AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with law enforcement officials on the MS-13 street gang and border security, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington on Feb. 6, 2018.
- President Donald Trump's lawyers are said to be having informal meetings with Trump to prepare him for a potential interview with special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the Russia investigation.
- That development comes from two people familiar with the situation, including a White House official who shared the information with CNN on Friday.
- The early talks are an indication that a sit-down between the president and the prosecutors investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election is still a likely possibility.
President Donald Trump's lawyers are reportedly getting him ready for a possible sit-down with special counsel Robert Mueller as part of the ongoing Russia investigation, CNN reported on Friday.
Trump has been talking about his willingness to meet with Mueller for some time, and has publicly indicated that he would do so under oath. But the developments on Friday show that the president and his lawyers are taking that possibility seriously.
According to CNN's sources, the meetings between Trump and his legal team are "short and informal," and consist of possible subjects that Mueller and his investigative team may want to discuss.
Mueller - who enlisted career prosecutors and impaneled a grand jury to investigate Russia's meddling in the 2016 US election, is working to determine whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian operatives, and is examining the president's actions while in office - has reportedly been in talks with Trump's lawyers about that in-person discussion.
The prospect has been nothing short of controversial among Trump's close associates and allies, some of whom believe Trump shouldn't give Mueller an interview, and others who believe it could be beneficial.
Some of Trump's defenders believe Mueller may try to trap him, since he is known to be unguarded in his public interactions and speak off-the-cuff.
Talks of a potential interview add to a whirlwind of news surrounding the Trump administration of late, including a simmering multibillion-dollar trade dispute with China, several ongoing scandals, White House departures, and unflattering headlines surrounding some of Trump's top cabinet secretaries.