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Editorial

Trump 'prepares' for Mueller interview

A faceoff between President Trump and special counsel Robert Mueller is inevitable. And, the sooner it is done and dusted with, the better for all concerned. Trump knows it for sure and if reports are to be believed, preparations for the "interview" have begun with his battery of lawyers. The question of whether or not Mueller would question the President on collusion with Russians in the 2016 election has remained unanswered, despite the President's public claims that he would gladly sit for an interview. True to his style, this has also been followed by a barrage of anti-Mueller tweets. The preparations have so far included going over potential topics with the President that Mueller would likely raise in an interview. As more and more people have been indicted as part of the special counsel's investigation, Trump has privately wavered in his commitment to interviewing with Mueller "depending on the day." In January, he declared that he would be having an interview with Mueller in "two to three weeks." The negotiations likely hit a snag in March when top attorney John Dowd resigned from the President's legal team and has yet to be replaced. Privately, the President is said to have grown obsessed with the investigation. Word of early preparations is the clearest sign yet that Trump and his team remain open to the interview despite concerns from some people close to the President that such an interview could expose him to possible charges of perjury. Outwardly, Trump has remained receptive to, even enthusiastic, about the prospect of sitting before Mueller, who is investigating whether his campaign colluded with Russia and whether Trump attempted to short-circuit the investigation itself. Keeping with his ways, Trump has wavered on his pledge as friends and advisers caution him of the risks of speaking to prosecutors who have already charged 19 individuals with criminal offences, including lying. If and when questioned, however, Trump could still open himself to charges if he lies to Mueller's team, since lying to the FBI is a crime. Multiple aides to the President continue to describe him as obsessed with the Russia investigation, becoming increasingly agitated as details about the probe emerge. Trump feels the investigation undermines his Presidency and is bitter that it has not yet concluded. Attorneys on both sides sat down late last month in a rare face-to-face discussion about the topics investigators could enquire of the President. In that session, the special counsel's team provided more details about the topics it had originally presented to Trump's lawyers months ago, which include firing FBI Director James Comey, attorney general Jeff Sessions involvement in that firing and Trump's knowledge of phone calls former national security adviser Michael Flynn placed to the Russian Ambassador in late 2016. The suspense is certainly building up.
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