2016 ELECTION/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s lawyers are seeking to negotiate a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller that uses an interview with the president as leverage to spur a conclusion to the Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
The president’s legal team is considering telling Mr. Mueller that Mr. Trump would agree to a sit-down interview based on multiple considerations, including that the special counsel commit to a date for concluding at least the Trump-related portion of the investigation. One idea is to suggest a deadline of 60 days from the date of the interview, the person said.
Another consideration for the legal team is reaching an agreement with Mr. Mueller on the scope of his questioning of the president, which they expect to focus largely on his decision to fire former national security adviser Mike Flynn and former FBI director James Comey, according to people familiar with the matter…
The president’s legal team is under pressure from Mr. Trump to bring about an end to the probe. Mr. Trump has been eager to see the investigation wrap up as quickly as possible, describing it as a distraction that is hurting the country. His lawyers have repeatedly laid out public timelines by which they expected the investigation to end. Those deadlines have come and gone…
A person familiar with the Trump legal team’s process said that conversations with Mr. Mueller over a possible Trump interview are in the earliest stages.”
-Rebecca Ballhaus and Peter Nicholas, “Trump Lawyers Seek Deal With Mueller to Speed End of Russia Probe,” The Wall Street Journal online, Mar. 9, 2018 03:05pm