk to him or give him some documents."

POOL

Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

7. FILE of Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"Separately, we are reporting tonight, the AP is reporting that Michael Flynn is amending his public financial disclosure which is a form that people who come into the government have to fill out that discloses all of their finances, that discloses their debt and things like this. And the whole point of that is to head off or give the public an idea of any potential conflicts of interest that they may have when they're in their government roles. For Flynn, it's a little different because he's coming back after he's left the government and was, you know, fired, ousted, really, back in February. What he's doing, a person that we've discussed the details of this filing with is saying that they're doing this to be transparent and to make sure that the filing is accurate. Kind of going back and reporting some things that they had left off the form previously."

POOL

Washington, DC - 20 January 2016

9. Michael Flynn walking through US Capitol

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 1 February 2017

10. STILL photo of Michael Flynn standing in the briefing room of the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"Flynn was heavily involved in the Trump campaign and some of the things that we're learning from this new filing are that he had entered into an agreement with a data firm, or a company that's related to this data firm - Cambridge Analytica - that had done some work for the Trump campaign. And this has, on Capitol Hill, this has attracted a lot of scrutiny because part of the Russia probe is looking at the campaign's data operation and whether there was any you know, use of it in furtherance of fake news or other elements of this Russia meddling.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, NY - 17 November 2016

12. STILL photo of Michael Flynn talking to media in Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York, NY - 3 January 2016

13. STILL photo of Michael Flynn walking into Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"I should note that Flynn says you know, or what we know about this is that there wasn't any money that changed hands, it was a very preliminary agreement and that he actually terminated it pretty quickly after the election."

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

A person familiar with an investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign said on Thursday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington as part of the probe.

The person was not authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the grand jury.

Mueller was appointed special counsel in May following the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Grand juries are common vehicles to subpoena witnesses and records, though they do not suggest any criminal charges are near.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press has also learned that President Trump's former national security adviser is now detailing previously undisclosed paid speaking engagements, business positions and income from the presidential transition that he left off his public financial disclosure.

A person close to Michael Flynn tells the AP the filing shows Flynn entered into a consulting agreement with the British parent company of data firm Cambridge Analytica, which aided the Trump campaign.

The person says Flynn didn't perform work or accept payment under the agreement. He terminated it after Trump's election victory.

Flynn reports earning about 28,000 US dollars from the transition and more than 5,000 dollars as a consultant to an aborted plan to build nuclear power plants across the Middle East.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

1. Donald Trump walking across the White House South Lawn, waves

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"So what we're learning tonight is that special counsel Robert Mueller is using a Washington, DC-based grand jury as part of his probe into Russia's meddling in the election and any possible ties of collusion between Trump associates. And why this is important, this is kind of a procedural step really in the grand scheme of things, because he's going to use this grand jury to issue subpoenas and call witnesses as he continues his investigation."

3. Various shots of the federal courthouse where the grand jury will convene

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"I would caution anybody to think this is a very substantial move in this investigation. This isn't a sign that indictments are imminent or that they settled on charges or that they know specifically that someone is in trouble criminally. What this is is just showing that, you know, Robert Mueller is in a position now where he can take some of the evidence that he's gathered or just what he has so far to a grand jury to have subpoenas issued and to compel people to testify potentially as he furthers the investigation."

POOL

FILE: Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

5. Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"You can't read too much into this. I think everybody should kind of take a deep breath about it. But it is a sign that this is a serious inquiry and that Mueller has kind of gotten to that point where people are going to have to talk to him or give him some documents."

POOL

FILE: Washington, DC - 13 June 2013

7. FILE of Robert Mueller testifying before Congress

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"Separately, we are reporting tonight, the AP is reporting that Michael Flynn is amending his public financial disclosure which is a form that people who come into the government have to fill out that discloses all of their finances, that discloses their debt and things like this. And the whole point of that is to head off or give the public an idea of any potential conflicts of interest that they may have when they're in their government roles. For Flynn, it's a little different because he's coming back after he's left the government and was, you know, fired, ousted, really, back in February. What he's doing, a person that we've discussed the details of this filing with is saying that they're doing this to be transparent and to make sure that the filing is accurate, kind of going back and reporting some things that they had left off the form previously."

POOL

FILE: Washington, DC - 20 January 2016

9. Michael Flynn walking through US Capitol

ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE: Washington, DC - 1 February 2017

10. STILL photo of Michael Flynn standing in the briefing room of the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"Flynn was heavily involved in the Trump campaign and some of the things that we're learning from this new filing are that he had entered into an agreement with a data firm, or a company that's related to this data firm - Cambridge Analytica - that had done some work for the Trump campaign. And this has, on Capitol Hill, this has attracted a lot of scrutiny because part of the Russia probe is looking at the campaign's data operation and whether there was any you know, use of it in furtherance of fake news or other elements of this Russia meddling."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE: New York - 17 November 2016

12. STILL photo of Michael Flynn talking to media in Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

FILE: New York - 3 January 2016

13. STILL photo of Michael Flynn walking into Trump Tower

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 3 August 2017

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Day, Associated Press:

"I should note that Flynn says you know, or what we know about this is that there wasn't any money that changed hands, it was a very preliminary agreement and that he actually terminated it pretty quickly after the election."

++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++