The president’s legal council believes that the requirements for an interview with Donald Trump have not been met by special counsel Robert Mueller.
The team, led by attorney John Dowd, has claimed that the investigation has not provided enough evidence to suggest that that president is the sole source of the information required by the special counsel.
The probe intends to find out whether Russia interfered in the 2016 elections and also whether the president obstructed investigations into the matter.
Donald Trump had seemed open to the idea of an interview and had even claimed he would like to be “under oath”. Albeit he had claimed that it would be liable to change on the advice of his lawyers. His lawyers have now claimed that he has no obligation to give the interview although no final agreement has been reached on the matter.
Trump’s legal team and the attorneys representing the White House have collaborated in the investigation. The White House has provided information to the investigation that includes voluntary witness testimony and other documents but when it comes to the president, his legal team argues that he should not be held in the same way as everyone else. They also have been consulting with White House attorneys and other legal experts to determine the effect the President’s testimony will have on his office.
As negotiations go on, it remains to be seen whether this serves as an obstacle for the investigation in the same way as a car accident attorney is for a moving vehicle because even if Trump’s lawyers reject the proposal for an interview, Mueller could force a grand jury subpoena thereby prolonging the court battle.
"I don't think the president of the United States—unless there are credible allegations, which I don't believe there are—should be sitting across from the special counsel, ”Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stated.
If Trump does not agree to give an interview, it may lead to a criminal subpoena forcing him to stand before a grand jury. All that remains to be seen is where the negotiations take us.
This draws a comparison to a case in the past during the Bill Clinton era where agriculture secretary Mike Espy resigned in an ethics scandal. His case attempted to stop a private investigator from probing through executive privilege.
However there has been no previous example of a President refraining from giving an interview therefore it poses a challenge to the legal team. Whatever the outcome may be this investigation is considered to be pivotal for the President.