Lawyers get Mueller’s questions for President
Special counsel Robert Mueller has given a list of almost four dozen questions to lawyers for President Donald Trump as part of his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether Trump obstructed justice, according to a report published in the New York Times.
The Times obtained a list of the questions, which range from Trump’s motivations for firing FBI director James Comey a year ago to contacts Trump’s campaign had with Russians.
Although Mueller’s team has indicated to Trump’s lawyers that he’s not considered a target, investigators remain interested in whether the President’s actions constitute obstruction of justice and want to interview him about several episodes in office. The lawyers want to resolve the investigation as quickly as possible, but there’s no agreement on how to do that.
Many of the questions obtained by the Times centre on the obstruction issue, including his reaction to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investigation, a decision Trump has angrily criticised.
Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow declined to comment to the Associated Press, as did White House lawyer Ty Cobb.
The questions also touch on the Russian meddling and whether the Trump campaign co-ordinated with the Kremlin in any way. In one question obtained by the Times, Mueller asks what Trump knew about campaign staff, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, reaching out to Moscow.
Mueller has brought several charges against Manafort, but none are for any crimes related to Russian election interference during the 2016 campaign. And he has denied having anything to do with such an effort.
The queries also touch on Trump’s businesses and his discussions with his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, about a possible Moscow real estate deal.
Cohen’s business dealings are part of a separate FBI investigation.
One question asks what discussions Trump may have had regarding “any meeting with Mr Putin”, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Another question asks what the President may have known about a possible attempt by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to set up a back channel with Russia before Trump’s inauguration.
Additional questions centre on Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, who has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his discussions on sanctions against Russia with Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during the presidential transition. Flynn is now co-operating with Mueller’s investigators.