US Russia probe ‘may conclude in September’

DONALD Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said that the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign could end by September 1.

Giuliani said the office of Robert Mueller – the special counsel who is leading the investigation – plans to end the investigation by then, and had shared the timeline some two weeks ago, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

Fox News quoted Giuliani as saying Mueller told Trump’s legal team that the investigation could be over by September 1, although the timeline was contingent upon the special counsel interviewing the president by mid-July.

Giuliani said he wants the investigation over by that time so it does not affect Republican chances in the congressional mid-term elections in November, Fox reported.

“You don’t want another repeat of the 2016 election where you get contrary reports at the end and you don’t know how it affected the election,” Giuliani told the Times.

Former FBI Director James Comey – fired by Trump last year – announced that the bureau would reopen an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s misuse of a private email server just 11 days before the 2016 presidential vote, a move that may have helped her lose the election.

Trump, who has repeatedly described the investigation as a “witch hunt”, views it as a stain on his presidency and wants it over.