Rudolph W. Giuliani, President Trump’s new personal lawyer dealing with the ongoing probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, met with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III on Tuesday to reopen negotiations for a presidential interview, ­according to three people familiar with the talks. [Mueller told Trump’s attorneys the president remains under investigation but is not currently a criminal target]The face-to-face discussions ­illustrated how Giuliani is functioning as Trump’s chief liaison and lead negotiator with the special counsel. “We don’t discuss conversations with the Office of the Special Counsel,” Sekulow said. Hours after the Cohen raids, a visibly agitated Trump blasted the investigation and the special counsel to reporters gathered to witness him meeting with top military officials at the White House that evening. The special counsel said he needed to interview Trump to understand whether he had any corrupt intent to thwart the Russia investigation when he took certain steps, including firing FBI Director James B. Comey.

Source: Washington Post April 25, 2018 21:12 UTC