Pence on Mueller investigation: ‘It’s time to wrap it up’

Vice President Pence on Thursday urged special counsel Robert Mueller to conclude his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, saying that doing so would be in the “interest of the country.”

“What I think is that it’s been about a year since this investigation began,” Pence said in an interview on NBC’s “Today” show. “Our administration has provided over a million documents, we’ve fully cooperated in it and in the interest of the country, I think it’s time to wrap it up.”

“And I would very respectfully encourage the special counsel and his team to bring their work to completion,” he added. 

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Pence said the Trump administration has so far been fully cooperative with Mueller’s probe, and that it would continue to be. 

Mueller is investigating Moscow’s efforts to meddle in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign sought to conspire with the Russians to sway the outcome of the presidential race. He is also looking into whether the president tried to obstruct the probe.

President Trump has privately and publicly bristled at the investigation, which he has called a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.”

Mueller’s probe does not appear close to ending, however. The special counsel is still reportedly aiming to interview Trump himself, though the president’s lawyers appear reluctant to allow such a discussion. 

–Jordan Fabian contributed to this report.