A White House official, familiar with the matter, said President Donald Trump has begun the initial steps of preparing for a possible interview with special counsel Robert Mueller in a clear sign that the President’s legal team is intensifying its deliberations over whether to allow him to come under Mueller’s questioning.
According to a source, however, the preparation is “in its infancy.” The effort included going over potential topics with the President that Mueller would likely raise in an interview, CNN reports.
Despite claiming he would be “happy” to sit for an interview with the special counsel, President Trump has not yet formally agreed to do so. But word of early preparations is the clearest sign yet that Trump and his team remain open to an interview with Mueller, despite concerns from some people close to the President that such an interview could expose him to possible charges of perjury.
Both Ty Cobb who handles Mueller issues and Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow declined to comment.
Trump continues to maintain that he would be willing to sit for an interview as it could help accelerate the end of the special counsel’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The terms of how Trump would be questioned, including whether he would speak under oath, have not yet been determined. Even if he isn’t questioned under oath, however, Trump could still open himself to charges if he lies to Mueller’s team, since lying to the FBI is a crime.
Back in January, he told reporters that he was “looking forward” to an interview with Mueller, insisting there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.
“I’d love to do it,” Trump said, indicating that he’d been told by his lawyers an interview would take place in “two to three weeks.”
White House Press Secretary Sarah H. Sanders said this week that talks were continuing between Trump and his lawyers about a possible interview with Mueller.
“The President is working in conjunction with his legal team and making a determination,” Sanders said on Tuesday. “We’re continuing to be fully cooperative with the Office of the Special Counsel, and we’ll continue driving the same message that we’ve been driving for over a year, that there was no collusion.”
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