Report: Cohen raid caused interview negotiations between Trump's lawyers, Mueller team to collapse
After spending several months negotiating with President Trump's legal team over the terms of an interview with the president, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office is moving forward on the presumption that the meeting will most likely not take place, several people familiar with the matter told NBC News on Thursday.
One person said talks collapsed this week after FBI agents raided the office, home, and hotel room of Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Before that, the teams were finalizing the timing, length, and scope of an interview, NBC News reports. Trump's lawyers were reportedly asking that the interview last only a few hours and that Mueller agree to get a final report written within the next few months.
Three people told NBC News that before this week, Mueller had wanted to complete a report on whether Trump had attempted to obstruct justice in the Russia probe, with the goal being to finish it as early as May. If an interview with Trump doesn't happen, Mueller's team will likely be able to close the obstruction investigation faster because they won't need to prepare questions or follow up on Trump's responses. For more on what Mueller's report might contain regarding obstruction of justice, visit NBC News.
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Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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