1/5 The President's apparent celebration because he is a "subject" and not a "target" of Special Counsel Mueller's criminal investigation is entirely misplaced. These are technical terms, used very precisely by prosecutors.
2/5 A target is someone for whom a prosecutor has significant evidence linking that person to a crime. That generally means the prosecutor intends to charge that person. A subject is someone whose conduct is included in an investigation, which is much more general.
3/5 Subjects in many cases do not have any criminal liability, but in many other cases they can and do become targets as the evidence develops. It's not particularly reassuring to be a subject of a significant federal criminal investigation.
4/5 Also, even if the President ultimately is not charged (which may or may not be how this goes down), the fact that his conduct is part of a tremendously serious federal investigation should be highly disturbing, not something to be celebrated.
5/5 And the fact that Special Counsel Mueller is preparing a report of his findings should be good news for those interested in seeing the truth come out, but not necessarily for the President.
