Sep 4, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Report: Mueller will accept written answers from Trump on Russia collusion

Robert Mueller walks down the stairs of the Capitol

Special Counsel Robert Mueller leaves the Capitol. Photo: Saul Loeb/Getty Images

In a letter to President Trump's lawyers, special counsel Robert Mueller's office said they will accept written responses from Trump regarding whether his campaign team colluded with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Michael Schmidt report, citing two people briefed on the letter. The letter was sent on Friday.

Why it matters: Mueller's team did not ask for written answers regarding whether the president tried to obstruct justice, stating that they recognize the subject could prevent the president from agreeing to an interview. Haberman and Schmidt write that this aspect, along with the tone of the letter, "prompted some Trump allies to conclude that if an interview takes place, its scope will be more limited than Mr. Trump’s legal team initially believed."

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