The multiple investigations into possible Trump campaign collision with Russia continue making headlines on the congressional front. Donald Trump Jr. Has agreed to a transcribed interview with the Senate Judiciary Committee about the meeting he attended with Russian operatives after being told in emails that they had negative information about
Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, Special Counsel Robert Muller has subpoenaed the spokesman and the former attorney of Paul Manafort, who for a time was the campaign manager for the Donald Trump for President campaign, here to talk with us about where
the investigations may be headed. As Bradley Moss, a partner at Marks A p LC, Brad, let's start with the Manifort associate subpoenas it's unusual to subpoena an attorney um and many people thought that the Manifort investigation, which has been going on for a while about his possible tax and financial crimes allegations against him, might you know, might
have stalled a while back. What does it say now for it sort of this overall Russian collusion investigation that investigators seem to be uh looking for information from his attorney and a spokesman absolutely, that's some very good questions.
So Paul Manta four along with Michael Flynn, are probably the two most exposed individuals from a legal uh context, in terms of individuals who have separate potential criminal liability problems that they have to worry about and that are almost certainly currently being reviewed and investigated by Special Counsel Mueller and his team. The fact that the subpoena was issued for Mr Manafort's former attorney is in fact rather surprising.
It's a rather unusual move, and it's it'll be interesting to see the context in which this subpoena was issued in terms of what particular testimony Mr Mueller is pursuing, because a lot of obviously the conversations that an individual has with his attorney are going to be privileged, and the subpoena can't override that. With certain exceptions. One of course, would be if there is evidence indicating that the attorney
was helping to perpetuate criminal activity. If, in fact, the if Mr Mueller has evince indicating that Mr Manafort's attorney was helping Mr Manafort to attack fraud or wire fraud,
that'd be one exception of the privileged rule. The other part this is will be were I think some of us are looking to see where this subpoena goes, is whether or not they're simply using the attorney to try to verify some peripheral facts to verify as the maniforts UH interactions with various foreign bankers or foreign government officials from a purpose of a context, a contextual on a timeframe standpoint, those conversations wouldn't be privileged, doesn't involve third parties,
so it could be used in a rather limited context that where this plays out, Where this goes and how it plays out makes to be seen. Brad Andrew Weissman, who is one of the lawyers on Mueller's team, is known for aggressive tactics, and it seems as if they're putting more and more pressure on out of fort You have the dawn raid on his home, subpoenas to Global banks,
now subpoenas to his lawyers. It seem like they're doing a the classic prosecution move of trying to put enough pressure on him so that they'll have someone to testify.
Correct very much going after the low hanging fruit, the easy ones that you can yeah, you know pins in the beginning and apply some pressure then dangle a deal in front of them, you know, to minimize or limit some scope of their ultimate criminal liability in exchange for the relevant testimony that they would be one of the few people to actually be able to provide, for instance, in terms of both Mr Flynn and Mr Manafort, given the very prominent roles they held in the campaign, the
very personal knowledge that they are probably one of the two people to have they can provide context into the inner workings of the campaign in any potential conclusion, potential allusion that may have occurred with Russian government officials. Using that type of leverage be a very standard prospector tactic, and it appears to be what they're at least trying at the moment. Brad, Let's turn to Donald Trump Junior.
In the minute or and a half we have left the the you know, there's been a lot of reporting lately that uh, Donald Trump, that the Trump organization is more has had more business dealings with Russia than um they were saying before UM and that some Trump associates believed that getting uh Donald Trump elected would be helped by some business deals they could do with Russia. Is
the when when Donald Trump sits down. Is is the just Senate Judiciary Committee only going to interview him about the meeting he had with Russian operatives about getting dirt on the Clinton campaign, or is it going to be a more broad, uh interview about a lot of the subjects we've been hearing about lately. Well, it's part of
the answer. Is it depends on what comes out that discussion and whether or not the disclosure is made by Donald Trump Junior lead Judiciary Committee investigators down alternate paths if it exposes alternative angles of investigatory interest that they want to pursue. I don't necessarily view this type of interviews being limited in the sense of of Mr Sorry Trump juniors lawyers being able to cut it off and
stop it. Certainly could be rescheduled if they want to pursue a particular angle that the lawyers are uncomfortable with at that time. But whether it's the Senate Judiciary Committee or it's mister Mueller's investigators, if Trump Junior details information that is of relevant investigative interest, it's going to be
pursued no matter how it was originally viewed. Brad, We're gonna have We're gonna have to leave it there are thanks to Brad Moss of Mark's PLC for being with us today on Bloomberg Law