wording raises the remote specter of possible future criminal exposure for Trump when he is no longer in the White House. It isn't the only criminal inquiry looming over him.

Trump's immediate criminal exposure is protected by his status as president and also by the decision of Attorney General William Barr, whom Trump appointed, to not bring a case. Barr said "the evidence developed during the Special Counsel's investigation is not sufficient to establish that the President committed an obstruction-of-justice offense." Mueller rejected the legal defenses put forward by Trump's lawyers about his authority to investigate the president for obstruction.

Mueller did not ask Barr to weigh in. He also did not refer the investigation to Congress, but noted that Congress has a constitutional checks and balances role and canattorney's office for the Southern District of New York obliquely referred to the President as "Individual 1" in the campaign finance prosecution of Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney. In that matter, Cohen said under oath that he violated the law by paying hush money payments to women who alleged past affairs with the President "in coordination with and at the direction of" Trump.

Trump has not been charged with any wrongdoing. And as long as he is in office, he won't be. Trump has denied affairs with both women and called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt."

The statute of limitations on campaign finance and obstruction charges is five years. Most of the conduct at issue dates from 2016 to 2018, meaning Trump would have legal exposure on some elements