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Ex-US Attorney Bharara: Mueller will watch for Trump's overreaction to Monday's arrests before making next move

Preet Bharara (ABC News/screen grab)
Tom Boggioni
October 29, 2017

Appearing on CNN's State of the Union, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller will be keeping a keen eye on how President Donald Trump reacts to the indictments being handed down -- and arrests expected to be made on Monday -- before making his next move.

Speaking with host Jake Tapper, Bharara -- who was dismissed by Trump -- said the Trump's history indicates he may lash back, and that could be telling.

"We know from history, at least from several months, that the president of the United States has strong reactions to public events, even events that have been caused by his own actions," Bharara explained. "So after he fired Jim Comey, he went on television with [NBC's] Lester Holt and said some things that were incriminating in connection with a obstruction investigation. He said he fired Comey with, being on his mind, facts related to a Russia investigation."

"So I would look for a couple things," he continued. "I would watch and see if Donald Trump has a reaction and talks in away that could be used against him in the future. The second thing I would look at is if the president sends some kind of message to the potential defendant or at other witnesses. Is he sending a message of intimidation in some way through himself and his cohorts, suggesting that people should not be talking and should keep their mouths shut?"

The former U.S. Attorney also suggested that Trump could use a presidential pardon to temporarily derail the process.

Watch the video below via CNN:

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