During an impromptu press conference outside of Chief of Staff John Kelly’s office, President Donald Trump told reporters “he was willing to speak under oath” to Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. “I’m looking forward to it,” the president told press from the New York Times, the Associated Press, and numerous other outlets in attendance. Trump’s comments late Wednesday came a day after a Washington Post report indicated Mueller’s team wanted to ask the president about the respective departures of ex-FBI Director James Comey and former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
Specifically, Mueller wanted to inquire as to the nature of Comey’s firing and Flynn’s resignation. However, the same report noted that Trump’s personal legal team was in the process of negotiating for a “hybrid form” of testimony that would include “a face-to-face interview” and “a written statement.” The president has long been rumored to be next on Mueller’s list of interviewees, and it now seems that Trump himself has confirmed the prior Post report and similar musings.
Aside from telling the Times and other reporters that he will seek his lawyers’ advice first, Trump also took the opportunity to throw yet another jab at Hillary Clinton, whom he defeated well over a year ago. “[The president] said he would be willing to answer questions under oath, but not until after asking whether Hillary Clinton,” explained the Times, “has spoken under oath to the F.B.I. in the investigation into her use of a private email server.” As the paper’s reporters subsequently noted, she did just that back in July 2016.
(Via New York Times)