Trump lawyers reject interview terms

President Donald Trump’s legal team has rejected special counsel Robert Mueller’s conditions for an interview with their client, saying they consider questioning the president about possible obstruction of justice to be legally inappropriate.

A letter from Trump’s lawyers sent to Mueller around noon on Wednesday significantly lessens the possibility of a voluntary presidential interview, according to two people familiar with the discussions. The multipage response represents what Trump’s lawyers expect to be their last word on Mueller’s request for a sit-down interview with the president in his Russia investigation, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.

On a live radio program Wednesday, Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow declined to elaborate on their rejection of Mueller’s interview terms, but both said the special counsel should finish his probe soon.

“This should be over with by Sept. 1,” Giuliani said. “We have now given him so many of the answers he has been seeking.”

In a separate statement, Giuliani emphasized the information that Trump and the White House have already given to Mueller’s team.

“Millions of pages of documents along with testimony from dozens of witnesses have been provided,” Giuliani said.