Trump's Lawyers Prepare to Answer Special Counsel's Questions in Russia Investigation

Donald Trump's lawyers are preparing responses to questions from Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating potential Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. CNN first reported this development on Thursday, citing informed sources, indicating that after months of negotiations between Mueller and Trump's legal team, progress has finally been made, and the president is set to answer the special counsel's questions. Rudy Giuliani, Trump's attorney, stated last month that Mueller intends to conduct an interview following a series of written questions from the president, but this request faced resistance from Trump's legal team. Reuters reports that discussions about the interview have not yet concluded, but informed sources told the agency that Mueller will accept written responses to his questions without requiring a commitment from Trump's lawyers regarding subsequent actions. Two days before this report, Giuliani told Reuters, 'We do not agree to further questions until the first set of questions is asked, answered, and someone explains to us why these questions and answers are not sufficient.' Giuliani then clarified that Trump is eager to answer questions regarding whether his campaign colluded with Moscow in the 2016 presidential election. However, Mueller is also focusing on whether the U.S. president obstructed the investigation into the Russia case, which, according to Giuliani, Trump does not want to discuss in an interview with Mueller. In an interview last year with NBC News, Trump linked his decision to fire then-FBI Director James Comey to the investigation into potential Russian interference in the election, which Comey was leading at the time. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia intervened to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. Moscow has denied this accusation, and Trump has also denied collusion with Russia and obstruction of justice.