Special Counsel Robert Mueller reportedly reassured President Trump's attorneys that Trump is not a criminal target of the Russia investigation, but Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) doesn't think the president should relax just yet.
Gowdy appeared on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning and gave his perspective on the latest news out of Mueller's probe, which is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and whether any members of the Trump campaign colluded to aid the interference. Gowdy, who was an attorney before he was elected to Congress, was perplexed that Mueller would tell attorneys about Trump's status in the investigation, but warned that things could change in an instant.
"You generally don't tell people that 'you're not under investigation' because you don't know what the next witness is going to say," said Gowdy. He suggested that the disclosure that Trump was merely a "subject" of the probe, not a "target," only came because of the fraught political environment.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"So if you were his attorney you wouldn't have a sigh of relief?" asked host Brian Kilmeade.
"Heavens no," exclaimed Gowdy. "I will have a sigh of relief when the investigation is over. And even then, maybe not."
The South Carolina representative was previously the head of the House's investigation into the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, which sought to determine whether the Obama administration — and in particular Hillary Clinton, then the secretary of state — had acted improperly in the wake of the attack. He announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election this fall. Watch him discuss the Russia investigation below. Summer Meza
-
‘The worry is far from fanciful’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
