Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, newly added to President Trump’s legal team, said the president is planning to use the one-year anniversary of Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel for the Russia probe to slam the investigation.
“We are going to try as best we can to put the message out there that it has been a year, there has been no evidence presented of collusion or obstruction, and it is about time for them to end the investigation,” Giuliani said.
The usually outspoken lawyer was coy on the administration’s next steps if Mueller ignores calls to shutter the investigation.
“We don’t want to signal our action if this doesn’t work — we are going to hope they listen to us — but obviously we have a Plan B and C.”
The Justice Department appointed Mueller a year ago on Thursday, May 17, just eight days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.
Giuliani said it would be “absurd” for the investigation to drag out longer than a year.
“If we’re talking about the public having some degree of toleration for it now that’d switch very quickly” if the investigation extended beyond this year,” he said.
Giuliani also played down the possibility that Trump would grant the special counsel an in-person interview, saying investigators only want to trap the president into perjury.
“It is hard to recommend an interview when the questions presented indicate they have no evidence, and it is hard not to get at least the appearance they are attempting to trap him into perjury,” he said.
The special counsel would have to explain why he needed an interview when the White House has already turned over more than a million documents, and Mueller has interviewed dozens of White House staff members, Giuliani said.
One stipulation Giuliani would request before Trump interviewed is Mueller’s promise that investigation would conclude soon afterwards, he said.
Mueller has hinted at subpoenaing the president if he refuses an in-person interview, but Giuliani believes Trump would be under no obligation to comply with such a subpoena.
Trump wrote on Twitter last month that the investigation should end. He has called it a “witch hunt” many times and quipped that Mueller’s team of investigators are “13 Angry Democrats.”