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    Monday, May 06, 2024

    Trump reportedly willing to sit down with Mueller if he then ends Russia probe

    President Donald Trump’s legal team is looking to negotiate a deal in which Trump would agree to an interview if special counsel Robert Mueller commits to setting a deadline for his investigation into Russian election meddling, according to a report.

    Trump, who has gone back and forth about whether he would be willing to be interviewed, would sit down with Mueller’s investigators if the special counsel agrees to wrap up the probe within 60 days, a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal.

    Trump’s attorneys have not yet pitched the idea but are actively considering how to approach Mueller about it, the source said.

    The presidential legal team is also hoping to limit the scope of what Mueller could ask Trump during a potential interview. The lawyers believe Mueller will mostly focus on whether Trump obstructed justice by firing ex-FBI Director James Comey, who was actively overseeing an investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia when he was booted.

    Comey’s axing set into motion a series of events that led to Mueller’s appointment as special prosecutor.

    The White House did not respond to a request for comment from the New York Daily News on Friday.

    Trump stunned his own attorneys when he announced in January that he was “looking forward” to sitting down with Mueller’s investigators.

    “Here is the story: There has been no collusion whatsoever. There is no obstruction whatsoever,” Trump told reporters at the time.

    The president’s attorneys backpedaled on his comments a few days later, announcing that they were looking into the possibility of an interview, but had not yet made a decision.

    Legal experts expressed doubt that Mueller would agree to set a deadline for his investigation under any circumstances.

    Trump maintains that his campaign has no ties to Russia, blasting the notion as “fake news.”

    Despite Trump’s pushback, 19 people and three companies have been indicted in Mueller’s probe, including Trump’s ex-campaign manager and his former White House national security adviser.

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