President Donald Trump reportedly asked at least two key witnesses about their interviews with special counsel Robert Mueller, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
According to three people familiar with the conversations who spoke with the Times, Trump reportedly asked an aide to tell White House counsel Don McGahn to issue a statement refuting an article in the Times in January that said McGahn told Mueller investigators that Trump had once asked him to fire Mueller. McGahn did not release a statement contradicting the story and reportedly had to remind Trump that he did, in fact, ask him to dismiss the special counsel.
In another encounter, Trump reportedly grilled his former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus about how his interview with the Mueller team went and asked Priebus if the investigators had been “nice” to him, two people familiar with the conversation told the Times.
Witnesses and lawyers who knew about the President’s inquiries informed Mueller of the conversations, according to the Times. In recent interviews, Mueller’s team has asked witnesses about their interactions with Trump since the probe began.
Mueller is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the foreign power to aid in those efforts. Mueller is also looking into whether Trump tried to obstruct the investigation by firing of former FBI Director James Comey. Trump’s questioning of key witnesses about their conversations with investigators could further spur Mueller’s obstruction inquiries, according to experts who spoke with the Times.
