Special Counsel Robert Mueller has had several meetings with attorneys representing President Trump, and the lawyers have argued in memos that Trump did not obstruct justice when he fired former FBI Director James Comey this spring and that Mueller's investigation should be closed, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.
Trump's team sent Mueller several memos in June, including one arguing that Comey was an unsuitable witness because he leaked information to the media and exaggerated stories, and another claiming that as president, Trump has the constitutional authority to hire and fire any officials in the executive branch as he sees fit, the Journal reports. Mueller was reportedly open to accepting these legal submissions, but has not responded to them.
Before Comey was fired in May, he was running the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. John Dowd, the leader of Trump's outside legal team, told the Journal he didn't think it was "appropriate" to share information about his discussions with Mueller, adding, "Why should I rupture a relationship with the special counsel?"