Trump lawyer leaves

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s lead lawyer in the special counsel’s Russia investigation has resigned amid a shakeup of the president’s team, an exit that removes the primary negotiator and legal strategist who had been molding Trump’s defense.

The departure of attorney John Dowd comes as the president has personally intensified his attacks on the special counsel and just days after the Trump legal team added a new lawyer, former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova, who has alleged on television that FBI officials were involved in a “brazen plot” to exonerate Hillary Clinton in the email investigation and to “frame” Trump for nonexistent crimes.

Dowd confirmed his decision in an email Thursday to The Associated Press, saying, “I love the President and wish him well.” Dowd said he made the decision voluntarily and he denied reports that his departure had to do with Trump ignoring his legal advice.

It already was a delicate time in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation as Trump’s attorneys, including Dowd, have been negotiating with Mueller over the scope and terms of an interview of the president. Trump has told reporters that he was eager to speak with Mueller, but Dowd has been far more apprehensive, and the lawyers have not publicly committed to making Trump available for questioning.

Asked Thursday whether he still wants to speak with Mueller’s team, Trump told reporters, “Yes, I would like to.”

Over the weekend, Dowd issued a statement calling for an end to special counsel’s investigation. The White House and later Dowd had to clarify the statement, saying the president’s legal team wasn’t calling for Mueller to be fired.