Mueller seeks to question Trump soon
Interest centers on Flynn, Comey departures.
Special WASHINGTON — Counsel Robert Mueller is seeking to question President Donald Trump in the coming weeks about his decisions to oust national security adviser Michael Flynn and FBI Director James Comey, according to two people familiar with his plans.
Mueller’s interest in the events that led Trump to push out Flynn and Comey indicates his investigation is intensifying its focus on possible efforts by the president or others to obstruct or blunt the special counsel’s probe.
Trump’s attorneys have crafted some negotiating terms for the president’s interview with Mueller’s team, one that could be presented to the special counsel as soon as next week, according to the two people.
The president’s legal team hopes to provide Trump’s testimony in a hybrid form answering some questions in a face-to-face interview and others in a written statement.
Those discussions come amid signs of stepped-up activity by the special counsel. Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed for several hours by Mueller’s investigators, according to Justice Department officials.
Within the past two weeks, the special counsel’s office has indicated to the White House the two central subjects investigators wish to discuss with the president are the departures of Flynn and Comey and the events surrounding their firings.
Flynn resigned last February after The Washington Post reported that he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other administration officials about his communications with the Russian ambassador to the United States.
Late last year, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Trump then tweeted that “he had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI.” Previously, the White House had cited only the false statements to Pence as a rationale for dismissing Flynn.
Trump fired Comey in May, several days after the then-FBI director told Congress he could not comment on whether there was evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Comey later testified that the president had asked him several months earlier whether he could see a way to “letting Flynn go.”
Mueller has also expressed interest in Trump’s efforts to remove Jeff Sessions as attorney general or pressure him into quitting, according to a person familiar with the probe.
Earlier this month, Trump declined to say whether he would grant an interview to Mueller and his team, deflecting questions on the topic by saying there had been “no collusion” between his campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.