Mueller responds to Trump team about interview ground rules
Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that Mr. Trump's legal team has received a letter from special counsel Robert Mueller regarding ground rules for a potential interview with the president. Giuliani made the remarks, which were recorded by CNN, after a political event in New Hampshire.
Giuliani said the Trump legal team is still considering how it will reply. The letter, Giuliani said, arrived Tuesday. Mueller's team, Giuliani said, sent a proposal outlining interview parameters, Mr. Trump's legal team responded, and Mueller's most recent letter is a response to that.
"We haven't stopped negotiating with them," Giuliani told reporters Wednesday. "The most recent letter – they sent us a proposal. We responded to their proposal. They took about 10 days and yesterday we got a letter back from them. And now we're in the process of responding to their proposal."
In April, the New York Times published a list of dozens of questions Mueller's team wanted to ask Mr. Trump, ranging from Mr. Trump's motivations for firing FBI Director James Comey to contacts Mr. Trump's campaign had with Russian nationals.
Mueller's most recent letter to the Trump legal team comes as Mr. Trump's public frustrations with the Mueller probe intensify. On Wednesday morning, the president tweeted that Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself in the Russia investigation, should "stop" the "Rigged Witch Hunt." White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said the president was simply expressing his opinion, not giving an order.
..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
Meanwhile, the president's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, concluded his second day at trial on Wednesday. And Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump's former attorney, is willing to tell Mueller that Mr. Trump was aware of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting in advance.
— CBS News' Arden Farhi contributed to this report