President Trump’s personal legal team is preparing written answers to questions submitted by special counsel Robert Mueller, CNN reported Thursday.
The development could mark a breakthrough in the prolonged battle between Trump’s personal lawyers and the special counsel’s office over whether and how the president would answer Mueller’s questions regarding possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and obstruction of justice.
{mosads}Sources tell CNN the questions mostly focus on the collusion aspect of the special counsel’s probe.
While the two sides have agreed on this initial round of questioning, the special counsel has reportedly insisted that Mueller’s team have the opportunity to follow up. Trump’s legal team and the special counsel are still negotiating if the president will be interviewed in person.
“We are in continuing discussions with the special counsel and we do not comment on those discussions,” Trump attorney Jay Sekulow told CNN.
The president is known to be open to testifying in person, yet his personal lawyers have expressed concern that Trump could perjure himself during an interview.
“It seems ridiculous that I’d have to do it when everybody says there’s no collusion, but I’ll do what is necessary to get it over with,” Trump told Fox News Thursday morning.
“I’m not going to be rushed into having him testify so he gets trapped into perjury,” Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told NBC’s “Meet the Press” in August.
The special counsel has sought an interview with the president over the past several months, and reportedly threatened to subpoena Trump if he declined to voluntarily sit for an interview. Giuliani has previously asserted that Trump would not have to comply with a subpoena.