President Donald Trump. Photo: Oliver Contreras-Pool/Getty Images
President Donald Trump told Reuters Monday that he fears a potential interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller could be a "perjury trap, " and declined to say whether he'd still be willing to sit down with Mueller's team.
“Even if I am telling the truth, that makes me a liar. That’s no good.”— President Trump in an interview with Reuters.
Trump added that he's concerned Mueller might compare his statements with the testimonies of former FBI Director James Comey and others, "and that any discrepancies could be used against him."
- This has been a similar concern of Trump's top lawyer, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has made conflicting statements about the possibility of a Trump sit-down with Mueller.
- At one point, Giuliani told the Wall Street Journal that he thought Trump could “talk himself into becoming a target” if he agreed to an interview.
The backdrop: The president has said in the past that he would "love" to talk to Mueller, and Trump's legal team has said that they would allow for a sit-down interview as long as Mueller agrees to exclude all questions relating to obstruction of justice. It is unclear whether such an interview is still on the table.