President Donald Trump's lead lawyer in the special counsel's Russia investigation resigned Thursday, shaking up the legal team just as the president intensifies his attacks on a probe he calls nothing more than a witch hunt.

Associated Press Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker said the resignation might have something to do with clashes between John Dowd and Trump in the Mueller investigation.

"Trump came out and said I'm very eager to speak under oath to Mueller, but Dowd has been much more cautious and apprehensive," Tucker said, "So obviously you have a client attorney division there."

The departure of attorney John Dowd removes the primary negotiator and legal strategist who had been molding Trump's defense. It also comes just days after the Trump legal team added a new lawyer, former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova, who has alleged on television that FBI officials were involved in a "brazen plot" to exonerate Hillary Clinton in the email investigation and to "frame" Trump for nonexistent crimes.

Dowd confirmed his decision in an email to The Associated Press, saying, "I love the President and wish him well." Dowd said he made the decision voluntarily and he denied reports that his departure had to do with Trump ignoring his legal advice. He said he formally resigned Thursday morning.

It already was a delicate time in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as Trump's attorneys, including Dowd, have been negotiating with Mueller over the scope and terms of an interview of the president. Trump has told reporters that he was eager to speak with Mueller, but Dowd has been far more apprehensive, and the lawyers have not publicly committed to making Trump available for questioning.

Asked Thursday whether he still wants to speak with Mueller's team, Trump told reporters, "Yes, I would like to."

Dowd's exit nearly a year into Mueller's investigation threatens to undo the cooperation between prosecutors and Trump's lawyers and may herald a stark shift in strategy as the probe reaches closer into the White House and the president's inner circle.

Over the weekend, Dowd issued a statement calling for an end to special counsel's investigation. The White House and later Dowd had to clarify the statement, saying the president's legal team wasn't calling for Mueller to be fired.

But Trump has upped his public attacks on Mueller.

In a series of tweets since last week, the president has said that the probe never should have started, that it was based on "fraudulent activities," that it was a "WITCH HUNT" and that it is being led by "13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 10 May 2011

1. STILL Attorney John Dowd leaves building with his client co-founder of Galleon hedge fund group Raj Rajaratnam

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 April 2011

2. STILL Dowd and Rajaratnam entering federal court

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So John Dowd is the lead defense lawyer on Donald Trump's legal team. And we learned today that he has resigned effective immediately from that team, so he's no longer going to be representing the president."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 23 May 2007

4. STILL Various Dowd with client White House liaison Monica Goodling

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So this is really significant because we are now 10 months into Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. There have been a lot of negotiations back and forth led by John Dowd as to whether or not the president will sit down for interview with Mueller and his team. And so now it's unclear what the next step is going to be, because basically the point person and lead negotiator and point of contact for Mueller's team is no longer calling the shots."

DONALD TRUMP TWITTER FEED/@realDonaldTrump

Internet - 18 March 2018

6. SCREENGRAB of Donald Trump homepage on Twitter

7. SCREENGRAB of tweet reading (English): "Why does the Mueller team have 13 hardened Democrats, some big Crooked Hillary supporters, and Zero Republicans? Another Dem recently added...does anyone think this is fair? And yet, there is NO COLLUSION!"

DONALD TRUMP TWITTER FEED/@realDonaldTrump

Internet - 17 March 2018

8. SCREENGRAB of tweet reading (English): "The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!"

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"Last weekend we noticed a real notable shift in the way the president and his legal team has been talking about Special Counsel Robert Mueller. So in the past there's been lots of public overtures and gestures of cooperation. They've spoken warmly about the special counsel in his work. And this time, for the first time, this weekend for the first time we saw John Dowd basically call on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to shut down the investigation. He had initially said he was speaking for the president, he later said he was not. And the White House on Sunday had to clarify that there were no plans to try to terminate the investigation."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

10. Donald Trump walks into White House Treaty Room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"So I think there's been a degree of consternation back and forth within the legal community over certain decisions and actions from Dowd and the legal team. There's been obviously a divide as to whether or not the president is gonna speak with Mueller. So you'll remember that in January, Trump came out and said I'm very eager to speak under oath to Mueller, but Dowd has been much more cautious and apprehensive, and his lawyers, Trump's lawyers have not publicly committed in any way to any sort of interview. They say those are ongoing negotiations. So obviously you have a client attorney division there."

ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

12. President Donald Trump walks out of Treaty Room as reporters shout questions

13. UPSOUND: Reporter:

"Mr. President, would you still like to testify to special counsel Robert Mueller, sir?"

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

"Yes, I would like to..."

15. Trump walks out of room

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"One other thing that I would note is that the Trump legal team has been looking to try to add to its ranks. So they have reached out to a very prominent Washington lawyer, a litigator by the name of Ted Olson who argued the Bush v. Gore case 2000 before the U.S. Supreme Court. And he's argued the California gay rights case, same sex marriage case. He turned them down. And so I would not be surprised if there is another attorney who they try to reach out to."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 28 September 2017

17. STILL Various Former United States Solicitor General Ted Olson at the installation ceremony for FBI director Chris Wray

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 20 June 2013

18. STILL Olson with plaintiffs in the California Proposition 8 case

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Justice Department Reporter:

"They did hire on Monday a former United States attorney named Joe diGenova who's going to be working on the Trump legal team. And one thing that diGenova is notable for is an interview with Fox News from January in which he basically said the FBI officials were part of a brazen plot to exonerate Hillary Clinton and frame Donald Trump for a fictional, nonexistent crime. So that gives you a flavor of where the defense legal strategy might be going."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

20. Various Trump speaking in the House Treaty Room about imposing tariffs on Chinese imports

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus117825

President Donald Trump blasted special counsel Robert Mueller on Thursday, saying he's a "never Trumper" who led a biased investigation on Russia's meddling in the 2016 election.

Speaking to reporters on the South Lawn as he left for Colorado, Trump also said that he's been tough on Russia and that Moscow would have preferred Hillary Clinton as president.

The special counsel's report said Russian interference in the election helped Trump defeat Clinton.

Trump harshly criticized Mueller a day after Mueller pointedly rebutted Trump's repeated claims that he was cleared and that the two-year inquiry was merely a "witch hunt."

The president also uttered mixed messages, sending a morning tweet saying he had "nothing to do with Russia helping me get elected," then minutes later, told reporters: "Russia did not help me get elected."

Trump said Mueller, who is a Republican, was "conflicted" and should have investigated law enforcement officials who the president claims tried to undermine his presidency.

Trump also called impeachment a "dirty word" and said he couldn't imagine the courts allowing him to be impeached. "I don't think so because there's no crime," he said.

Washington - 30 May 2019

1. Mid, US President Donald Trump walking out of the residence toward reporters

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

"Well I think it was the same as the report. There wasn't much change. It was to me, the same as the report. And there's no obstruction, you see what we're saying. There's no obstruction, there's no collusion, there's no nothing. It's nothing but a witch hunt. A witch hunt by the media and the Democrats, they're partners and it keeps going. I thought it was finished when the report was released but it goes on. And to me it was the same frankly as the report and he said basically it was the same as the report. "

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

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

"I think he is a total conflicted person. I think Muller is a true never Trumper. He's somebody that dislikes Donald Trump. He's somebody that didn't get a job that he requested that he wanted very badly. And then he was appointed and despite that and despite 40 million dollars, 18 Trump haters, including people that worked for Hillary Clinton and some of the worst human beings on earth, they got nothing. It's pretty amazing."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

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

(Reporter: Do you believe that Russia helped you get elected?)

"No Russia did not help me get elected.  You know who got me elected, you know who got me elected? I got me elected.  Russia didn't help me at all. Russia, If anything I think helped the other side. What you ought to ask is this. Do you think the media helped Hillary Clinton get elected? She didn't make it. But you take a look at collusion between Hillary Clinton and the media, you take a look at collusion between Hillary Clinton and Russia. She had more to do in the campaign with Russia than I did. I had nothing to do. And by the way, that's one other thing. If you look this was all about Russia, Russia, Russia. They don't talk about Russia anymore because it turned out to be a hoax. It was all a hoax and then they say gee he fought back. Isn't that terrible. He fought back. Of course I fight back because it was a false accusation, a totally false accusation and it's a disgrace and it's a very ... it's a very sad period for this country and I think in the end I will consider what's happening now to be one of my greatest achievements, exposing this corruption."

++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY WHITE FLASHES++

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

"(Reporter: Do you think they are going to impeach you?)

I don't see how.  They can because they're possibly allowed although I can't imagine the courts allowing it. I've never gone into it. I never thought that would even be possible to be using that word. To me it's a dirty word. The word impeach it's a dirty, filthy, disgusting word and it had nothing to do with me. So I don't think so because there was no crime. You know it's high crimes and not with or it's high crimes and misdemeanors. There was no high crime and there was no misdemeanor. So how do you impeach based on that?  And it came out that there was nothing to do with Russia. The whole thing is a scam. It's one of it's a giant presidential harassment and honestly. I hope it goes down as one of my greatest achievements. Because I've exposed corruption, I've exposed corruption like nobody knew existed."

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler says the responsibility to look into US President Donald Trump's "crimes, lies and other wrongdoing" falls on Congress, and he has vowed to finish the work Special Counsel Robert Mueller has done.

Nadler made the comments in New York Wednesday in response to the special counsel's earlier remarks about the investigation - Mueller's first public statement since his redacted report was made public in April.

"Although Department of Justice policy prevented the special counsel from bringing criminal charges against the president, the special counsel has clearly demonstrated that President Trump is lying. He is lying about the special counsel's findings, lying about the testimony of key witnesses in the special counsel's report, and above all, lying in saying that the special counsel found no obstruction and no collusion," Nadler said.

"Unfortunately, Special Counsel Mueller was unable to pursue criminal charges against the president because Department of Justice policy prevents a sitting president from being prosecuted. That policy, in my opinion, is wrong but it prevented a special counsel from pursuing justice to the fullest extent possible. Therefore, as Mueller again highlighted this morning, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies, and other wrongdoing of President Trump," he added.

"We will do so. Make no mistake: No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law."

Mueller's first public statement on the Russia investigation is fuelling fresh calls on Capitol Hill to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, a step that Democratic leaders have so far resisted.

Surprising Washington with his first public statement on the Russia investigation, Mueller indicated Wednesday that it's up to Congress to decide what to do with his findings.

The special counsel said he was bound by Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted, but stressed he could not exonerate Trump.

Instead, he said, "the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system."

And he made clear that the process won't include him, announcing the special counsel's office is closing — and that his testimony to Congress, should he be forced to deliver it, will not go beyond what his report already says.

New York - 29 May 2019

1. Wide of Rep. Jerrold Nadler making his way to podium  ++SHOT CONTINUES INTO NEXT++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Good afternoon. First, I want to thank Special Counsel Robert Mueller for his service to our nation over the past two years. Mr. Mueller and his team of prosecutors and investigators worked tirelessly to follow the facts and pursue justice to the furthest extent allowed. Although Department of Justice policy prevented the special counsel from bringing criminal charges against the president, the special counsel has clearly demonstrated that President Trump is lying. He is lying about the special counsel's findings, lying about the testimony of key witnesses in the special counsel's report, and above all, lying in saying that the special counsel found no obstruction and no collusion. In a statement this morning, special counsel Mueller reaffirmed his report: It found substantial evidence that Russia attacked our political system, that the Trump campaign benefited from Russian interference, that Trump and those around him repeatedly welcomed Russia's support, and that throughout the subsequent investigation, Trump sought to obstruct Mueller time and time again. Special Counsel Mueller today repeated three central points, which are critical for the American people. One, the special counsel did not exonerate the president of the United States of obstruction of justice. Two, obstruction of justice of which Special Counsel Muller found substantial evidence, is a serious crime that strikes at the core of our justice system. Three, the constitution points to Congress to take action to hold the president accountable for his misconduct. Unfortunately, Special Counsel Mueller was unable to pursue criminal charges against the president because Department of Justice policy prevents a sitting president from being prosecuted. That policy, in my opinion, is wrong but it prevented special counsel from pursuing justice to the fullest extent possible. Therefore, as Mueller again highlighted this morning, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies, and other wrongdoing of President Trump. We will do so. Make no mistake: No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law."

++EDIT ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday boasted that US President Donald Trump's tough line had forced the North Korean leader to beg to re-schedule a high-profile summit after the president abruptly called off the meeting.

After the cancellation, "Kim Jong Un got back on his hands and knees and begged for it, which is exactly the position you want to put him in," Giuliani told a business conference in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

In an interview later with The Associated Press, Giuliani rejected suggestions that such comments might sour the atmosphere ahead of next week's summit in Singapore, saying that the North Korean leader must understand that the United States is in a position of strength.

"It is pointing out that the president is the stronger figure," Giuliani told the AP. "And you're not going to have useful negotiations unless he accepts that."

Giuliani said Trump had no choice but to call off the meeting after the North Koreans insulted Vice President Mike Pence, National Security Adviser John Bolton and threatened "nuclear annihilation" of the U.S.

"President Trump didn't take that. What he did was he called off the summit," he said.

Giuliani said Kim quickly changed his position, expressed willingness to discuss denuclearization and asked to have the meeting again.

"That's what I mean by begging for it," Giuliani said.

The summit is back on in Singapore next Tuesday.

Giuliani, Trump's lawyer in the Russian investigation, noted that he was sharing a personal opinion and was not part of the U.S. foreign policy team.

The former New York mayor is in Israel for a number of appearances, including a speech to a Tel Aviv business conference earlier in the day and an address late on Wednesday to OneFamily, a group that supports Israeli families whose loved ones have been wounded or killed in Palestinian attacks.

Giuliani is leading the defence of Trump in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into 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.

Trump's team and allies have waged a public relations campaign against Mueller and the Justice Department to discredit the investigation and soften the impact of the special counsel's potential findings. In the latest salvo, Giuliani accused Mueller of trying to "frame" the president.

Giuliani claimed that Mueller has produced no evidence of wrongdoing by the president, and has stacked his team with partisan Democrats, including supporters of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Though Trump insists he did nothing wrong, the statements from him and his lawyers have made clear that much of their defence revolves around establishing that he was constitutionally empowered to take the actions he took.

Giuliani rejected criticism that the defence team is attacking the justice system or public institutions.

"We're trying to purify institutions," he added, accusing the media of trying to convict Trump and saying the prosecutors are "not saints" immune from attack.

Nonetheless, Giuliani said he remains in touch with Mueller, and that there have been discussions about allowing investigators to question the president. But he said his client needs assurances he won't be railroaded.

He said so far, Mueller has not produced evidence indicating wrongdoing by the president

Jerusalem - 6 June 2018

1. Set-up shot of US President Donald Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rudy Giuliani, US President Donald Trump's lawyer:

“What I’m saying is that (North Korean leader) Kim Jong Un had someone say terrible things about (US) Vice President (Mike) Pence. Terrible things about (National Security Advisor) John Bolton. And then had someone threaten nuclear annihilation of the United States. (US) President (Donald) Trump didn’t take that. What he did was he called off the summit and he was widely criticised for it. And Kim Jong Un changed his position. He said he was going to do denuclearisation. Again, we don’t have the conditions yet but at least that's a big shift and asked to have the meeting again. And that’s what I mean by 'begging for it'.”

3. Close of Giuliani

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rudy Giuliani, US President Donald Trump's lawyer:

"It is pointing out that the president is the stronger figure and you're not going to have useful negotiations unless he accepts that. And my words don't matter - I'm not involved in the negotiations. But my comments as a citizen are very important."

5. Cutaway of Giuliani with associates

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rudy Giuliani, US President Donald Trump's lawyer:

"In order to try to develop evidence against him, they have brought a number of very questionable cases. The prosecution of Mr. (Paul) Manafort for things in 2005 that had nothing to do with President Trump. I can't imagine why...whether Mr. Manafort did something wrong or not - I cant judge. But I can say it has nothing to do with President Trump. And then these Russians that were indicted, who are never going to come to the United States, who play dirty tricks like dressing up as clowns. If that is Russian collusion, I don't know maybe it is. But, the real question is there's not a single link to anybody in America. So what's that about if it isn't trying to formulate a case on the president when there is no evidence for it. A judge recently said that this investigation is more like investigating a man than a crime. Because, they don't have a crime. And that's why I say 'they're trying to frame him.' Because, if they had any sense they would realise they're trying to put together a case on an innocent man and that's what we call in America 'framing somebody'."

7. Cutaway of Giuliani taking photos with associates

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rudy Giuliani, US President Donald Trump's lawyer:

"We're trying to purify institutions. You're just part of that whole...media that wants to turn around and convict President Trump when he's done nothing wrong. And nobody wants to recognise that that's what these people are engaged in. Well it's my job to defend a client and if I have to take on an Attorney General or an independent council, by God, I'll take them on. I'm not the first lawyer to do that. When someone is unfairly prosecuting you, you have got to point that out loudly and clearly - this is an unfair investigation. It has no basis in fact. President Trump did not talk to, meet with, or have anything to do with Russians at any time during the 2016 election. That is a totally phoney charge. And over a year-and-a-half and 20 million dollars later they don't have a single piece of proof that he did. Now, if you aren't framing him, then stop the investigation, put out your report and let the chips fall where they may."

9 . Cutaway of Giuliani taking photos with associates

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rudy Giuliani, US President Donald Trump's lawyer:

"If they can show us some hard incriminating facts from that evidence, then we would consider advising our client to be interviewed. But, if we don't see it, then we have to conclude that we're not dealing with a fair-minded group of people."

11. Giuliani with associates

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rudy Giuliani, US President Donald Trump's lawyer:

"Not only did (Robert) Mueller bring in heavy Democratic partisans to conduct the investigation of a Republican, he's also using the FBI agents who conducted the totally unfair, totally biased, in the other direction, investigation of Hillary Clinton. They should have used new agents, not agents that have conducted probably one of the most flawed investigations in American history."

13. Giuliani getting on a bus

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler says the responsibility to look into US President Donald Trump's "crimes, lies and other wrongdoing" falls on Congress, and he has vowed to finish the work Special Counsel Robert Mueller has done.

Nadler made the comments in New York Wednesday in response to the special counsel's earlier remarks about the investigation - Mueller's first public statement since his redacted report was made public in April.

"Although Department of Justice policy prevented the special counsel from bringing criminal charges against the president, the special counsel has clearly demonstrated that President Trump is lying. He is lying about the special counsel's findings, lying about the testimony of key witnesses in the special counsel's report, and above all, lying in saying that the special counsel found no obstruction and no collusion," Nadler said.

"Unfortunately, Special Counsel Mueller was unable to pursue criminal charges against the president because Department of Justice policy prevents a sitting president from being prosecuted. That policy, in my opinion, is wrong but it prevented a special counsel from pursuing justice to the fullest extent possible. Therefore, as Mueller again highlighted this morning, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies, and other wrongdoing of President Trump," he added.

"We will do so. Make no mistake: No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law."

Mueller's first public statement on the Russia investigation is fuelling fresh calls on Capitol Hill to begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, a step that Democratic leaders have so far resisted.

Surprising Washington with his first public statement on the Russia investigation, Mueller indicated Wednesday that it's up to Congress to decide what to do with his findings.

The special counsel said he was bound by Justice Department policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted, but stressed he could not exonerate Trump.

Instead, he said, "the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system."

And he made clear that the process won't include him, announcing the special counsel's office is closing — and that his testimony to Congress, should he be forced to deliver it, will not go beyond what his report already says.

++CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: CORRECTED SPELLING OF FIRST NAME OF JERROLD NADLER++

New York - 29 May 2019

1. Wide of Rep. Jerrold Nadler making his way to podium ++SHOT CONTINUES INTO NEXT++

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Jerrold Nadler, New York Representative (Democrat):

"Good afternoon. First, I want to thank Special Counsel Robert Mueller for his service to our nation over the past two years. Mr. Mueller and his team of prosecutors and investigators worked tirelessly to follow the facts and pursue justice to the furthest extent allowed. Although Department of Justice policy prevented the special counsel from bringing criminal charges against the president, the special counsel has clearly demonstrated that President Trump is lying. He is lying about the special counsel's findings, lying about the testimony of key witnesses in the special counsel's report, and above all, lying in saying that the special counsel found no obstruction and no collusion. In a statement this morning, special counsel Mueller reaffirmed his report: It found substantial evidence that Russia attacked our political system, that the Trump campaign benefited from Russian interference, that Trump and those around him repeatedly welcomed Russia's support, and that throughout the subsequent investigation, Trump sought to obstruct Mueller time and time again. Special Counsel Mueller today repeated three central points, which are critical for the American people. One, the special counsel did not exonerate the president of the United States of obstruction of justice. Two, obstruction of justice of which Special Counsel Muller found substantial evidence, is a serious crime that strikes at the core of our justice system. Three, the constitution points to Congress to take action to hold the president accountable for his misconduct. Unfortunately, Special Counsel Mueller was unable to pursue criminal charges against the president because Department of Justice policy prevents a sitting president from being prosecuted. That policy, in my opinion, is wrong but it prevented special counsel from pursuing justice to the fullest extent possible. Therefore, as Mueller again highlighted this morning, it falls to Congress to respond to the crimes, lies, and other wrongdoing of President Trump. We will do so. Make no mistake: No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law."

++EDIT ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++

Special counsel Robert Mueller, breaking a two-year silence on his investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, says charging a president with a crime was "not an option" his team could consider in the Russia investigation.

Mueller says that he was bound by long-standing Justice Department opinions that say a president can't be indicted while in office.

In his first public comments in the probe, Mueller said on Wednesday "it would be unfair" to potentially accuse someone of a crime when the person couldn't stand trial to defend himself.

Mueller's comments echoed the findings in his public report.

Mueller's report revealed that US President Donald Trump tried to seize control of the Russia probe and force Mueller's removal to stop him from investigating potential obstruction of justice by the Republican president.

Trump has called the investigation a "witch hunt."

POOL

Washington, DC - 29 May 2019

1. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Mueller, Special Counsel:

SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Mueller, Special Counsel:

"Two years ago the acting attorney general asked me to serve as special counsel and he created the special counsel's office.  The appointment order directed the office to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. This included investigating any links or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. Now I have not spoken publicly during our investigation. I'm speaking out today because our investigation is complete. The attorney general has made the report on our investigation largely public. We are formally closing the special counsel's office and as well, I'm resigning from the Department of Justice to return to private life. I'll make a few remarks about the results of our work, but beyond these few remarks it is important that the office's written work speak for itself. Let me begin where the appointment order begins and that is interference in the 2016 presidential election. As alleged by the grand jury in an indictment, Russian intelligence officers, who were part of the Russian military, launched a concerted attack on our political system. The indictment alleges that they use sophisticated cyber techniques to hack into computers and networks used by the Clinton campaign. They stole private information and then released that information through fake online identities and through the organization WikiLeaks. The releases were designed and timed to interfere with our election and to damage a presidential candidate. And at the same time, as the grand jury alleged in a separate indictment, a private Russian entity engaged in a social media operation where Russian citizens posed as Americans in order to influence an election. These indictments contain allegations and we are not commenting on the guilt or the innocence of any specific defendant. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The indictments allege and the other activities in our report describe efforts to interfere in our political system. They needed to be investigated and understood and that is among the reasons why the Department of Justice established our office. That is also a reason we investigated efforts to obstruct the investigation.  The matters we investigated were of paramount importance. It was critical for us to obtain full and accurate information from every person we questioned. When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government's effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable. Let me say a word about the report. The report has two parts, addressing the two main issues we were asked to investigate. The first volume of the report details numerous efforts emanating from Russia to influence the election. This volume includes a discussion of the Trump campaign's response to this activity as well as our conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to charge a broader conspiracy. And in the second volume, the report describes the results and analysis of our obstruction of justice investigation involving the president. The order appointing me Special Counsel authorized us to investigate actions that could obstruct the investigation. We conducted that investigation and we kept the office of the acting attorney general apprised of the progress of our work and as set forth in the report, after that investigation, if we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime we would have said so. We did not however make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime. The introduction to the volume 2 of our report explains that decision. It explains that under long standing department policy a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that too is prohibited. The special counsel's office is part of the Department of Justice and by regulation it was bound by that department policy.  Charging the president with a crime was therefore not an option we could consider."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. US President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday turned over his long-awaited final report on the contentious Russia investigation that has cast a dark shadow over Donald Trump's presidency, entangled Trump's family and resulted in criminal charges against some of the president's closest associates.

The comprehensive report, still confidential, marks the end of Mueller's probe but sets the stage for big public fights to come.

Associated Press reporter Eric Tucker says the next steps are up to Attorney General William Barr, to Congress and, in all likelihood, federal courts.

Barr is "going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

With no details released at this point, it's not known whether Mueller's report answers the core questions of his investigation: Did Trump's campaign collude with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of the celebrity businessman? Also, did Trump take steps later, including by firing his FBI director, to obstruct the probe?

But Tucker says the delivery of the report does mean the investigation has concluded without any public charges of a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and Russia, or of obstruction by the president.

Mueller is not recommending any further indictments in the Russia probe, a Justice Department official confirmed Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

1. Wide shot of the White House as the sun sets

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - June 2013

2. STILL photo of Robert Mueller at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Special Counsel Robert Mueller today concluded his nearly two year long investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. He delivered a confidential report to the Justice Department this afternoon and Attorney General William Barr says he will report back to Congress as soon as this weekend about a summary of the findings of that report."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McLean, Virginia - 19 March 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr leaving his house for work

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The attorney general is going to review this report and we know from Justice Department officials it's a comprehensive report. He's going to review this report and will decide how much of it to make public. He says he will release something as soon as this weekend that functions as a summary of the central findings of the special counsel."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 19 March 2019

6. Exterior shots of the Justice Department

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"Attorney General Barr has committed to releasing information as well to the public so the information he delivers to congressional officials we expect to also be released to the public."

8. Letter from Attorney General William Barr to members of Congress

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"The other thing that we know that's really important that I want to point out is that the special counsel is not recommending any additional indictments. There have been lots of speculation about other people who might be in trouble or scrutinized, members of the president's family, all sorts of different speculation, and apparently the special counsel says none of that is happening. He's not recommending any additional charges from his office."

POOL

Palm Beach, Florida - 22 March 2019

10. Donald Trump walks off Air Force One after landing in Palm Beach

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We're not clear what's in the report so it's hard to say how this bodes for the central mandate of the Special Counsel in terms of whether he's found allegations of potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. But again, it's important to note this investigation is concluding without any criminal charges along those lines. So there are no criminal charges against the president or anybody else from his campaign alleging a criminal conspiracy with the Russian government."

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina, US - 21 October 2016

12. Donald Trump walks into rally during 2016 presidential campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press:

"We'll have to see what the actual findings are. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been reluctant to sort of talk about impeachment proceedings. She said the president's not worth it. So it strikes me that it would require something that's really damning and incriminating for the president that's in the report for Democrats to take any sort of organized impeachment action."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 22 March 2019

14. President Donald Trump walks on White House South Lawn to talk to press before departing to Florida

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee issued a stern warning to President Donald Trump on Thursday: "If you shut down or throttle" the investigation into Russian meddling led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, "you will plunge this country into a constitutional crisis."

New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler continued, "Mr. President, we are watching you. The American people are watching you."

Many House Democrats called for legislation to protect the special counsel to be included in the spending bill Congress must pass by Friday to keep the government running.

Republicans didn't agree to the measure, however, and the provision was not included.

Asked if firing Mueller was a "red line" that could lead to impeachment, Rep. Nadler stopped short of predicting the consequences, saying only, "all options would be on the table."

Nadler said the firing of the special counsel would lead to a "sea change in the political landscape of the country," that would cause Republicans "to be moved to act" against the president, too.

But he said, "We're not there yet."

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

1. Wide shot of Rep. Nadler and other Democrats walking into House press gallery

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Let us set aside for a moment that so much of what the president says is simply factually incorrect. These tantrums are more than merely the online musings of a passionate viewer of Fox News. These statements are threats from the president of the United States against our rule of law. They specifically target Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is charged with investigating allegations of serious crimes against the United States, including a conspiracy to defraud the United States government in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. That is why I am standing here today with my Democratic colleagues from the House Judiciary Committee to deliver a united message to President Trump: Do not meddle with the special counsel investigation. We expect and the rule of law demands that the special counsel be permitted to complete his investigation wherever it may lead free from political interference and that the facts be presented for public review so that the American people can know the full truth."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Where, however, is the Republican leadership. Why does Speaker Ryan take days to make tepid statements in general support of the Mueller investigation? Why does the majority refuse to take action to protect the special counsel from a president who clearly wants him gone? Why would they not agree to a bipartisan amendment to the omnibus budget bill to make it all but impossible to remove a special counsel without cause? My colleagues here have the courage to do it. Republican leadership will not. Mr. President, we are watching you. The American people are watching you. If you shut down or throttle the Mueller investigation by firing either (Attorney General Jeff) Sessions or (Deputy Attorney General Rod) Rosenstein or Mueller, you will plunge this country into a constitutional crisis."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Should a red line be crossed and firing the special counsel or throttling his investigation would be an absolute red line. Then there would be a total sea change in the political landscape of the country. And at that point, all options would be on the table. All options would be on the table. I believe that as the president puts us in a constitutional crisis, that there are enough Republicans who care about the rule of law and are concerned by the president's action they would be moved to act too. But if this happens, if the president puts us in a constitutional crisis by crossing a red line by firing the special prosecutor or really constraining the investigation, all options would be on the table. But we're not going to say now what we would do then because all kinds of things change not just change but .. we're not there yet."

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee issued a stern warning to President Donald Trump on Thursday: "If you shut down or throttle" the investigation into Russian meddling led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, "you will plunge this country into a constitutional crisis."

New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler continued, "Mr. President, we are watching you. The American people are watching you."

Many House Democrats called for legislation to protect the special counsel to be included in the spending bill Congress must pass by Friday to keep the government running.

Republicans didn't agree to the measure, however, and the provision was not included.

Asked if firing Mueller was a "red line" that could lead to impeachment, Rep. Nadler stopped short of predicting the consequences, saying only, "all options would be on the table."

Nadler said the firing of the special counsel would lead to a "sea change in the political landscape of the country," that would cause Republicans "to be moved to act" against the president, too.

But he said, "We're not there yet."

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

1. Wide shot of Rep. Nadler and other Democrats walking into House press gallery

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Let us set aside for a moment that so much of what the president says is simply factually incorrect. These tantrums are more than merely the online musings of a passionate viewer of Fox News. These statements are threats from the president of the United States against our rule of law. They specifically target Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is charged with investigating allegations of serious crimes against the United States, including a conspiracy to defraud the United States government in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. That is why I am standing here today with my Democratic colleagues from the House Judiciary Committee to deliver a united message to President Trump: Do not meddle with the special counsel investigation. We expect and the rule of law demands that the special counsel be permitted to complete his investigation wherever it may lead free from political interference and that the facts be presented for public review so that the American people can know the full truth."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Where, however, is the Republican leadership. Why does Speaker Ryan take days to make tepid statements in general support of the Mueller investigation? Why does the majority refuse to take action to protect the special counsel from a president who clearly wants him gone? Why would they not agree to a bipartisan amendment to the omnibus budget bill to make it all but impossible to remove a special counsel without cause? My colleagues here have the courage to do it. Republican leadership will not. Mr. President, we are watching you. The American people are watching you. If you shut down or throttle the Mueller investigation by firing either (Attorney General Jeff) Sessions or (Deputy Attorney General Rod) Rosenstein or Mueller, you will plunge this country into a constitutional crisis."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Should a red line be crossed and firing the special counsel or throttling his investigation would be an absolute red line. Then there would be a total sea change in the political landscape of the country. And at that point, all options would be on the table. All options would be on the table. I believe that as the president puts us in a constitutional crisis, that there are enough Republicans who care about the rule of law and are concerned by the president's action they would be moved to act too. But if this happens, if the president puts us in a constitutional crisis by crossing a red line by firing the special prosecutor or really constraining the investigation, all options would be on the table. But we're not going to say now what we would do then because all kinds of things change not just change but .. we're not there yet."

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+++

Nearly 400 former federal prosecutors have signed onto a letter saying President Donald Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he were anyone other than the president.

The letter was signed by more than 370 former Justice Department prosecutors who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. It was released Monday by Protect Democracy, an advocacy group formed two years ago that is critical of the Trump administration.

The former prosecutors say special counsel Robert Mueller's report "describes several acts that satisfy all of the elements for an obstruction charge." Those actions include Trump's efforts to have Mueller fired; Trump's attempts to limit the scope of the Russia investigation; and Trump's tweets and public statements aimed at discouraging aides from cooperating with prosecutors.

Associated Press Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker says the former prosecutors "are trying to make a very specific and clear point that all of the evidence taken together adds up to an unmistakable obstruction of justice charge."

"They say very strongly in this letter that the evidence against President Donald Trump is so strong that he would have been charged with obstruction of justice were he not the president. And basically they say anybody who did what Donald Trump did would have been indicted," Tucker says.

Mueller examined nearly a dozen acts by the president for potential obstruction of justice. He ultimately reached no conclusion on whether Trump had criminally obstructed justice, citing in part an opinion from the department's Office of Legal Counsel that says a sitting president cannot be indicted.

Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein then stepped in and determined Mueller's evidence was insufficient for an obstruction charge. Trump has used that finding to claim that the report found no obstruction. But the ex-prosecutors make clear that in their view the evidence leans heavily in the other direction.

"As former federal prosecutors, we recognize that prosecuting obstruction of justice cases is critical because unchecked obstruction - which allows intentional interference with criminal investigations to go unpunished - puts our whole system of justice at risk," the letter states.

"We believe strongly that, but for the OLC memo, the overwhelming weight of professional judgment would come down in favor of prosecution for the conduct outlined in the Mueller Report," it says.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

1. Screen shot of the letter by hundreds of federal prosecutors saying Trump would have been charged with obstruction

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"Today there was a letter released by more than 370 former federal prosecutors in the Justice Department, people who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, and they say very strongly in this letter that the evidence against President Donald Trump is so strong that he would have been charged with obstruction of justice were he not the president. And basically they say anybody who did what Donald Trump did would have been indicted."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE Washington, DC - 18 May 2018

3. STILL image of Trump seated in the Oval Office

POOL

Washington, DC - 1 May 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr taking the oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"Last week Attorney General Barr was on the Hill and he very clearly said that in his view none of the president's acts added up to obstruction of justice. He made that determination because Special Counsel Robert Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the obstruction question but ultimately decided not to reach a conclusion. And so this letter from these former prosecutors basically aims to contradict the assertion by the attorney general that there was no obstruction of justice."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

6. Zoom into cover page of Mueller report

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 5 April 2019

7. Donald Trump gets off Marine One, shakes hands, walks on tarmac

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"It is hard to sort of figure out demographically what unifies or unites all of these prosecutors and in fact one of the points that they make in the letter is that they are individuals who came from all parts of the country, rural districts, urban districts, big cities, small cities, east, west, north, south. And they basically are trying to make the point that the evidence against the president is so strong that it can't be ignored. And they say that one of the things that's really interesting is they say it's not even a close call, this isn't a matter of of close professional judgment, they say that this is really something that they say is obvious and should be obvious to any sensible prosecutor. They say it would defy logic and experience, their own experience, for anyone to look at all of this evidence and reach a different conclusion."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

9. Screen shot scroll of the names of former federal prosecutors saying Trump would have been charged with obstruction

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 5 April 2019

10. Donald Trump walks out of White House and stops to talk to press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"It seems that they are trying to make a very specific and clear point that all of the evidence taken together adds up to an unmistakable obstruction of justice charge. One of the things that's really significant of course is that there is a Justice Department legal opinion by the Office of Legal Counsel that says a sitting president cannot be indicted. The attorney general in his summary of Mueller's findings basically said that that wasn't a determining factor in Mueller's decision not to reach a conclusion on whether or not the President had obstructed justice. However when you read the special counsel's own report, it makes clear that he took that legal opinion into great consideration in deciding not to reach a conclusion. And that makes it really hard to figure out based on the report what Mueller would have done had that legal opinion never been produced and had not existed."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE Palm Beach, Florida - 17 April 2018

12. STILL image of President Trump during a Mar-a-Lago meeting with Japan's president Shinzo Abe.

Nearly 400 former federal prosecutors have signed onto a letter saying President Donald Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he were anyone other than the president.

The letter was signed by more than 370 former Justice Department prosecutors who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. It was released Monday by Protect Democracy, an advocacy group formed two years ago that is critical of the Trump administration.

The former prosecutors say special counsel Robert Mueller's report "describes several acts that satisfy all of the elements for an obstruction charge." Those actions include Trump's efforts to have Mueller fired; Trump's attempts to limit the scope of the Russia investigation; and Trump's tweets and public statements aimed at discouraging aides from cooperating with prosecutors.

"In our system, every accused person is presumed innocent and it is always the government's burden to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt," the letter states. "But, to look at these facts and say that a prosecutor could not probably sustain a conviction for obstruction of justice — the standard set out in Principles of Federal Prosecution — runs counter to logic and our experience."

Mueller examined nearly a dozen acts by the president for potential obstruction of justice. He ultimately reached no conclusion on whether Trump had criminally obstructed justice, citing in part an opinion from the department's Office of Legal Counsel that says a sitting president cannot be indicted.

Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein then stepped in and determined Mueller's evidence was insufficient for an obstruction charge. Trump has used that finding to claim that the report found no obstruction. But the ex-prosecutors make clear that in their view the evidence leans heavily in the other direction.

"As former federal prosecutors, we recognize that prosecuting obstruction of justice cases is critical because unchecked obstruction — which allows intentional interference with criminal investigations to go unpunished — puts our whole system of justice at risk," the letter states.

"We believe strongly that, but for the OLC memo, the overwhelming weight of professional judgment would come down in favor of prosecution for the conduct outlined in the Mueller Report," it says.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

1. Screen shot of the letter by hundreds of federal prosecutors saying Trump would have been charged with obstruction

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"Today there was a letter released by more than 370 former federal prosecutors in the Justice Department, people who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, and they say very strongly in this letter that the evidence against President Donald Trump is so strong that he would have been charged with obstruction of justice were he not the president. And basically they say anybody who did what Donald Trump did would have been indicted."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE Washington, DC - 18 May 2018

3. STILL image of Trump seated in the Oval Office

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"Last week Attorney General Barr was on the Hill and he very clearly said that in his view none of the president's acts added up to obstruction of justice. He made that determination because Special Counsel Robert Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the obstruction question but ultimately decided not to reach a conclusion. And so this letter from these former prosecutors basically aims to contradict the assertion by the attorney general that there was no obstruction of justice."

POOL

Washington, DC - 1 May 2019

5. Attorney General William Barr taking the oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

6. Zoom into cover page of Mueller report

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 5 April 2019

7. Donald Trump gets off Marine One, shakes hands, walks on tarmac

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"It is hard to sort of figure out demographically what unifies or unites all of these prosecutors and in fact one of the points that they make in the letter is that they are individuals who came from all parts of the country, rural districts, urban districts, big cities, small cities, east, west, north, south. And they basically are trying to make the point that the evidence against the president is so strong that it can't be ignored. One of the things that's really interesting is they say it's not even a close call, this isn't a matter of of close professional judgment, this is really something that is obvious and should be obvious to any sensible prosecutor. They say it would defy logic and experience, their own experience, for anyone to look at all of this evidence and reach a different conclusion."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

9. Screen shot scroll of the names of former federal prosecutors saying Trump would have been charged with obstruction

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 5 April 2019

10. Donald Trump walks out of White House and stops to talk to press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE Palm Beach, Florida - 17 April 2018

11. STILL image of President Trump during a Mar-a-Lago meeting with Japan's president Shinzo Abe.

US President Donald Trump claimed on October 8th 2018 that "the Democrats colluded with Russia".

Trump was speaking in Washington after returning from his meeting with Deputy US Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

He claimed that the Obama administration did nothing when it found out about possible Russian meddling in the 2016 US elections.

Trump also commented on Jamal Khashoggi, a missing Saudi journalist, saying: "I do not like it".

When asked about superstar Taylor Swift's support for Democratic candidates in Tennessee, Trump said he liked her music "about 25 percent less now".

***

President Donald Trump says he has answered written questions from special counsel Robert Mueller but hasn't yet submitted them.

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on November 16th that he answered the questions "very easily" this week but added that "you have to always be careful."

The president did not say when he would turn over the answers to Mueller as part of the ongoing investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Trump had huddled with lawyer at the White House this week but made clear: "my lawyers don't write answers, I write answers."

Mueller had signaled a willingness to accept written answers on matters of collusion. The White House has said it would not answer Mueller's questions on possible obstruction of justice.

The president spoke to reporters shortly after a district judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately return the White House press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta, though a lawsuit over the credentials' revocation is continuing.

Trump said "people have to behave" while in the White House and he said his staff will be "writing up rules and regulations" to guide press for future events.

The president insists he wants "total freedom of the press," but journalists "have to act with respect."

Trump didn't say what the new rules and regulations will entail.

***

Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate deal in Russia.

Cohen made a surprise appearance on November 29th in a New York courtroom.

He admitted to making false statements in 2017 to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to other federal charges involving his taxi businesses, bank fraud and his campaign work for Trump.

One of the prosecutors working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller was present in the courtroom.

Cohen's lawyer told the judge the plea deal involved cooperation with Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the U.S. election.

***

A federal judge has agreed to delay former national security adviser Michael Flynn's sentencing so he can continue cooperating with the Russia probe.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on December 18th set a status conference for March 2019.

Attorneys for Flynn asked the judge to postpone the sentencing. The stunning request came after Sullivan warned Flynn that if he were sentenced as scheduled Tuesday, he might not get all the credit for his cooperation with investigators that he is entitled to.

Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts. Prosecutors had recommended no prison time, citing his cooperation. But the judge's rebuke raised the prospect that Flynn could get a harsher sentence.

00:55:18

00:00:00

Trump says Democrats colluded with Russia

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 8 October 2018

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

" Everybody understands there was no collusion with Russia. It was all made up by the Democrats. They're the ones that colluded with Russia.

00:08:16

Trump: I answered Mueller's questions very easily

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 16 November 2018

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

" I was asked a series of questions, I've answered them very easily, very easily. I'm sure they're tripped up because you know, they like to catch people, gee, you know was the weather sunny or was it rainy? He said, 'it may have been a good day. It was rainy.' Therefore he told a lie, he perjured himself. OK, so you have to always be careful when you answer questions with people that probably have bad intentions. But no it's, the questions were very routinely answered by me, by me.

00:42.04

Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

3. Michael Cohen walks out of courthouse with lawyer

00:49:23

Flynn sentencing delayed, he's still cooperating

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 18 December 2018

4. Michael Flynn leaves courthouse, enters SUV8

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee issued a stern warning to President Donald Trump on Thursday: "If you shut down or throttle" the investigation into Russian meddling led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, "you will plunge this country into a constitutional crisis."

New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler continued, "Mr. President, we are watching you. The American people are watching you."

Many House Democrats called for legislation to protect the special counsel to be included in the spending bill Congress must pass by Friday to keep the government running.

Republicans didn't agree to the measure, however, and the provision was not included.

Asked if firing Mueller was a "red line" that could lead to impeachment, Rep. Nadler stopped short of predicting the consequences, saying only, "all options would be on the table."

Nadler said the firing of the special counsel would lead to a "sea change in the political landscape of the country," that would cause Republicans "to be moved to act" against the president, too.

But he said, "We're not there yet."

Washington, D.C. - 22 March 2018

1. Wide shot of Rep. Nadler and other Democrats walking into House press gallery

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Let us set aside for a moment that so much of what the president says is simply factually incorrect. These tantrums are more than merely the online musings of a passionate viewer of Fox News. These statements are threats from the president of the United States against our rule of law. They specifically target Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is charged with investigating allegations of serious crimes against the United States, including a conspiracy to defraud the United States government in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. That is why I am standing here today with my Democratic colleagues from the House Judiciary Committee to deliver a united message to President Trump: Do not meddle with the special counsel investigation. We expect and the rule of law demands that the special counsel be permitted to complete his investigation wherever it may lead free from political interference and that the facts be presented for public review so that the American people can know the full truth."

++BLACK BETWEEN SOUNDBITES++

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Where, however, is the Republican leadership. Why does Speaker Ryan take days to make tepid statements in general support of the Mueller investigation? Why does the majority refuse to take action to protect the special counsel from a president who clearly wants him gone? Why would they not agree to a bipartisan amendment to the omnibus budget bill to make it all but impossible to remove a special counsel without cause? My colleagues here have the courage to do it. Republican leadership will not. Mr. President, we are watching you. The American people are watching you. If you shut down or throttle the Mueller investigation by firing either (Attorney General Jeff) Sessions or (Deputy Attorney General Rod) Rosenstein or Mueller, you will plunge this country into a constitutional crisis."

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rep. Jerrold Nadler, (D) New York:

"Should a red line be crossed and firing the special counsel or throttling his investigation would be an absolute red line. Then there would be a total sea change in the political landscape of the country. And at that point, all options would be on the table. All options would be on the table. I believe that as the president puts us in a constitutional crisis, that there are enough Republicans who care about the rule of law and are concerned by the president's action they would be moved to act too. But if this happens, if the president puts us in a constitutional crisis by crossing a red line by firing the special prosecutor or really constraining the investigation, all options would be on the table. But we're not going to say now what we would do then because all kinds of things change not just change but .. we're not there yet."

++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++

President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted Thursday he had lied to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal he had pursued on Trump's behalf during the heat of the 2016 presidential campaign.

The guilty plea makes clear that prosecutors believe that Trump, who insisted repeatedly throughout the campaign that he had no business dealings in Russia, was continuing to pursue the project weeks after he had clinched the Republican nomination for president and well after he or his associates have publicly acknowledged.

The negotiations about building a Trump Tower in Moscow continued as late as June 2016 - the same month Trump's oldest son met in Manhattan with a Kremlin-connected lawyer - even though Cohen told two congressional committees last year that they ended that January.

"Cohen lied about the extent of his conversations not only with people in the Trump Organization about this deal, but that they went on a lot longer further into the campaign than we previously knew," explains AP reporter Chad Day.

Cohen also discussed the proposal with Trump on multiple occasions and with unidentified members of the president's family, according to court papers filed by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.

Prosecutors say Cohen is cooperating with Mueller and has met with his team seven times.

"What this shows is that he has been providing a significant amount of information to their investigation, that they do consider it to be material to what they're investigating and pursuing. And so I think that we're just scratching the surface right now about what Michael Cohen may have told them," Day says.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

1. Michael Cohen and his attorney walk down steps of courthouse after guilty plea

ELIZABETH WILLIAMS - MUST CREDIT ELIZABETH WILLIAMS

New York - 29 November 2018

2. Sketch of Michael Cohen sitting in court

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

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

"What happened today is that Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former fixer and longtime attorney, appeared in a courtroom in New York and pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the extent of a Russia, a deal that the president's company, the Trump organization, was planning to do to build a Trump Tower Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

4. Michael Cohen and his attorney walk down steps of courthouse after guilty plea

POOL

Fletcher, North Carolina - 21 October 2016

5. Donald Trump walks into campaign rally

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

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

"Cohen lied about the extent of his conversations not only with people in the Trump Organization about this deal, but that they went on a lot longer further into the campaign than we previously knew. He also, what we learned from the court papers is that he actually personally discussed this deal with the president, who was then a candidate at the time and also briefed his family members about it. So what we're getting from these new court documents is a much more vivid picture of how far along this deal went and who knew about the deal while they were also doing, you know carrying out the presidential campaign."

7. President Donald Trump walks out to talk to reporters before leaving for Argentina

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 21 September 2018

8. Michael Cohen walks out of court with his lawyer

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

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

"The president is acknowledging that this was a deal and we've known that there was a deal. Michael Cohen disclosed that this deal existed and that there were talks about this building that would go, that would be built in Russia. But the new part of this is that the president's personal involvement in it and how much he knew and when. And also, you know if we're looking at kind of going forward that Michael Cohen has cooperated extensively with the special counsel investigation. One big issue now for the president is that he recently provided written statements to questions about his interactions with Russia, his campaign's interaction with Russia that could have touched on this subject. We don't know for sure but if there's any inconsistency between what Mueller says is true in these court papers based on their evidence and what the president says that could be a problem for him."

10. President Trump walks away from talking to press, waits for First Lady Melania Trump on South Lawn

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

"What we knew about Michael Cohen before is that he had pleaded guilty to a number of different crimes including campaign finance violations related to hush money payments that have been paid on the president's behalf to former Playboy model and also Stormy Daniels, a porn star. And so this is now kind of connecting that Cohen case which previously didn't have a Russia connection to the special counsel's investigation. And so what this shows is that he has been providing a significant amount of information to their investigation, that they do consider it to be material to what they're investigating and pursuing. And so I think that we're just scratching the surface right now about what Michael Cohen may have told them."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 2 July 2018

11. Michael Cohen walking down the street in New York

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 29 November 2018

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

"It's really hard to tell now kind of where this goes. What, what we're able to see is that this is a very active part of their investigation, that you know, it's not just about Paul Manafort and his business deals. It's not just about Michael Flynn and lies that he may have told or that he did tell during, about his interactions with Russia. That there is a very active investigation, a criminal investigation into whether or not there was contact between Trump associates and Russians during the 2016 campaign. And while this doesn't have anything directly to do with collusion or any question of that, this does show that someone who was a high placed official at the Trump organization, very close to the president, was discussing a business deal with even officials in the Kremlin during the time where the president was you know, leading a very public campaign for office."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 29 November 2018

13. Michael Cohen and his attorney walk down steps of courthouse after guilty plea and toward press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington DC - 23 May 2017

14. Paul Manafort, gets out of car and walks into US District courthouse

POOL

Washington, DC - 20 January, 2017

15. Michael Flynn arrives at inauguration

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - July 2018

16. Trump Tower exteriors

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York - 30 May, 2018

17. Michael Cohen walks toward courthouse

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cleveland, Ohio - 21 July 2016

18. Paul Manafort with President Donald Trump at the RNC rehearsal

President Donald Trump has provided the special counsel's office with written answers to questions about his knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election, his lawyers said Tuesday, marking the first time Trump has directly cooperated with the investigation.

The step is a milestone in a months-long negotiation between Trump's attorneys and special counsel Robert Mueller's team over whether and when the president would sit for an interview, representing the first time the president is known to have described to investigators his knowledge of key moments under scrutiny by prosecutors.

If Mueller finds the answers satisfactory, the responses may also help stave off a potential subpoena fight over Trump's testimony.

The compromise outcome, nearly a year in the making, offers some benefit to both sides. Trump avoids, at least for now, a potentially risky and unpredictable sit-down with prosecutors, while Mueller secures a set of on-the-record statements whose accuracy the president and his lawyers will be expected to stand by for the duration of the investigation.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker says someone very close to the president could become ensnared in Mueller's probe.

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments," Tucker said. "There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

1. President Donald Trump greets White House visitors

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

2. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

++partially covered with b-roll++

"Today, we have learned that President Donald Trump and his lawyers have turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller written answers to questions about Russian election interference and questions that are related to the topic of whether the campaign colluded with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 U.S. presidential election."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 21 August 2013

3. STILL of Robert Mueller speaking during an interview at FBI headquarters

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

++partially covered with b-roll++

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

"And so, we can imagine and infer that Mueller wants to understand to what extent did Trump know about the Russian hacking of Democratic emails, to what extent did Trump have any knowledge that his son was going to be attending a meeting at Trump Tower with a Kremlin-connected lawyer. Those are all questions that cut to the heart of the collusion question that Mueller is trying to answer."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

5. Trump and his family walk outside at the White House

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

++partially covered with b-roll++

"We expect that there are going to be more indictments. There's a lot of speculation and buzz in Washington as to who might be next up. We know that there's concern within the White House about President Trump's oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. He, of course, attended and helped organize the Trump Tower meeting, which is very significant, because he took that meeting with the expectation of receiving dirt on Hillary Clinton, his father's opponent. We have no indication that he's in legal jeopardy, but we do know that the White House is concerned about that."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sun City, Arizona - 1 November 2018

7. STILL of Donald Trump Jr. speaking at a campaign rally for a U.S. Senate candidate

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington - 20 November 2018

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Eric Tucker, Associated Press Writer:

++fully covered with b-roll++

"The main question that now arises is whether special counsel Mueller would seek a subpoena of President Trump for his testimony in a criminal investigation ... and it is possible that Mueller will receive these answers from Trump and want additional information on the collusion question specifically and say he's not satisfied. If that were to happen, it is possible that he might seek a subpoena and try to get Justice Department approval for that."

POOL

Washington - 20 November 2018

9. Trump walks toward and boards the Marine One helicopter

Nearly 400 former federal prosecutors have signed onto a letter saying President Donald Trump would have been charged with obstruction of justice if he were anyone other than the president.

The letter was signed by more than 370 former Justice Department prosecutors who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations. It was released Monday by Protect Democracy, an advocacy group formed two years ago that is critical of the Trump administration.

The former prosecutors say special counsel Robert Mueller's report "describes several acts that satisfy all of the elements for an obstruction charge." Those actions include Trump's efforts to have Mueller fired; Trump's attempts to limit the scope of the Russia investigation; and Trump's tweets and public statements aimed at discouraging aides from cooperating with prosecutors.

Associated Press Justice Department reporter Eric Tucker says the former prosecutors "are trying to make a very specific and clear point that all of the evidence taken together adds up to an unmistakable obstruction of justice charge."

"They say very strongly in this letter that the evidence against President Donald Trump is so strong that he would have been charged with obstruction of justice were he not the president. And basically they say anybody who did what Donald Trump did would have been indicted," Tucker says.

Mueller examined nearly a dozen acts by the president for potential obstruction of justice. He ultimately reached no conclusion on whether Trump had criminally obstructed justice, citing in part an opinion from the department's Office of Legal Counsel that says a sitting president cannot be indicted.

Attorney General William Barr and Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein then stepped in and determined Mueller's evidence was insufficient for an obstruction charge. Trump has used that finding to claim that the report found no obstruction. But the ex-prosecutors make clear that in their view the evidence leans heavily in the other direction.

"As former federal prosecutors, we recognize that prosecuting obstruction of justice cases is critical because unchecked obstruction - which allows intentional interference with criminal investigations to go unpunished - puts our whole system of justice at risk," the letter states.

"We believe strongly that, but for the OLC memo, the overwhelming weight of professional judgment would come down in favor of prosecution for the conduct outlined in the Mueller Report," it says.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

1. Screen shot of the letter by hundreds of federal prosecutors saying Trump would have been charged with obstruction

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"Today there was a letter released by more than 370 former federal prosecutors in the Justice Department, people who served under both Democratic and Republican administrations, and they say very strongly in this letter that the evidence against President Donald Trump is so strong that he would have been charged with obstruction of justice were he not the president. And basically they say anybody who did what Donald Trump did would have been indicted."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE Washington, DC - 18 May 2018

3. STILL image of Trump seated in the Oval Office

POOL

Washington, DC - 1 May 2019

4. Attorney General William Barr taking the oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"Last week Attorney General Barr was on the Hill and he very clearly said that in his view none of the president's acts added up to obstruction of justice. He made that determination because Special Counsel Robert Mueller presented evidence on both sides of the obstruction question but ultimately decided not to reach a conclusion. And so this letter from these former prosecutors basically aims to contradict the assertion by the attorney general that there was no obstruction of justice."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 18 April 2019

6. Zoom into cover page of Mueller report

POOL

Joint Base Andrews, Maryland - 5 April 2019

7. Donald Trump gets off Marine One, shakes hands, walks on tarmac

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"It is hard to sort of figure out demographically what unifies or unites all of these prosecutors and in fact one of the points that they make in the letter is that they are individuals who came from all parts of the country, rural districts, urban districts, big cities, small cities, east, west, north, south. And they basically are trying to make the point that the evidence against the president is so strong that it can't be ignored. And they say that one of the things that's really interesting is they say it's not even a close call, this isn't a matter of of close professional judgment, they say that this is really something that they say is obvious and should be obvious to any sensible prosecutor. They say it would defy logic and experience, their own experience, for anyone to look at all of this evidence and reach a different conclusion."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

9. Screen shot scroll of the names of former federal prosecutors saying Trump would have been charged with obstruction

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 5 April 2019

10. Donald Trump walks out of White House and stops to talk to press

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington, DC - 6 May 2019

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Eric Tucker, AP Justice Department reporter:

"It seems that they are trying to make a very specific and clear point that all of the evidence taken together adds up to an unmistakable obstruction of justice charge. One of the things that's really significant of course is that there is a Justice Department legal opinion by the Office of Legal Counsel that says a sitting president cannot be indicted. The attorney general in his summary of Mueller's findings basically said that that wasn't a determining factor in Mueller's decision not to reach a conclusion on whether or not the President had obstructed justice. However when you read the special counsel's own report, it makes clear that he took that legal opinion into great consideration in deciding not to reach a conclusion. And that makes it really hard to figure out based on the report what Mueller would have done had that legal opinion never been produced and had not existed."

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARCHIVE Palm Beach, Florida - 17 April 2018

12. STILL image of President Trump during a Mar-a-Lago meeting with Japan's Shinzo Abe