Trump attorneys reportedly made case against obstruction of justice to Mueller

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

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.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.