Giuliani says Trump won't answer Mueller's questions about obstruction of justice

published 7 August 2018

Rudy Giuliani told The Washington Post on Monday that he and President Trump's other lawyers are drafting a letter to send to Special Counsel Robert Mueller "sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday" asserting that Trump will not answer Mueller's questions about possible obstruction of justice. "We have a real reluctance about allowing any questions about obstruction," Giuliani said. That doesn't mean Trump won't sit down with Mueller, he added. "The president still hasn't made a decision, and we're not going to make a final decision just yet." Trump reportedly wants to do a Mueller interview while his legal team thinks that's a terrible idea.

Mueller "doesn't need us, he's got our explanation" for why Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who was overseeing the investigation of Trump's campaign and Russian election interference until Trump dismissed him, and, according to Comey, tried to get the FBI to drop its case against his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Trump would "say the same thing in the interview that he's said publicly," Giuliani told the Post. "But they are trying to get something on perjury and that's not going to happen." Mueller has threatened to subpoena Trump to compel him to testify, which would set up a high-stakes legal battle. Mueller and Trump's lawyers have been negotiating the parameters for an interview for months.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.