Report: Trump's attorneys want him to refuse an interview with Mueller


Attorneys for President Trump have advised him against sitting down for an interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, four people briefed on the matter told The New York Times.
Trump has publicly declared that he is open to speaking with Mueller, who is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump obstructed justice, but his lawyers fear he will make false statements, which could lead to Trump being charged with lying to investigators, the Times reports. They have reason to worry, the Times notes: During a deposition for a libel case Trump brought against journalist Tim O'Brien, he admitted while under oath he had previously lied about various subjects; Trump lost this suit.
While attorneys John Dowd and Jay Sekulow want Trump to avoid an interview, lawyer Ty Cobb thinks Trump should cooperate and has been dealing with Mueller in trying to set up an interview. Dowd and Sekulow both think that should Trump refuse the interview, Mueller would hesitate to subpoena him, the Times reports. If there is a subpoena for Trump to testify in front of a grand jury, it could go all the way to the Supreme Court. Trump is expected to make his decision on testifying under oath in the next few weeks.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: the group behind Gaza's controversial new aid programme
The Explainer Deadly shootings and chaotic scenes have been reported at aid sites after US group replaced UN humanitarian organisations
-
Is UK's new defence plan transformational or too little, too late?
Today's Big Question Labour's 10-year strategy 'an exercise in tightly bounded ambition' already 'overshadowed by a row over money'
-
How much should doctors trust parental intuition?
In The Spotlight Study finds parents' concern can be better at spotting critical illness than vital signs
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges